First Avenue Presents
WILD CHILD with Oh He Dead and Motenko
Friday, May 10, 2024 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 8:00 PM
All Ages
Standing
$25 Advance, $30 Day of Show
This is a standing show with an open floor. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our Access Page.
Ticketing for this show goes through First Avenue's ticket system, AXS. If you are in need of accessibility ticketing assistance with this platform, please contact info@first-avenue.com.
General Admission tickets are available online.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Wild Child is an American indie pop band hailing from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2010, the band’s unique sound blends infectious melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and a mix of instruments.
Touring behind 2023's album End of the World (Wild Child's fifth full-length album) they delve deeper into the contemplative edge which has long colored their songs, while expanding intimate, folky songs into lush, full band arrangements.
WILD CHILD
End of the World, the new album from acclaimed Austin songwriting duo Wild Child (Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins) wasn’t supposed to happen. In 2018, Wilson joined the singer-songwriter super group Glorietta, and debuted her critically acclaimed genre-bending, Motown-influenced solo project Sir Woman. Meanwhile, Beggins unveiled his musical alter-ego, CoCo Zandi, with the release of his first solo album, As Simple as a Dream. Then in 2019, after more than a decade of non-stop touring, the indie band, which was unexpectedly conceived in the back seat of someone else's tour van, stopped booking or playing shows altogether.
Exploring different sonic directions, Wilson and Beggins didn't know if they would ever make another Wild Child record, until, well, what felt like the "end of the world" hit Austin, and brought them back together. Pandemic lockdowns closed stages and drained bank accounts. In Austin, the ‘Live Music Capital of the World,’ local bands took their shows online. Wild Child was no different. With an unexpected abundance of free time on their hands, Wilson and Beggins got together to practice for a series of online performances for devout fans. Within 30 minutes of rejoining forces, they’d written the first single for what would accidentally become Wild Child's fifth album.
"Photographs" is a soulful, brass-filled outing that “offers something familiar for Wild Child fans who have stuck with them over the years," Wilson says. “‘Photographs’ was inspired by a picture of my dad, Buddy Wilson, who passed away in February. And in a way, it's a tribute to old Wild Child songs. A bittersweet story, a ukulele and both of us singing. It's a special gift to Wild Child fans." Beggins adds, "It felt like our very first record, when the two of us wrote a bunch of songs while on tour for someone else. There wasn't any aim to do anything with those songs at the beginning. For the first time since then, that's how we started writing these songs. We didn't know if we would make another record. It just came together.”
And it couldn't have happened at a more difficult time. Take Day 3 of the 2021 Texas Big Freeze for instance, when 13 displaced Austin pals had taken refuge at Wilson's house. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no end in sight. When Wilson couldn't possibly take it anymore, one of the fateful 13, singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney, ripped a 90s-alternative riff on an acoustic guitar that would eventually turn into the album's title track. "I just started singing about things that were freaking me out. Wearing a mask for a year. Global warming. There's no heat, no water,” explains Wilson. “It was like a dirge to begin with. But by the end we were all screaming and laughing that, yes, this might be the end of the world, but we're all together right now, making music in my living room by candlelight. It's all okay."
The next morning during a lull in the storm, the Wild Child caravan — complete with drummer and guitarist Tom Meyers, guitarist Cody Ackors, and bassist and piano player Taylor Craft (Sir Woman) — braved icy roads to recording engineer Matt Pence's The Echo Lab studios outside Denton, Texas. They didn't even stop to shower before recording an unwashed rendition of "End of the World," flush with in-the-moment angst. "There's no ukulele. I'm singing differently than I ever have before. You can hear my voice crack, and all the energy behind everyone playing," Wilson said. "That set the tone. There were no boundaries. We're back to how it was on Day One. We were making this music because we really needed to make it for ourselves."
Abney tagged along, and in the process became the first songwriter to collaborate with Beggins and Wilson on a Wild Child album. His contributions to Beggins and Wilson's songwriting process came as an unexpected blessing amid so much impending doom. "John was dating one of Kelsey's roommates when we met. The first time we played together, we just fell in love with each other," Beggins says. "When you have a musical partnership, like Kelsey and I have had for a decade, it's strange to change the formula of writing. But we found someone we both trust and like working with.
