wild child

Motenko: “Free Yourself”

Here at Song of the Day, we’ve observed a resurgence of classic-style soul in recent years, and reported plenty on it too. As a matter of fact, when Sir Woman’s Kelsey Wilson came by KUTX a couple months back, we had to ask the genre authority whether or not she’s picked up on a retro-soul renaissance. The verdict? A resounding “yes”.

So it totally checks out that one of Kelsey’s Wild Child chums, keyboardist-singer Micah Motenko, is savant of Motown mimicry himself. Well, we should say Micah and his namesake Austin-based quartet Motenko, who’ve been masterfully sourcing inspiration from soul’s golden era for nearly half a decade now. Between their eponymous debut early on in the pandemic and last November’s What You Want, Motenko’s scored some pretty respectable streaming numbers, a trend we expect to continue with yet another fall release – that of their third EP To Grow, out next month.

This extended play foray finds Motenko further embracing the magic of modern production: emphasizing digitally layered multi-instrumentalism on one track before stripping down to an intimate keyboard-vocal duet the next. But the one that takes the biggest advantage of Micah’s vintage variety is the embodiment of a beautiful exchange with his late mother, the EP’s lead single “Free Yourself”. Butter-smooth singing, sultry guitar chords, slick bass work, and air tight drumming make the verses enough to get you feeling emotional, and the addition of falsetto vocal harmonies, soaring orchestral swells, and well-placed pizzicato plucks propel “Free Yourself” to a wholly empowering experience without overstaying its welcome past three fleeting minutes.

And before hitting the road for a Wild Child tour a couple months from now, Motenko makes an appearance 10PM this Saturday at Far Out Lounge in between openers Égaux sells at 9PM and closers Uncle Roy & Spice at 11PM and again Thursday, September 19th at Antone’s alongside Toubab Krewe.

72 Hours In Newport – Wild Child “Going In”

Episode 4 of “72 Hours in Newport” features Austin-based indie pop band, Wild Child! In this episode our confessor tells us about meeting her long lost half-brother at a party in high school. (Oh, she had no idea he even existed beforehand.) Later, Zac and Kelsey Wilson of Wild Child discuss how boring the ‘end of the world’ is, finding her voice in multiple musical projects, and building community around her.

 

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Kelsey Wilson of Wild Child // Riders Against the Storm

In this Episode of “This Song”  host Elizabeth McQueen sits down with Kelsey Wilson from Wild Child to talk about how a Nina Simone song taught her about the power of emotion and freedom in music. Then she talks with Qi and Chaka from Riders Against the Storm about the thematic power of Ibeyi’s “River,” and about their process behind their own remix of the song.

Hear Riders Against the Storms “River” Remix on Soundcloud

Download Riders Against the Storm’s “River” Remix as part of the KUTX Song of the Day feature

Hear the full version of Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free.” Live from Montreux Jazz 1976

Hear Nina Simone talk about what freedom means to her.

See Wild Child’s Studio 1A performance

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