Oklahoma indie rockers Wilderado are 'In Between' albums with dreamy new song and OKC show
Since forming in 2015, Tulsa alt-folk band Wilderado has been seen on TV on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "CBS Saturday Morning," opened shows for Lindsey Buckingham, Judah & The Lion and Band of Horses and garnered more than 175 million streams with their earthy yet ethereal songs.
Although they've played at major music festivals like Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, the indie rockers haven't strayed far from their Oklahoma roots, whether they're teaming with fellow Sooner State acts like Husbands and Ken Pomeroy or bringing their fall tour to OKC's Tower Theatre — or both.
"We're excited about it. ... You play the show, and either people come, or people don't. It's exciting to see that tickets are moving well," said Wilderado frontman Max Rainer in a phone interview this week from the road in Grand Junction, Colorado.
After they play their Sept. 30 Oklahoma City show, Rainer and his bandmates won't stay in their home state for long: Wilderado's fall headlining tour continues Oct. 1 in Columbia, Missouri, and includes stops in Chicago, Nashville and Athens, Georgia, before wrapping Oct. 8 in Carrboro, North Carolina.
Ahead of their autumn OKC show, Rainer talked with The Oklahoman about Wilderado's new song "In Between," the success of their 2021 self-titled debut album, their plans for their sophomore release and more:
Q: Over the past two years, what have been your favorite moments of getting to travel with your first full-length album?
Rainer: Doing television is crazy, just because it's so prevalent in your head. Everyone knows what it is to play 'Jimmy Kimmel,' and not everyone knows what it is to play some of the places that are cool to us. There's just so many little cool checkmarks in the music industry that, as an artist, are really special. But to my dad or to my aunt, they're not really sure why they're special. ...
Playing Red Rocks (Amphitheatre in Colorado) was obviously wild. ... But I think, more than anything, we came out of the pandemic, did a 23-show run and sold out every single night right off the release of that record. And, to me, that's what I'm most proud of, because it's one of those 'put your money where your mouth is' situations: You think people like something, but you don't really know what a record is doing until you go on the road.
Q: You've opened for some big and interesting acts. What have you learned from them?
Rainer: I'm coming from sports and a great relationship with my dad, who's always telling me to be coachable and learn from those that have done it before you. So, we go into those situations like sponges just trying to soak up everything. ... Being with Lindsey Buckingham or the Band of Horses guys or whoever it may be — even Mt. Joy, people that are our age — we just are observing and taking it all in. The thing that I always take away the most is the only way this works is if you like it, and if you are allowing yourself to be yourself. And every one of those artists that are successful are just still enjoying doing it — and the ones that aren't are in horrible health and horrible mental states, and it's just not a way you want to live. ...
(We were) around Lindsey but also Christine McVie — we lost her last year, which is sad — but she was, I think, 75 on that trip. And she was warming up, she had a vocal coach with her everywhere she went, she was running scales on the piano. She was vibrant, excited and just working hard 'til the very last moment. You could tell she was just a songwriter — she didn't stand a chance not to be — and I think I was really inspired by her, because I feel that way, too.
Q: You recently released your first new music of the year with 'In Between,' and you've actually released two versions of it, including one that's a duet with Ken Pomeroy. What do you want people to know about that song?
Rainer: We're rolling out new music, and the first thing that we put out, we're just really proud of and we love and we feel like it encapsulates who we are as a band. ... I love how it has a little bit more of a Southern twang to it than we've ever played before, a little leaning into the nature of the lyrics.
That's why I was inspired to do this version with Ken, just because I honestly think she has one of the most lovely voices I've ever heard. It just kind of sounds like Oklahoma to me. Everyone has their own version of what that may be. But to me, when I'm calm and looking out at the beautiful landscape where we live, it sounds like her voice — and it sounds like that song.
Q: Ken is also in the music video for the original version of the song. What do you like about working with her?
Rainer: I love her. She became such a friend to me; she's like a little sister. We were stuck together for a whole day and had never met. And she was such a pleasure to be around. She just made the whole experience better.
We were in a film together. That's also in kind of a strange state ... and I'm not allowed to say anything about that, either. ... But that's how we met.
I don't know if you've ever been on a movie set — I sure hadn't — but it was long. We played the same song from like 4:30 until almost 2 in the morning. So, it's an interesting way to meet somebody. ...
That Oklahoma City show, that'll be the only night on this trip — and maybe ever — that you'll get to hear Ken sing 'In Between' with us live. You never know how things work out, but she's going to be there that night. So, she's going to come up on stage and play that song with us. So, that'll be a fun, cool moment for all of us and maybe a rare occasion.
Q: Your first full-length album was seven years and a whole pandemic in the making. What can people expect from your next album?
Rainer: The second LP's still being written. We're allowing ourselves the time it takes to make something that we love and are proud of. So, I don't have that much information on it, other than there's songs and we're already excited about a lot of them. We're just wanting to really make sure that it's cohesive and makes sense, and we don't get stuck up in that sophomore slump of just rushing something out for the sake of timeliness. ...
The first record was a big deal to us, and we toured it and toured it and are still touring it, right now, this morning. I mean, I'm waking up in a hotel, getting ready to play those songs tonight. ... As I get closer to this little run being over, I think I can start feeling myself gravitating towards new songs and feeling like these ones are becoming old songs.
But I was in no rush for the first record to feel like old songs. I still feel the way that I was when we made them, and I still feel the things we said.
WILDERADO
With: Husbands and Ken Pomeroy.
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 30. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Where: Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23.
Tickets: https://towertheatreokc.com.
Information: https://www.wilderado.co.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma indie rockers Wilderado are 'In Between' albums with new song
