Although they’ve been Austin-based for two years now, Wisebird has managed to stay under most people’s radar. That’s about to change. The quartet, among the most talented in the recent surge in local Southern rock bands, has begun a residency every Tuesday night in September at the Continental Club.
The core of Wisebird, Dave Meservy (drums), Trevor Nealon (keyboards), and Will Webster (guitar), relocated here from Salt Lake City two summers ago. Nealon, who was in a band with Gordy Quist from the Band of Heathens in college, had already spent time playing locally. When the trio developed bassist problems, he convinced the others to give Austin a try.
The Heathens connection proved fortuitous in the person of bassist Joe Beckham. Through his tour managing and soundman work for the South Austin Jug Band, plus appearances with his brother Jon in Southern Fried, Beckham’s become a mainstay at Momo’s. That’s the West Sixth Street hub that birthed the Heathens, who suggested Beckham to Wisebird for their bass slot. Two years on, the local quartet road hogs a solid following in Colorado and Utah and a growing presence in the Southeast.
“After the gigs at the Continental Club,” Beckham relates, “we’re basically doing residencies in Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, and Raleigh. We’ve got gigs in those cities, the same places every week for a month. There’s a really good buzz out there and it’s a great opportunity for us to try and capitalize on it. It’s kind of like the Widespread Panic thing to a certain degree. It’s people that like to come out and see rock & roll.”
Besides Wisebird, the Southern rock scene growing here includes among others Dertybird, Uncle Lucius, and the Statesboro Revue. “There’s a real good community between all those bands,” Beckham agrees. “I don’t know what it is. Maybe we see all our heroes getting older, not performing like they used to. I know with Wisebird we talk about it a lot. We want to be the guys to carry the torch and keep it alive.”
By the end of September they hope to have early copies of their first local disc, On A Wire, available. Recorded at Dertybird’s JT Holt studio in Driftwood, the foursome continued the old school vibe by going analog, rolling two-inch tape with all of them in the same room.
“It’s all originals,” says Beckham. “We tried to capture when we’re at our best – live. It’s stamped with what we’re about right now.” On A Wire won’t be released officially until after New Year.
In the meantime, they’ve invited friends from the local scene to open for them during those Tuesday Continental Club gigs, including Topaz & Mudphonic, Graham Wilkinson, Milkdrive, and Uncle Lucius.
“It’s really cool when you can play a show and enjoy the band that plays with you,” he asserts. “You get to see a bad ass show and get to play a great show.”
This article appears in August 27 • 2010.