Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wilder.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Wet & Reckless started with bassist Jessica Gelt (The Movies) and me (Emily Wilder) as two-piece outfit in Echo Park after a late night discussion about how California ridiculously decided to legally name a DUI “Wet & Reckless”. We decided to embrace that ridiculousness later as a three-piece all-girl band about nine years ago, after all coming from different bands with bossy boys. This was when there weren’t as many girl bands. We’d go to our rehearsal space at Bedrock when it first opened and would laugh and cry and just do music the way we wanted. In the beginning, we were put on bills with more “pretty players”. Now we know so many girls in bands that play more rock than Starbucks stylings. We toured across the states over the years. We all lived in the same building and at the end of the hall was Jalise Woodward, who joined our band on the drum kit. Now we’ve mixed up players a couple of times. We recorded many albums but felt really happy with producer, Kristofer Sampson (Atlanta), Tom Biller who mastered it and released our first album in 2015 on cassette with Lollipop Records. Right now we are recording our second album with Dylan Ely of Portia Street Studios and really excited about this next release.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! You are talking about the music industry right? Yes, many struggles, but it’s all been worth it. I grew up in a music family and always make the joke, “music will ruin your life”, but I couldn’t live without it. I am a sucker for good lyrics and what better way to break, heal and survive in this human condition than writing music.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Jessica is a writer, Jalise is an artist and I (Emily) direct stop motion animation films. Our band is a sisterhood and cuts through the thick of the daily grit. I like the storytelling aspect of songs. I guess that’s what drives me. Hmm, what makes us different? Well, I know all of our moms think we are special. But in all seriousness, we are not hired guns or perfect. We are a family; a truly special bond that has been building for years.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think we are an unruly bunch with an honest perspective, even if it is self-deprecating. Music is so subjective and there is something out there for everyone. The most important thing we can do is make someone laugh, cry, not feel so alone, or just feel anything at all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilywilder.wixsite.com/wetandreckless
- Email: wetandrecklessmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/wetandrecklessla/
- Facebook: facebook.com/wetandreckless
