Whild Peach

If you were at the Apache Cafe one night around New Year's, you witnessed a rare assembly of Atlanta's hip-hop A-list. It was a music promoter's dream -- members of OutKast, Goodie Mob and Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz appearing together in one venue for just one night -- only they were appearing in the audience.
Such is the level of respect commanded by Whild Peach. Over the last decade, vocalist Peach and her husband, guitarist David Whild, have collaborated on some of the most successful releases from Atlanta's famed Dungeon Family, and toured internationally with OutKast on the Stankonia tour. But the true passion of Peach and Whild remains Whild Peach, the indescribable stew of funk, heavy rock and soul that the duo first formed in Dallas in the late '80s and shipped to Atlanta in 1993.
The music of Whild Peach is consistently unexpected, shifting wildly from greasy, in-the-pocket funk to aggressive jet-hangar metal -- all fronted by the wailing, Janis-Joplin-meets-Tina-Turner vocal style of Peach. "We're definitely not neo-soul," says Whild, poking fun at the musical category into which live black acts in Atlanta most often get lumped.
The joke is partly funny, partly sad. For all their talent and endurance, Whild Peach has had difficulty finding a place in the Atlanta music scene, which tends to keep its rock and hip-hop outlets neatly partitioned, with little room for Whild-style variance. "It's the only way we know how to roll," says Peach. "The best have never fit into a category." Whild Peach plays the Apache Cafe Thurs., July 17. $10.
- Creative Loafing Magazine 7-17-03

Apache Cafe, July 17: Whild Peach proves to be the antithesis to Cat Power. The duo, along with its four-piece backing band, appears after a slew of opening acts, including over-the-top solo performer Malachi, who in 15 minutes provided all the entertainment that two hours with Marshall yielded, and 420, a rap duo featuring the son of Whild Peach.
Once on stage, Whild Peach simply owns the venue. A mixed-race crowd proves to be less of a melting pot than the styles that collided to form the band's funk-hybrid. Front woman Peach is mesmerizing, commanding the attention of the entire audience. A member of my party says she's unbelievably sexy -- And her howl (think Taylor Dayne meets Diana Ross while smoking a joint with Janis Joplin) transformed every song into an anthem. Visually, her beatnik backing ensemble was equally notable.
The band tore through a set of originals, picked up the crowd with a groove-inflected version of Zeppelin's "Kashmir," and invited the locally grown, nationally known Joi on stage later in the set to add sultry soul to the blend. When keyboardist Hezekiah Nixon broke out on the talk box, I feared the worst -- Frampton cover. What followed was an all-out hip-hop jam that included a multi-generational line dance by Peach, her mother and her sister.
- Creative Loafing Magazine 7-17-03

Best Local Soul/Funk Act
WHILD PEACH, the all-the-way-live funk-rock-soul-jam freakout ensemble fronted by husband-and-wife vocalist Peach and guitarist David Whild, has been playing in town for nearly a decade now. But until fairly recently, the band has tended to play second-fiddle to Peach and Whild's high-profile session work -- most notably, their frequent appearances on OutKast records. Lately, however, Whild Peach has graced the Apache Cafe with a flashy, guest-filled monthly residency that has the band in the minds and hearts of a rapidly growing horde of eclectic music fans. - Creative Loafing

