Wild High, Who Said Psych’s Dead?
by Charlie Sullivan
Denver’s Wild High are garnering some attention on the local music scene, and rightfully so. The lads have been diligently rehearsing and playing the club circuit nurturing their sound and have nailed it down. The crew is crafting some stellar modern psych rock. The sound draws heavy on the lo-fi distortion from the dueling guitars of Cody Coffey (guitar, vocals, Ancient Elk) and Clay Cornelius (guitar, backing vocals). Throw in the manic psych bass of Pablo Cruz and Nick Layne’s hypersonic drumming and you have a formula for success.
Coffey drafted the talents of Cruz in 2012 and soon after latched onto the talented Cornelius. The first year they managed to throw enough material together to play small sets, all the while looking for their sound. The trio mobilized their thought process and from it emerged the gritty psych sound that they’ve been hitting the local listeners with. Finding a drummer was a little more challenging but when the nimble Layne came along the crew sucked him into the fold like a cop at a donut shop.
The crew got a bit of a break recently with the Red Bull Sound Select and a gig at The 1Up on Colfax.
“It was great,” states Coffey, “We played a good set and got a nice interview out of it.”
“We were able to show off some of the new music we’ll be releasing at the end of August,” adds Conrelius.
The end of August should see the release of the much anticipated Sdreams the band’s ten song debut release.
“We’ve been in the studio working with Alex Anderson,” says Coffey, “Anderson did the recording and engineering and we sent it out to Chad Saxton, Dryer Plug Studios, for the mastering.”
I had a chance to sit in with the crew for a rehearsal and loved what I was hearing. The music has so many layers to it; it’s extremely melodic, structured, and doesn’t get away from the listener. Coffey’s quirky lyrics are well thought out as you’ll hear on “God And Woman” a melancholy song about losses and relationships. “Symmetry” and “Soft Castles” are well developed psych rockers that should keep people out on the dance floor. “Dip” and “Palmist” take it little closer to psych pop with catchy lyrics. Keep your eyes out for the CD and a limited vinyl release.
The band’s live sets are spectacular. They like to start it out heavy, pour it on, slow it down a little, and then take the audience out on a high note. The crew stays tethered to the audience by the on stage antics of Cruz- the lad can gyrate and becomes part of the experience.
“People seem to be really enjoying our sound,’ says Cornelius, “People are up and dancing and I know that’s in large part to Pablo.”
Watch these guys they have high aspirations for themselves. This band is happening and they have tremendous potential, get out there and see them before they become the main event.
“The only truth is music.”- Jack Kerouac
Category: Buzzworthy2
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