This Wild Life: Two Guys Still Rocking It Old School
Ditch the corporate tours and see this band
It may seem like I only listen to (and write about) Springsteen, with the occasional Smiths, Gin Blossoms, or classic ‘70s song thrown in to mix things up, but that’s actually not true. While I’m nowhere near being on the cutting edge of new music (like Rui Alves or Sarah Paris, for example), I do listen to music from bands formed in this century. As is the case for most old codgers, my kids are totally responsible for this, as I wrote in a piece about my first trip to Warped Tour (check it out below, if only for the three lessons it taught me and anyone over 40).
In the nearly eight years since that Warped Tour epiphany, some of the bands I saw have broken up, some continued making records, and all were crushed by the pandemic’s halt to touring; live shows are how most of these small bands make their living. I was pleased, however, to see that one has not only stayed together but is striking out on the road again: the acoustic rock duo of Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Grosso that make up the band This Wild Life. And for those of you sick of sanitized corporate-sponsored tours with $500 tickets, these guys are doing it the old-fashioned way, driving a van cross-country and playing clubs for $19 a ticket. Here’s the itinerary (after last night’s show in Denver):
February 12th - Minneapolis, MN February 14th - Chicago, IL February 15th - Detroit, MI February 17th - Pittsburgh, PA February 18th - Buffalo, NY February 19th - Columbus, OH (Sold Out) February 20th - Cleveland, OH February 22nd - New York, NY February 23rd - Boston, MA February 24th - Philadelphia, PA February 25th - Baltimore, MD February 26th - Greensboro, NC February 27th - Orlando, FL March 1st - Atlanta, GA March 2nd - Nashville, TN March 4th - San Antonio, TX March 5th - Austin, TX March 6th - Dallas, TX
Counting Denver, that’s 19 cities in 25 days, driving through all kinds of weather and hoping enough people show up at each gig to cover the cost of gas between Nashville and San Antonio. That, my friends, is rock and roll.
If you’ve never heard of This Wild Life, you’re not alone. The boys from Long Beach, California have a dedicated following, but bands that still drive from gig to gig are obviously not Rolling Stones-level famous. They deserve a wider audience, though, in no small part because of Jordan and Del Grosso’s ballsy decision back in 2013 to move forward as an acoustic duo rather than continuing as the full pop punk band they started as in 2010.
I was skeptical as I stood in front of the stage waiting for them to play at Warped 2014; a rock band with two guys on guitar and no drums or bass? Even Simon and Garfunkel had drums and bass (and God forgive me for even mentioning those two as “rock”). Then they played this:
Not only was it a great song, it sounded vastly different from many of the pop punk bands at the show, who good as they were all started sounding the same after a while (except for Mayday Parade; those guys are in a league of their own). This Wild Life had carved out a niche that set them apart.
Like most bands who’ve weathered the pandemic shutdown, they stayed active on social media while still releasing new music. Their latest album, Ever Blossom, was released in October 2021. Here’s my current favorite from that one:
If you’re in or near one of the cities listed above, definitely check them out on their current tour. Broadside and The Home Team are the opening acts, so that’s three bands for under twenty bucks, or $2.50 more than I paid to see Springsteen back in 1984 (of course I got one last Bruce reference in; I am who I am). And remember this lesson I learned at Warped Tour: Rock did not die when Guns N’ Roses broke up. Not even close.