When Whild Peach takes the stage Wednesday night at Blue Cat's, the ensemble of players, as well as members of the audience, will no doubt be a melting pot of color.
After all, white kids listen to Outkast, the Atlanta superstars for whom Whild Peach has served as a backup group, as much as their African-American brothers and sisters. And the members of Whild Peach are both black and white.
But nothing is more inclusive than Whild Peach's music itself, a rich and meaty stew of so many different styles and genres that it's difficult even for the band's leaders to describe.
``It's definitely raw and funky, and I don't think it can really be put in any kind of category,'' frontman and guitarist/vocalist David Whild said this week. ``It's really even hard for us to describe. Sometimes I tell folks if they could hear Funkadelic sing when just playing guitar, and Tina Turner was singing lead with them, that might be it. But there's even more to it than that.''
Whild Peach, which also includes lead vocalist Peach, drummer Tuesday Henderson, bassist Blue Gomes, guitarist Matt Hollums and keyboard player/vocalist Hezekiah Nixon, got started in the late 1980s in Dallas, and in 1993, the band moved to Atlanta, where hip-hop's ``Dirty South'' movement was still a few years away.
Those Texas roots, Whild said, helped the band bring something different to the urban music scene in Georgia's biggest city.
``We brought our Texas sound and mixed it all together, and it just fit right in with the whole Dirty South vibe, anyway,'' Whild said. ``It's just real raw, and in a way it's more funky that way. The Dirty South artists, it's like they took the juke joint and made it worldwide, and we fit right in.''
``What we do is definitely grindier, and our music has definitely come full circle,'' Peach added. ``Our music is more rooted in the blues, because we're from Texas.''
Whild Peach's skills caught the attention of the Dungeon Family, an Atlanta conglomerate of hip-hop artists that include Outkast, Goodie Mob and Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz. Relying on live instrumentation, Whild Peach's music brought a more gritty, livelier aspect to Atlanta's hip-hop, something the pre-programmed track-spinning of other areas lacked.
When Outkast's ``Stankonia'' album exploded, Whild Peach toured with Dre and Big Boi on the ``Stankonia'' tour. Along the way, the band appeared on Saturday Night Live, HBO's ``Chris Rock Show,'' the 2002 Grammy Awards and the 2002 American Music Awards, ``The David Letterman Show,'' Jay Leno's talk show and MTV's ``Total Request Live.''
And while the band can tailor its sound to fit the needs of other artists, it's on their own that Whild and Peach let anything go.
``We've always used our freedom, and the songs we've written over the years are just continually timeless,'' Peach said. ``We utilize all the technology and the basic instruments.''
``On our songs, Peach can do a whole lot more wailing and screaming, and I'm singing also,'' Whild said. ``It's more like the Whild Peach revue -- we always have some guest artists come out and do their thing.
``Anybody can come see us, and somebody's gonna like something. If anybody likes it funky, they won't be disappointed. We pretty much play anything from `Kashmir' to `Like a Pimp' to `Proud Mary,' with one of our songs in between -- and some cosmic slop in the middle of it.''
- By Steve Wildsmith The Daily Times, Knoxville, TN

Tony,
I’m talking about F***ing AWESOME tonight, WHILD PEACH WAS INSANE!!!!!! I want them back ASAP, I’m also looking at booking them on the west coast. Being I’m from cali, I’ll be in touch, freaking incredible tonight though man! - Jon Scalla ~ Ole Miss University

Tony Cooper,

I just wanted to write back and let you know that Whild Peach was awesome. They put on an excellent show only took one break and was back on stage for a huge crowd, it was so crowed we had to stop letting people in. I hope they had a good time and I will not hesitate to spread the word about them around campus and to most of the social chairs at the other big SEC schools and if you have a schedule for any of their upcoming shows let me know, we will also keep them in mind for our “Pikes Peak” in the spring our week long party! Thanks a lot and tell the band thanks!
- Bill Haley ~ Univ. Of Tennessee

Tony,
The band was great!! I had numerous people tell me it was the best band
they have ever seen at that venue (Pot Bellys) which have been the likes of Pat Magee,
Afroman, Jack Johnson etc... We hope to bring you guys back down here in the
near future and if there is anything I can do to help with contacts down
here just let me know.
- Jeremy Cloud ~ Florida State University

Tony Whild Peach was great! The energy was as high as I have ever seen at a band party. First the band hung out with the crowd before the show which is something I have never seen before and I believe had a direct impact on the entire night. Secondly once the band started it was packed wall to wall and for good reason the band blew everyone away from song one. I could not be happier with the outcome.
Thanks,
Jordan
PS The Fire Marshall came because Whild Peach drew such a crowd so we could not let anyone into the band party from 12:30 till the end of the show. Excellent Work!
- Jordan Tubb ~ University Of Alabama

Tony-
Whild Peach was absolutely amazing on Saturday. They packed the house
and kept the crowd in it the entire time. In all seriousness, the best
band party this school has seen since Ive been here, hands down. We
definitely plan to book them again. Tell them thanks for me, I think
they had a pretty good time themselves...
Thanks,
- Scott Kucinski ~ Washington & Lee University ~ Lexington, VA

We warm up to Whild Peach before our rehearsals to get that energy. Great rhythm and great melodies...Whild Peach is the best band in the world! - Andre 3000/Outkast