 |
| The Wild Feathers (photo from ACL Music Festival website) |
In a classic festival moment, I passed by the very end of a set by The Wild Feathers on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Austin City Limites Music Festival. The band was simply killing it, as they say, with the crowd loving what they heard from these five musicians in jeans and flannel shirts owning the stage. (Relive it here in
our ACL Music Festival Day Three Highlights at the 2:00 mark.) They were wrapping up with "The Ceiling," a soulful romp that doesn't loose too much of the raw energy in the official video below. I'm just smitten by the husky vocals and shiny bright guitars, plus the way the song fades out only to return with roof raising harmonies and solo calls for redemption. Hearing the tune getting airplay on WFUV and WXPN's "World Cafe" made me proud for witnessing their rise and sent me digging to grab it for my own collection.
This group is based in Nashville but has roots in Texas and Oklahoma, embracing country blues, folk and rock all at once. Tellingly, most of the band were lead singers before coming together to produce songs that have a full frontal sound with powerhouse singing and dense instrumentation. It definitely harks back to when songs like this were a part of Top 40 radio in the 70s, and The Wild Feathers list such influences as Neil Young, Tom Petty and Led Zeppelin. Their self-titled debut album was released in August with a deluxe edition boasting two bonus tracks. Fans can also snap up
a free download of four songs performed live in Portland by visiting the band's website, including this epic closer, "The Ceiling."
