California’s Bay Area has long been a breeding ground for talented musicians, and the band Wreckless Strangers carries the tradition with a fresh blend of rock, Americana, and soul. Their latest album, “Dirty Souls,” firmly plants the sextet in San Francisco’s rich rock ‘n’ roll lineage, showcasing some of their most personal songwriting to date. Co-lead singers Amber Morris and David Noble chatted with KHOL Morning Host, D’John, about the record and their upcoming performance at 5 p.m. on Aug. 2 in Teton Village.
More information about the band’s upcoming releases and tour can be found at wrecklessstrangers.com.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. — Ed.
Support for this arts and cultural coverage comes from the Wyoming Arts Council.
John Garcia: I’ve been digging into your music the last couple days and the one phrase I keep seeing is, “Ameri-Cali” soul. I thought that’s such a perfect description, but wanted to hear it from the source. What exactly is “Ameri-Cali” soul and how did that become the identity of Wreckless Strangers?
David Noble: It blends a lot of different things. Like Bonnie Raitt, like Boz Scaggs, to Sons of Champlin, and Fleetwood Mac, Lost Planet Airmen, to Sly Stone, Tower of Power, to the Grateful Dead. We just kind of mushed it into this gumbo and stirred it up and that’s the sound.
Amber Morris: There’s a little hint of psychedelic rock. I think that’s what makes it interesting is that we have such a diverse kind of musical style within the individuals in the group, and so only this gumbo mix could be made by this mixture of people.
JG: The title of your newest project, “Dirty Souls,” it feels like it could mean a lot of different things. What does that phrase represent to yourselves and the band?
AM: Just playing off that song title, collectively calling us all dirty souls. Although we’re pretty neat and clean. We’re clean people, I promise. It’s just like that bluesy soulful dirty.
DN: Greasy!
JG: Sounds like you’re going to need a little shower after hearing [the album’s title single] “Dirty Soul.” What’s it been like getting a little bit of recognition from the song? What has it been like seeing the music connect beyond the Bay Area?
DN: It’s a gift. Like, people in Tennessee dig what we do. People in Alabama dig what we do, the Pacific Northwest, the East Coast. It’s a gift because we do what we do and it’s very specific to the area where we’re from. But if that sound connects with other people, then we’re onto some sort of deeper vibe. And that’s really a blessing.
AM: Yeah, it’s just the highest compliment to know that it reaches [others] and what we’re doing is received.
JG: Listening back to this specific project, what do you think it captures about where the band is right now and the direction that you guys are heading?
AM: I think it’s bluesier. I feel like the band has kind of found its sound now that’s more cohesive. It feels very directional and very intentional so I feel like that is a big piece that came out of this last work that we’ve all done together.
JG: You’re playing in Colorado one night and then Wyoming the next, and the name of the band is Wreckless Strangers. I’m wondering; what’s the most “wreckless” thing that has happened to the band on the road?
AM: How about that thunderstorm we were in from Alabama to Tennessee? We are from the Bay Area, we’re used to having some rain, no problem, but that was crazy.
JG: You guys are coming to play here at Concert on the Commons this weekend, what can Jackson expect from the Wreckless Strangers?
AM: They can expect to come and get their groove on. We are gonna throw it down.
DN: Just to come on by and have a taste of that Bay Area gumbo. Each song is different, each sound is unique. If you’re into blues, we’ll get that for you. If you’re into rock, we’ll get that for you. If you are in the funk, we’ll get that for you, there’s something for everybody.
Listen above for KHOL’s full conversation with Amber & David from Wreckless Strangers.
