Wildisiak

Caitlin Billard
Sep 25, 2017
2 min read

Let’s start with the band’s name: Wildisiak

Pronounced: wahyl-dee-ze-ak

Root word: aphrodisiac

Aphrodisiacs make you feel some type of way. Ya got yer lavender, yer citrus, oysters, cinnamon; pick your poison. No matter which it is, they elicit a powerful response. Aphrodisiacs represent passion, love. Wildisiak, made up of Keith Wildstein (singer), Josh Cronin (drummer), and Hank Reith (guitarist), embody a lust for life, a return to your innate, wild nature - a pre-original-sin you-can’t-even-tell-you’re-naked mindset. “[We’re] very big on doing whatever the hell you want to do in this life: don’t take yourself seriously...there’s no way you’re supposed to do anything.”

It appears that Wildisiak’s aphro. of choice are hot chilies. That’s the only explanation for their Red Hot Chili Pepper-esque energy. The band shares the same distinctive Cali funk rock sound as The Peppers but add their own touch of New England attitude. “We’ve definitely got a northern edge, we’ve all got some mouths on us.” Though Wildisiak’s core members hail from the north, the band was officially formed last January in Charleston.

On stage, Wildisiak is a blur of big hair and zip ribbons. Imagine Roadrunner running off the cliff and spinning his wheels, Bugs Bunny hustling from 1st base to 2nd to 3rd in an instant, the Tazmanian Devil plowing through trees. Wildisiak has that same incomprehensible energy whether during a show or practice. Their signature exuberance is valuable during performances, (but it has brought the po-lice to their door during practices on more than one occasion).

Fish in the Sea, Wildisiak’s first non-demo release (which will be on the 1770 Records vinyl), is that song you find yourself bobbing your head to three days after the last time you listened to it. The track features elements of funk, heavy guitar, and a sax breakdown with a drawn out vocal overlay.

"Freshwater fish in the sea, you know I barely can breathe, and all the other kids are laughing at me. But I’m starting to see that all I want I could be, because there’s plenty of fish but ain’t no one like me."

The band finds that their best ideas come from jamming: “None of us take ourselves very seriously. We all love to laugh at each other and at ourselves, so no music or idea is off-limits.”

Come out to The Purple Buffalo on September 30th to check out how Wildisiak blends New England grit with Cali garage punk and elevates the audience to ,,Planet Funk” during each performance.

"Put us on any stage and we’ll put on a show...we’re ready to go.”