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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Emily Hilliard of Wildegeeses

Emily Hilliard, Zeke Graves, Will Hackney, and Charlie Hearon kicked off their alliance as a Michael Hurley cover band, but they’ve since grown into a stringband sound all their own that’s full of nods to the old weird south and its odd new derivatives.  So sure they can pick and sing a tune, but can one of their own handle these five head-scratchers?  Find out after the jump.

1. If your band were a barnyard animal, which would it be?
Well, our name is the Wildegeeses, and we actually have a secret 5th member of our band– an aloof female goose named Gander, who is supposed to honk on our songs, but never seems to show up for practice or shows. Charlie also has some chickens and a stray peacock out at his place and we often practice out on the porch, while they are squawking away. So we would probably be some kind of waterfowl, be it goose, hen or peacock.

2. When did you guys starts playing together? What made you decide to share?
I think it started last spring about this time. We would get together for informal Sunday jams in the Trekky House yard, and then Zeke asked us to join him at one of his shows. So it turned into a more “formal” band from there.

3. Describe your typical high school dance experience.
ITTAKESTWOTOMAKEATHINGGORIGHT

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?
Everyone in the band has pretty broad music tastes…including and extending far beyond American traditional music. I’m not sure what would be surprising. Both Will and I are really into R. Kelly, but who isn’t?

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (how ’d that turn out?)
Hmm…well John Lennon for sure. Also Katharine Hepburn and also “a boy” — mainly because I learned Katharine Hepburn went as a boy for a summer (short hair, boy clothes, parents called her by a boy’s name, the works) and I thought that was pretty cool. I never became any of those things, but I still like all of them a lot.

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Fly on down to The Nightlight next Thursday, May 12th to hear the Wildegeeses live.  And by all means, give Emily a high five when you see her!