Wild Child x Susto

End of the World, the new album from acclaimed Austin songwriting duo Wild Child (Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins), wasn’t supposed to happen. In 2018, Wilson joined the singer-songwriter supergroup Glorietta and debuted her critically acclaimed, genre-bending, Motown-influenced solo project Sir Woman. Meanwhile, Beggins unveiled his musical alter-ego, CoCo Zandi, with the release of his first solo album, As Simple as a Dream. Then, in 2019, after more than a decade of non-stop touring, the indie band that was unexpectedly conceived in the back seat of someone else's tour van stopped booking or playing shows altogether. Exploring different sonic directions, Wilson and Beggins didn't know if they would ever make another Wild Child record until what felt like the "end of the world" hit Austin and brought them back together.

Pandemic lockdowns closed stages and drained bank accounts. In Austin, the "Live Music Capital of the World," local bands took their shows online. Wild Child was no different. With an unexpected abundance of free time on their hands, Wilson and Beggins got together to practice for a series of online performances for devout fans. Within 30 minutes of rejoining forces, they’d written the first single for what would accidentally become Wild Child's fifth album. "Photographs" is a soulful, brass-filled outing that “offers something familiar for Wild Child fans who have stuck with them over the years," Wilson says. “‘Photographs’ was inspired by a picture of my dad, Buddy Wilson, who passed away in February. And in a way, it's a tribute to old Wild Child songs. A bittersweet story, a ukulele, and both of us singing. It's a special gift to Wild Child fans."

And it couldn't have happened at a more difficult time. Take Day 3 of the 2021 Texas Big Freeze, for instance, when 13 displaced Austin pals had taken refuge at Wilson's house. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no end in sight. When Wilson couldn't take it anymore, one of the fateful 13, singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney, ripped a 90s-alternative riff on an acoustic guitar that would eventually turn into the album's title track. "I just started singing about things that were freaking me out. Wearing a mask for a year. Global warming. There's no heat, no water,” explains Wilson. “It was like a dirge to begin with. But by the end, we were all screaming and laughing that, yes, this might be the end of the world, but we're all together right now, making music in my living room by candlelight. It's all okay."

The next morning, during a lull in the storm, the Wild Child caravan — including drummer and guitarist Tom Meyers, guitarist Cody Ackors, and bassist and piano player Taylor Craft (Sir Woman) — braved icy roads to recording engineer Matt Pence's The Echo Lab studios outside Denton, Texas. They didn't even stop to shower before recording an unwashed rendition of "End of the World," flush with in-the-moment angst. "There's no ukulele. I'm singing differently than I ever have before. You can hear my voice crack and all the energy behind everyone playing," Wilson said. "That set the tone. There were no boundaries. We're back to how it was on Day One. We were making this music because we really needed to make it for ourselves."

Abney tagged along and became the first songwriter to collaborate with Beggins and Wilson on a Wild Child album. His contributions to their songwriting process came as an unexpected blessing amid so much impending doom. "John was dating one of Kelsey's roommates when we met. The first time we played together, we just fell in love with each other," Beggins says. "When you have a musical partnership, like Kelsey and I have had for a decade, it's strange to change the formula of writing. But we found someone we both trust and like working with." "Wearing Blue" started with a guitar riff Abney played before an early recording session. "While everyone was setting up their instruments, John Calvin started playing and singing. In 30 minutes, a song was written. That was a holy-shit moment. And it set the tone of the record," Wilson shares.

The Wild Child family is also excited to announce the birth of Reba’s Ranch Records, a long-time vision of creating their own record label imprint to highlight some of the amazing music coming out of Austin, TX. The label was born after years of conversations within the band about the importance of controlling one’s own destiny and art. The imprint will be home to the Wild Child catalog, as well as Kelsey’s Sir Woman and Alexander's CoCo Zandi recordings, and is a partnership with Secretly Distribution.

End of the World was mixed by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Elle King) and includes guitarist Charlie Wiles (Paul Cauthen, John Moreland, Orville Peck).

A season of drastic change brought SUSTO frontman Justin Osborne to the band's fifth full-length LP, My Entire Life[New West Records]. There was a divorce, difficulties re-building his band after the pandemic, and the pain and helplessness of witnessing family members struggle with addiction and mental illness. Despite these challenges, Justin ultimately found himself in a new landscape, with new love and a deeper perspective, all of which is masterfully projected into My Entire Life.

While navigating these major life changes, Justin experienced a surge of creative energy. He channeled this into writing and recording with the people closest to him, even as the tides of his personal life continued to shift. Primary collaborators included longtime producer Wolfgang "Wolfy" Zimmerman, SUSTO co-founders Johnny Delaware and Marshall Hudson, and his fiancée/co-writer Caroline Foyle. Much of the album was recorded at The Space in Charleston, SC, but major sessions also took place at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC, and Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA. Johnny had moved to Mexico shortly after work on the album began, so some tracking was done at his home studio in Mexico City. The band also took a “recording pilgrimage” to the Mexican town of Tepotzlán, where they turned an Airbnb into a remote recording studio, with help from members of Mexican Institute of Sound.