"Wearing Blue" started with a guitar riff Abney played before an early recording session. "While everyone was setting up their instruments, John Calvin started playing and singing. In 30 minutes, a song was written. That was a holy-shit moment. And it set the tone of the record," Wilson shares.
The Wild Child family is also excited to announce the birth of Reba’s Ranch Records, a long-time vision of creating their own record label imprint to highlight some of the amazing music coming out of Austin, TX. The label was born after years of conversations within the band about the importance of controlling one’s own destiny and art. The imprint will be home to the Wild Child catalog, as well as Kelsey’s Sir Woman and Alexander's CoCo Zandi recordings, and is a partnership with Secretly Distribution.
‘End of the World’ was mixed by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Elle King) and includes guitarist Charlie Wiles (Paul Cauthen, John Moreland, Orville Peck).
To learn more about Wild Child:
OH HE DEAD
Washington DC’s Oh He Dead brings their funky, poppy rock vibes wherever they go. Led by CJ Bowlin’ Johnson and her golden pipes, the five-piece group includes lead guitarist Alex Salser, John Daise-on-the-bass (say it outloud), Adam Ashforth on drums, and ViRG on keys. The close-knit crew is known for their contagious joy, and for putting on a hell of a live show as Johnson “maneuvers her powerful voice — a combination of Stevie Nicks and Tracy Chapman” (Kojo Nnamdi) in rhythm with the band’s “sublime instrumentation” (NPR) and “infectious and soulful sound” (Washington Post).
To learn more about Oh He Dead:
Motenko
Straddling the smokey smoothness of soul’s ‘70s heyday and the freewheeling studio experimentation of modern pop and R&B, Motenko is one of Austin music’s best kept secrets. Whether he’s front and center as a singer-songwriter or serving as a journeyman keys player for acts like Wild Child and Jade Bird, Motenko stands out with a knack for tasteful texture and groove.
Inspired by the free creativity of the modern home recording process, where he exists in a state of constant play, repurposing sounds as instruments and embracing a liberal use of vocal layering, Motenko’s own recordings have become more experimental. A longtime fan of ‘70s R&B like The Meters and the milestone recordings that came out of the mythical Muscle Shoals, Motenko’s material has evolved to also embrace influences as diverse as Steve Lacy and Mac DeMarco.
Motenko has also been influenced by his travels with Wild Child, who he celebrates for having adventurous ears and impeccable sound design, resulting in songs that are eclectic but never goofy or excessive. That sense of adventure has led Motenko to take more risks in his own songwriting and production, allowing himself to stray from the sounds people might normally associate with his work to tinker with new styles and concepts, like hip-hop drum loops and indie pop sound design elements.
The accumulation of skills supporting other artists while producing his own material has more than paid off for Motenko– the music patronage non-profit Sonic Guild awarded Motenko an artist grant in 2021, leading to official status at SXSW, as well as placement on a CBS series and nearly half a million streams. Those achievements coupled with Motenko’s appearances on ACL Live with both Jade Bird and Pat Byrne helped garner him Best Keyboardist nominations at the Austin Music Awards in 2020 and 2022.
Motenko’s side work has also helped instill a greater focus on intentional arrangement– in the past, the freedom of the studio could also bring distracting anxiety, with countless hours lost to tinkering with compression settings and getting the right “sound.” Now Motenko has the confidence of a tried and true veteran of the stage and studio, capable of wandering off the beaten path without losing sight of the core identity of the material, letting the arrangement serve the song rather than the other way around.
That journey continues this year with Motenko serving as both the keyboard player and opening act for Wild Child on their national tour, with time set aside to write and record new songs that further evolve his bedroom soul aesthetic. With a steadily increasing rolodex of painstakingly curated sounds and a growing suite of production and instrumental tools to expand his sonic palette, one thing is certain: Motenko’s only limit is his imagination.
To learn more about Motenko: