Alternative rocker and singer-songwriter Wilder Woods is performing material from his recently released third studio album, “CURIOSO,” at the Uptown Theater on March 7.
Wilder Woods is the solo project of Bear Rinehart, lead singer, guitarist and co-founder of Grammy-nominated rock band NEEDTOBREATHE. He said he started the Wilder Woods project to branch out from the kind of music he makes with the band, and his first thought when starting his solo career was, “How different can I be?”
“A band project is more of a democracy, which I love,” Rinehart said. “With a solo record, you can direct a little bit more.”
He said making music himself is fun, although he feels more vulnerable performing as a solo act.
“If people don’t like it, it’s me they don’t like,” Rinehart said.
Through the Wilder Woods project, Rinehart said he can explore tempos and grooves outside of NEEDTOBREATHE’s sound. He described the sound of his previous album, “FEVER / SKY,” as a sort of “redneck neo-soul.”
On “CURIOSO,” Rinehart said he focused on creating music for live shows, emphasizing swinging rhythms and instrumental soundscapes on each track. He described it as a headphone record because of the intricacies and layers found in the production.
Each song on the album sounds different from the rest as Rinehart experiments with new sounds and styles on each track. He said he was greatly inspired by the music he listened to in the past.
“It sounds like a playlist from the last 30 years of my life,” Rinehart said.
Rinehart said he was notably inspired by alternative rock from bands he heard on the radio as a high schooler in the ‘90s, like The Breeders and Spacehog.
He proudly wears his love for alternative rock on his sleeve on tracks like “Hide Anymore,” my favorite off the record, which features a psychedelic dissonant guitar riff that would sound right at home in a Sonic Youth song.
As Wilder Woods, Rinehart might play with effects pedals and experiment with different rhythms, but his folksy, cowboy demeanor still shows on every track. His rugged vocal delivery brings a country-western flare to every track.
Rolling Stone magazine said Rinehart found what he is looking for on “CURIOSO.” If Wilder Woods sounds like what you are looking for, you can find him performing at the Uptown Theater on Friday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.
