Tulsa, Oklahoma band Wilderado have been steadily building a passionate fan base since first forming in the California mountains in 2015. When they initially came together, Max Rainer (lead vocals, guitar), Tyler Wimpee (guitar, vocals) and Justin Kila (drums) spent a summer in Latigo Canyon, a secluded part of Malibu, with longtime Sufjan Stevens collaborator James McAlister, immersing themselves in writing and recording. Those songs went on to form early EP releases with tastemaker indie labels IAMSOUND and National Anthem, garnering tens of millions of streams and providing the backbone to years of touring.
Following early recording sessions at their one-time home and creative space named “The Misty Shrub” (the title of the first EP) in Latigo Canyon (the title of the second EP), the band returned to Tulsa to base themselves from their hometown while touring the US extensively both as headliner and direct support. During some time off from the road in 2020, Wilderado was able to focus on completing their self-titled debut LP.
Wilderado was released in October 2021 via Bright Antenna. As with the EPs, the band worked with producer and friend James McAlister (The National, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift) who was joined this time by Chad Copelin (Broncho, LANY) and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon). The album went on to produce two top 10 Alternative Radio singles – “Head Right” and “Surefire” – and led to Wilderado’s national and late-night debut TV performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and an AM debut TV performance on CBS Saturday Morning.
In April 2023, Wilderado released their first ever live album Wilderado Live. The 12-track LP featured career spanning songs including hit singles “Surefire” and “Head Right” along with several older songs including “Wheat” and “Morning Light” as well as fan favorite “Rubble to Rubble.” They followed this with their first new music of 2023, the “In Between” single. Produced by McAlister and Copelin and released in August, the song was followed by a live version featuring a few fellow Oklahomans including the folk/Americana artist Ken Pomeroy on vocal and guitar and Muskrat Jones (Colter Wall) on pedal steel and then in October the band released a new version of “In Between” featuring Matt Berninger of The National.
Since first forming, Wilderado crisscrossed the USA a half dozen times playing with artists as diverse as Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, My Morning Jacket, Mt. Joy, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and have performed on the main stage at such festivals as Lollapalooza, Bottlerock, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. They also joined alt-J for a successful UK tour in Spring 2022 which quickly led to the band booking their first-ever UK headline tour less than six months later, selling out rooms across England, Scotland, and beyond. In addition, they have accrued 175+ MILLION streams and 3+ MILLION monthly listeners across platforms.
Wilderado is playing the long game. “We want to put out lots of different songs, to spread the spectrum of what our music sounds like, that’s going to give us longevity. We want a career based off of a catalog of great music. A career that we’ve developed through hard work.”