Wildling is an indie rock band from Los Angeles, California signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band was formed in 2014 by members Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya, who were originally signed to RCA Records as the band Test Your Reflex from 2004-2009, and also recorded music under the name No Country as well as Low Shoulder (2009-2014).
Wildling | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Test Your Reflex', No Country, Low Shoulder |
| Origin | Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Indie rock, indie pop, alternative rock |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | RCA Records (until 2009) |
| Members | Ryan Levine - vocals, bass, and guitar Justin Levine - bass Erik Janson - guitar Andrew Ampaya - keyboards Casey Wojtalewicz - drums |
| Past members | Sal Cortez - drums, backing vocals Ryan Clark - lead guitar Agustin Sanchez - bass, backing vocals |
| Website | http://www.wildlingmusic.com/ |
History
editWildling is the current name for the musical collaboration involving key members Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya. They have been recording music and touring under different band names since 2004.
Test Your Reflex (2004-2009)
editThe original group was composed of five musicians (Ryan Levine, Andrew Ampaya, Sal Cortez, Ryan Clark, and Augustin Sanchez) of various backgrounds all between the ages of 19-21 at the time. As Test Your Reflex, they started out in the rehearsal rooms of a teen center in Thousand Oaks, California. They came together in early 2004.
Having played in various electronic and rock bands since grammar school, lead singer Levine decided he wanted to try something new. Inspired by classic albums like U2's The Joshua Tree, Peter Gabriel's So and Joni Mitchell's Blue,[1] after experimenting in his garage, Levine gradually developed the sound that would become Test Your Reflex.
It started when Levine met drummer Sal Cortez through an ex-girlfriend. The two then began searching for others to join them. After many months they finally found guitarist RC (a.k.a. Ryan Clark), a former guitarist of Los Angeles punk band R.O.H. Then came keyboardist Andrew Ampaya, a classically trained pianist with similar musical influences. With innovative and like-minded bassist Agustin Sanchez joining shortly thereafter, the first and final line up of Test Your Reflex was created.[1]
The band's debut release was The Burning Hour (released April 24, 2007) on RCA Records. The album has been described as having an 80s sound [2] with hints of U2, The Cars, and Simple Minds[3] as well as The Cure[4][5][6] and The Killers.[7]
The band featured on the MySpace Tribute to the Smashing Pumpkins album released on MySpace Records and distributed in the July 2007 issue of SPIN Magazine.[8] They liken themselves to other bands on the Pumpkins tribute, such as The Bravery.[9] All tracks appeared on each band's MySpace page from May 14, 2007. Test Your Reflex opened for The Smashing Pumpkins on July 22, 2007 at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Before that, from March 22, 2007 to May 12, 2007, Test Your Reflex toured the US with the Detroit-based band Electric Six.
Television performances include two appearances with Carson Daly. On June 22, 2007 the band appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly and the following month performed on the Carson Daly show (aired July 12, 2007[10]).
The complete list of media coverage/online releases for Test Your Reflex was as follows:
- Last Call with Carson Daly - July 12, 2007[10]
- Rhapsody Ones To Watch for May - May 7, 2007[11]
- LA Weekly Digital Jukebox – April 19, 2007
- LA Times "Buzz Bands" – April 19, 2007[2]
- VH1 Hear Music First – April 17, 2007[12]
- Artist Direct – April 12, 2007[13]
- Pre-RCA Release of "Pieces of the Sun" on iTunes – April 10, 2007
- SPIN Magazine/SPIN.com "Artist of the Day" - January 5, 2007[4]
- USA Today's Pop Candy Blog – December 5, 2006[14]
Their song "Thinking of You" was featured as the background music of a radio commercial for Michelob Golden Light beer, heard in the Twin Cities and other markets in the midwest where the beer is sold.
No Country and Low Shoulder (2009-2014)
editWith the conclusion of their contract with RCA Records, in 2009, the group changed its name to No Country. Also in 2009, two members of the band (Ryan Levine and Sal Cortez) appeared as members of the fictional band Low Shoulder in the 2009 film Jennifer's Body. The band performed the songs "Through the Trees" (written by Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya) and "One More Night" (written by Ryan Levine) as well as Blondie's "In the Flesh" in the film. The film's soundtrack includes the song "Through the Trees" by Low Shoulder.
Wildling (2014-present)
editIn November 2014, Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya formed a new five-member band with the name "Wildling", made up of new members: songwriter and producer Erik Janson on guitar, previous member of indie California beach band Cayucas Casey Wojtalewicz on drums, and Ryan's younger brother Justin Levine on bass.
Wildling performed their first show at The Satellite in Los Angeles. They were immediately invited to headline The Satellite's residency in January 2015, and the next week, they were invited to support Young the Giant, who had attended the show. A few months later they performed in Austin for SXSW, and by summer 2015, they were recording their debut EP. The band has worked with different producers on different songs, including Doug Boehm (French Kicks, Dr. Dog), Caleb Shreve (Phantogram, Bear Hands), Ted Gowans (Tegan & Sara), and Ben Greenspan (Fences).
Ryan sent lead single "Hummingbird," directly to DJ Kat Corbett of KROQ, who added it to the regular rotation on her show, "Locals Only." The debut EP was released in October 2015.
Wildling is signed to Warner Bros. Records.
Discography
editAs Wildling
editWildling EP
edit- Hummingbird [1] (YouTube) " The Song is Available on Spotify " 8 October 2014 (YouTube)
- Doesn't Really Matter [2] (SoundCloud) 2015
- We Go All The Way [3](SoundCloud) 2015
- Wolves [4](SoundCloud) 2015
- Anywhere We Are [5](SoundCloud) 2015
- Palindrome [6](SoundCloud) 2015
Non-EP Singles
edit"Like You Do" ft. Grace Kelly [7](SoundCloud) [8] (iTunes) 2014
"Heart of Gold" (Neil Young cover) [9](SoundCloud) [10] (iTunes) 2016
As No Country
editSingles
"Right Time" on MySpace, July 14, 2010
"Faithful" on MySpace, July 14, 2010
As Low Shoulder
editSingle
"Through the Trees" on the Jennifer's Body soundtrack, August 25, 2009
As Test Your Reflex
editAlbums
The Burning Hour (RCA Records) April 24, 2007 - U.S. Billboard Heatseekers peak No. 46[15]
Compilations
MySpace Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins|Helio Presents: The Smashing Pumpkins Tribute CD, July 2007
References
edit- ^ a b Atkinson, Dave. "The Burning Hour: Review". ACED Magazine. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
- ^ a b Bronson, Kevin (2007-04-19). "LA Times "Buzz Bands"". LA Times. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ^ Fennessey, Kathleen C. "Amazon.com Editorial Review". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ a b "SPIN.com Artist of the Day". SPIN.com. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "The Burning Hour: album review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- ^ Murray, G. "Pop Syndicate Album Review". popsyndicate.com. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ Harris, Will. "Bullz-Eye Album Review". Bullz-eye.com. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
- ^ "Test Your Reflex 'Adore' the Pumpkins". SPIN Magazine. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "Rhapsody interview". Rhapsody Online. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- ^ a b "Last Call with Carson Daly Episode Listing". episodeworld.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ "Rhapsody Ones To Watch". Rhapsody. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ "VH1 Hear Music First". VH1. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
- ^ "Artist Direct". Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ Matheson, Whitney. "USA Today Pop Candy Blog". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
- ^ Chart Positions. Allmusic
- ^ "Pieces of the Sun video". YouTube. Retrieved 2007-02-05.