Wild Seeds

American roots rock band

Wild Seeds

Origin| Austin, Texas
Genres| Roots rock, pop rock, alt-country
Years active| 1984 (1984)–1989 (1989)
Labels| Aznut, Jungle, Passport
Past members| Michael Hall, Russell Sanchez, Phil Reed, French Acers, Julia Austin, Bo Solomon, Joey Shuffield, Paul Swift, Steve McCracken, Randy Franklin, Kris McKay

Wild Seeds are a roots-rock band from Austin, Texas formed in 1984. Michael Hall, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, was inspired to found the band by successful post-punk bands of the time, including the Fleshtones and Dream Syndicate. The band broke up in 1989, but occasionally play together.[1] They have been identified as one of multiple New Sincerity bands active during the 1980s, along with the Dharma Bums, True Believers, and Zeitgeist.[2]

## Critical reception

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David Menconi wrote in No Depression that the Wild Seeds were "one of the coolest bands to call Austin home during the mid-'80s." He also described their 2001 compilation album, I'm Sorry, I Can't Rock You All Night Long: 1984-1989, as "about the most fun you can have this side of an enchilada dinner with a case of Big Red".[3] Robert Christgau wrote that on their first release, the 1984 EP Life is Grand, the Wild Seeds "show off a drummer supple enough to power their rock and roll eclecticism and a taste for serious fun wide-ranging and complicated enough to give them identity problems, which could clear up with one strong live show (like at the Pep Friday)."[4] Christgau later awarded a B grade to the band's 1988 album Mud, Lies & Shame, writing that "the first three cuts are everything one could have hoped, especially the self-explanatory "I'm Sorry, I Can't Rock You All Night Long," a true classic as these things are measured."[5] A review of the band's 1986 album Brave, Clean + Reverent in Billboard described it as a "crisp album of straight-ahead roof-raisers."[6] Tom Popson wrote that on Brave, Clean + Reverent, "Hall exhibits a knack for creating interesting, concrete images that listeners can see clearly in the mind`s eye, while leaving enough ambiguity between those images to render contexts and relationships open to individual interpretation."[7]

## Discography

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* Life Is Grand (Life in Soul City) (Aznut EP, 1984)
* Brave, Clean + Reverent (Jungle, 1986)
* Mud, Lies & Shame (Passport, 1988)
* I'm Sorry, I Can't Rock You All Night Long: 1984-1989 (Aznut compilation, 2001)

## References

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1. ^ Aaron, Peter. "Wild Seeds Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
2. ^ Powell, Austin (2011). The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology. University of Texas Press. p. 44\. ISBN 9780292722705.
3. ^ Menconi, David (October 31, 2001). "Wild Seeds - I'm Sorry, I Can't Rock You All Night Long: 1984-1989". No Depression. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
4. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 25, 1985). "Consumer Guide". Village Voice. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
5. ^ "Wild Seeds Reviews". Retrieved May 22, 2017.
6. ^ "Recommended Albums". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52\. December 27, 1986. p. 80.
7. ^ Popson, Tom (March 20, 1987). "Universal Pictures From The Wild Seeds". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2017.