“A mighty band – brilliant”- Frank Hennessy, BBC Radio Wales
Recent show reviews/interviews
No Depression interview, October 2011
Back to Rockville – Music Blog of the Kansas City Star
“The Wilders” Reviewed (selected reviews)
“Someone’s Got to Pay” Reviewed (selected reviews)
“This is a riveting, intense 20-song tribunal laced with classic country, introspective ballads, fiery instrumentals and kick-ass bluegrass.” Country Standard Time
“This Kansas City quartet is, quite frankly, one of the most diverse, most convincing and most gratifying bands in alt-country today. I was impressed by earlier albums, but I’m totally floored by this one.” Slipcue.com
“Throw Down” Reviewed
Nashville Scene
Puremusic.com
Smoky Mountain News
Roots Music Report
“The Wilders have a deep and compelling, foottapping sense of rhythm that lays the foundation, whether it’s the oldtime “Jenny On The Road,” the harddriving “When The Levee’s Gone,” or the honkytonkin’ spiritual “Belshazzar.” You can easily imagine pretty much any of the early Opry acts doing “The Blues Come Around” or a ballad like “Together Apart.” Come to think of it, maybe that’s the best label for them-a oneband oldtime Opry show.” Bluegrass Unlimited
“The fresh news on “Throw Down” is two-fold: The Wilders wrote seven of the 14 songs…the originals all get along nicely with the other seven numbers… [The Wilders are] a vibrant old-time country band that takes its music seriously but leavens that cool efficiency with levity, enthusiasm and warmth.” The Kansas City Star
“[They] play their wooden instruments like they’re trying to set ‘em on fire. They’ve always emphasized rampaging rhythms and a hellbent attitude, but on their upcoming album Throw Down (due out April 25), they mature into a can’t-be-denied group that relies on virtuosity and tight ferocity more than on novelty.” Nashville Scene
“Hard-rocking bluegrass that’ll have you stumbling home by the time they’re through with you…The Wilders live up to their name with some serious fiddle tunes…Throw Down’s brightest moments are when the group tosses their cares into the wind and just … well, throws down.” About.com
Award Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2006
Award “It’s both for being so damned good and for staying true to their hometown that we doff our hats and raise a jug of corn liquor to the Wilders.” — The Pitch “Best of Kansas City” awards, Best Country Band
“Spring a Leak” Reviewed
“The entire album… is filled with great music laid on thick with tremendous entertainment value. You might forget you’re still at home and not at a festival moving your dancing feet.”
Sing Out! Magazine
Live Reviews
Spiegeltent, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Festival Internationale, 2006
“Amid the Saturday downpour, The Wilders played their set on the Fais Do Do stage. As energetic as any old-time country band Party Girl’s seen, The Wilders played to a brave crowd who stuck out the weather and stayed on their feet. Wilders’ fiddler and vocalist Betse Ellis’ red cowboy boots worn over fishnet stockings were also a plus.”
Wintergrass 2006
about.com
Telluride
USA Today (Scroll down to Thursday, June 16: “One wild set”)
“Thursday’s highlights included a high-energy early-afternoon set from The Wilders… no matter that Hank Williams originally recorded it, the Wilders prove “Settin’ The Woods on Fire” was really written for them. From afar, they resemble a collection of country-themed bobblehead dolls gathered around the microphone, furiously pounding out the honky-tonk tunes.” No Depression
Grand Targhee
“The dust in front of the stage has never risen as thick as it did for Kansas City-based, country/honkytonk quartet The Wilders. Wow. I’d give them a Targhee Grammy for Best Personality and Stage Presence. The Wilders know how to live up to their name.”
Planet Jackson Hole
Merlefest 2005
“The buzz on the 2005 grapevine was all about The Wilders from Kansas City… When they laid into their set in the “traditional” tent, they all but blew the canvas sides apart.”
Maverick Magazine
“Perhaps the best band who was new to me was The Wilders. This 4-piece band … [plays] with a lot of joyful style and high energy. Crowded around one mic, they were as much fun to watch as to hear. Their playing was like an old Buick sliding around a sharp mountain on two wheels. These guys must be seen to be believed.” Freight Train Boogie.com