This New York based band has a fresh new folksy sound reminiscent of early Jefferson Airplane. It consists of Ivy Vale, Rick Reil, Kristin Pinell Reil, Melissa Davis and Naren Budhakar. Their music has a sense of freedom and discovery. Their Gypsy souls pass through your psyche leaving behind sultry melodic visions. Their debut CD, “Poems from an Astral Plane” created a cult following; instead of “Dead Heads”, their followers are a collection of other wild souls.
Now celebrating their latest release, “Ensoulment” they continue attracting an audience with their Pied Piper cadence leading their listeners to higher realms.
I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the members of this eclectic union. Speaking with them was as pleasurable as the music itself. The band is a family, having a husband and wife, brother and sister, and long time childhood friend teaming up with a sought after tabla player, Wyld Olde Souls created a dynamic like no other.
I asked them what message they had hoped to convey through their music and they answered, “We’re trying to convey imagination, romanticism, mysticism, and a sense of heightened awareness or consciousness with our music. We draw from a rich tradition of psychedelic folk rock which was at its peak in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, though some say that style has never gone away. We add to that, influences of World Music which have become much more prevalent in the past 2 decades. We like to take people on a musical voyage into areas of feelings and mind which have been forgotten, yet somehow seem familiar.”
They have formed this bond and have been a band for more than a decade enticing and hypnotizing their audience since the late 90’s. With this latest release, “Ensoulment”, they are coming to you with open arms, asking the world for open minds and hearts in return.
[youtube XBoVGp5WTuU nolink]I asked what ensoulment meant to them and they replied, “ENSOULMENT” refers to the human predicament of the spirit being captured by the world of the senses, a world of rich colors, unknown adventures, emotional encounters, underscored by hidden meaning. It is the moment the soul enters the physical body. It symbolizes the beginning of a journey, from birth to death to rebirth.”
Ivy Vale Continued, “I write a lot about love, loss and relationships, so there is a parallel story going on. The album starts with “Ferris Wheel” which is about falling in love and ends with “Leave Her,” which is about letting go. The songs in between tell the story of getting on and off the relationship ride.”
We all have certainly been on that ride a time or two. This band is speaking to the masses and looking to heal and embrace the cosmic insights to our inner spirits.
Last year they were invited to perform at a show celebrating the life of George Harrison. They sang “Give Me Love” with Grammy winner Roberta Flack. Recently they were also nominated, Best Folk Group on the 1st Annual Indie Music Channel Awards. The accolades are pouring in and Wyld Olde Souls are reaping the rewards.
They have a live video of their song, “Gallows Pole”, being featured here at Skope and are working on the follow up video of “Leave Her,” the first single from ENSOULMENT.
The Wyld Olde Souls are making waves on a level beyond our cosmos. They are gathering the masses and trying to spread a message of hopefulness. The best way to reach that plain is through self discovery. So, they are gathering their collective consciousness in hopes to spread the love one song at a time.
By: Rebecca Hosking – hoskingrebecca@gmail.com