The combined result of these efforts is a compelling blend of rock, folk, and psychedelia, with vivid country-esque storytelling. It's as raw and real as anything the band has done so far and everything you’d hope for from a modern rock ‘n’ roll record. The album’s namesake and lead single, “My Entire Life,” is melodically tearful, with an urgency “to keep living.” As a whole, the album documents Justin’s personal journey through the highs and lows of his life, with many of the details on full display. He narrates the demise and aftermath of an almost decade-long relationship, while celebrating the joy of falling in love and the hopefulness of starting over. There is a playfulness at times, but always a clear desire to distill wisdom from experience.

“SUSTO’s narrative has always been confessional, and songwriting is my way of trying to make sense of the chaos—good and bad—around me,” observes Justin. “These songs cover the spectrum of everything that’s happened in my life the last few years. There’s been a lot of change, which can be painful, but there’s also been a lot of joy and hope, along with everything in between. I figure that’s what life is.” He continues, “It’s a mosaic of all the good, bad, and mundane things we face as we make our way from birth to death. Along the way, we ride the waves, but if you stay true to yourself and push through, I believe you can get to where you really want to be, and you can shape that mosaic into something that fulfills you. There is a lot of hope in that for me. This record is my story of navigating a bunch of chaos, but finding ways to carry on and manifest my own happiness...the last few years were a challenge, but I look back and see that I made it through, a better, truer, and more realized version of myself.”

It's been quite the ride for SUSTO. In addition to achieving widespread critical acclaim in recent years, the group has built a diehard fan base through captivating live performances and compelling songs. For as much as My Entire Life is the ultimate vision of what the band can be, it’s also a classic story of one person rising from the ashes, wiser and fierier than ever. “Writing and performing has long been central in my life, and this season of change has only heightened my desire to connect with other people through songs. I’ve crossed a mountain, so I’m ready to charge forward, and share that story. Everybody goes through difficulty one way or another, we all get worn down, we all chase dreams; songs are there to remind us we aren’t alone in that. In my case, I’m thankful for lessons learned, and excited for the future. The privilege of sharing these songs with our audience is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”

In an era where the old and the new clash more rapidly and forcefully than perhaps ever before, Austin’s Motenko offers a musical vision of harmony between generations and perspectives. Deferential to soul’s ‘60s and ‘70s heyday without being overly beholden to it, enlivened by the infinite possibilities of modern technology and production without losing the grit and realness that gives soul its, well, soul, Motenko’s sound is an expression of wonder for the heights of the past and the promise of tomorrow. And on the aptly titled To Grow, Motenko respectfully nods to his past work while showcasing how much more evolved he has become.

Self-described as both his most personal work to date and his most collaborative, Motenko’s To Grow is art in flux in the best possible sense. Written as a musical conversation between Motenko and his late mother, “Free Yourself” is perhaps the most vintage sounding track on To Grow with its Stax rhythm and Philly Soul vocal stacks and strings but its message is thoroughly modern– technology has given us more freedom than ever before to connect yet in so many ways that has pushed us all further apart as we become more dependent on devices and platforms that encourage us to be critical of ourselves and others. 

Motenko’s specific journey this year includes not only the release of To Grow in October, but also on a tour with Wild Childbeginning in November on a string of dates in the midwest. Care to join him?

Inspired by the free creativity of the modern home recording process, where he exists in a state of constant play, repurposing sounds as instruments and embracing a liberal use of vocal layering, Motenko’s own recordings have become more experimental. A longtime fan of ‘70s R&B like The Meters and the milestone recordings that came out of the mythical Muscle Shoals, Motenko’s material has evolved to also embrace influences as diverse as Steve Lacy and Mac DeMarco. 

The accumulation of skills supporting other artists while producing his own material has more than paid off for Motenko– the music patronage non-profit Sonic Guild awarded Motenko an artist grant in 2021, leading to official status at SXSW, as well as placement on a CBS series and nearly half a million streams. Those achievements coupled with Motenko’s appearances on ACL Live with both Jade Bird and Pat Byrne helped garner him Best Keyboardist nominations at the Austin Music Awards in 2020 and 2022. 

Motenko’s side work has also helped instill a greater focus on intentional arrangement– in the past, the freedom of the studio could also bring distracting anxiety, with countless hours lost to tinkering with compression settings and getting the right “sound.” Now Motenko has the confidence of a tried and true veteran of the stage and studio, capable of wandering off the beaten path without losing sight of the core identity of the material, letting the arrangement serve the song rather than the other way around. 

That journey continues this year with Motenko serving as both the keyboard player and opening act for Wild Child on their national tour, with time set aside to write and record new songs that further evolve his bedroom soul aesthetic. With a steadily increasing rolodex of painstakingly curated sounds and a growing suite of production and instrumental tools to expand his sonic palette, one thing is certain: Motenko’s only limit is his imagination.