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Interview: Soundwave 2015 To Show Kevin Jordan’s Wild Life

The lineup for Soundwave 2015 is shaping up to be one of the best yet, and for Kevin Jordan of Long Beach, California punk outfit This Wild Life, this will round off a great year which saw the release of ‘Clouded’ in May, a spot on the Vans Warped Tour, and of course the upcoming trip to Soundwave early in 2015

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L-Kevin Jordan. R-Anthony Del Grosso

The lineup for Soundwave 2015 is shaping up to be one of the best yet, and for Kevin Jordan of Long Beach, California punk outfit This Wild Life, this will round off a great year which saw the release of ‘Clouded’ in May, a spot on the Vans Warped Tour, and of course the upcoming trip to Soundwave early in 2015.

This Wild Life features Jordan on Guitar/Vocals and Anthony Del Grosso also on Guitar. The two-piece group’s sound is atypical of the pop-punk genre with the thrashy guitars and semi-morbid, sometimes-nonsensical lyrics being replaced with acoustic guitars and heartfelt songs with depth and meaning that manage to gently prod the soul. “Roots And Branches (Meant To Be Alone)”, for some unknown reason, brought me to tears for its honesty, genuineness and for Jordan’s ability to bear his soul through his lyrics. This incarnation of This Wild Life is the one that has defined these guys as a group that has found its true calling as a breath of fresh air in a saturated ‘pop-punk’ industry.

“Lyrically, I always write by myself, as I can’t write vocals or lyrics with anybody else in the room. We’re only a two-piece so there’s not a lot of people to bounce ideas off anyway. It’s very exposing and I’m always really nervous just to show Anthony (Del Grosso) something new that I’m working on.”

Jordan’s emotional side is on display in his songwriting, and comes from those places deep within that many try to avoid for fear of being vulnerable. “I just try to write from personal experience and keep everything as open and straightforward as possible.”

Clouded is the first album where outside influence has featured, but only in terms of aspects such as production and arrangements. Of the recording process, Jordan says that ”it was scary going into the studio with that tie-breaker in place, knowing that I’d have to compromise on some things, but we ended up meeting in the middle with some things and were really happy with it.”

It’s no secret that the album ‘Clouded’ is streaming on Youtube , so do yourself a favour and listen to it, especially ‘Over It’, and ‘Roots & Branches.’

This Wild Life made their first trip to Australia earlier in the year with Johnny Craig, and are thrilled to be returning for Soundwave 2015. Their listener base though, is about as diverse as a folk punk duo could have and ranges from ‘tweens’, hipsters, metal heads, even parents who come with their kids to shows and become new fans. “We’re no longer surprised by that, it’s really cool,“ says Jordan. Both Jordan and Del Grosso can’t wait to hit our shores, and are impressed with the lineup they’ll be playing alongside. “To me it reminds me of Van Warped Tour, the lineups are huge and I’ve always wanted to be a see it let alone be a part of it. Playing there though takes it to the next level, it’s going to be totally fucking crazy!” Jordan enthusiastically states.

For Soundwave 2015 , This Wild Life will be that act that you’ll sit down and chill out too on the grass after an audio sensory overload of loud bands. “We’re going to be the softest band (musically) that plays at the festival , which we don’t look at as a challenge but a good thing because it helps us to stick out.”

I jokingly ask which acts Jordan is keen to see at the festival apart from themselves, to which he gleefully offers the following . “Someone once told me that if your own band isn’t your favourite, then you’re not writing very good fucking songs! But seriously -Fall Out Boy and Slipknot are two bands I grew up listening to, so them for sure. Being able to see Slipknot live let alone tour with them is gonna’ be really cool.”

They also get to play with good buddies The Color Morale, who are also part of the lineup. “There’s something about singer Garrett Rapp. He’s so passionate and emotive on stage. He speaks from the heart & it’s powerful to me…there’s something about his passion in getting his message across that’s captivating.”

After speaking with Jordan, it’s evident that this guy is grounded, amiable and has a genuine humility that makes him approachable and likeable.

“To us the most gratifying thing for us is when we’re playing live and people sing our songs back at us-it’s moving to us that people care enough about our music that we wrote in our bedroom to come out and share the experience with us.”

This Wild Life will be appearing at Soundwave 2015 alongside a string of amazing headliners including Marilyn Manson, Judas Priest, and Soundgarden.

Order ‘Clouded’ on iTunes: ‪http://smarturl.it/twlcloudeddeluxe or at the Epitaph Store: ‪http://www.epitaphstore.com

 

soundwavefestival.com

http://soundwavefestival.com/lineup/wild-life

https://www.facebook.com/thiswildlife

Twitter:@thiswildlife

 

Interviewed by Darren Hassan

Twitter:@DazzHassan

 

 

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