The Wildmans Tour Dates and Upcoming Concerts

Not far from the tiny town of Floyd, Virginia, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the childhood home of The Wildmans. The sibling duo are currently navigating the release of their debut album, Longtime Friend , for New West Records. And today truly feels like a full circle moment. “It’s surreal. It’s weird,” says Elisha Wildman. “We’re really excited for something to happen, to share our original music. And this feels like a really great jumping point.” Alongside his sister, Aila, the Americana/indie-folk act have been garnering a lot of attention in recent years, with Longtime Friend showcasing their interlacing harmonies and musical virtuosity — the sound itself at the sonic crossroads of Americana, alt-country and folk. “It feels like we’ve been building up to this, taking our time and setting all the pieces in line," Elisha says. “[With Longtime Friend ], we’ve naturally progressed under the indie-folk umbrella,” Aila adds. “But, we still are doing old-time tunes, where we’ve realized it’s an important aspect of our musicianship, which ties us to our roots and how we grew up.” Captured at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, New York, with producer Nicholas Falk, the 12-song LP was cultivated in the midst of Aila and Elisha each finishing school at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. “In a certain way, Woodstock reminded me of Floyd,” Aila says. “It was nice to get out of Boston and be back in the mountains, in the woods, to be part of this artistic experience [at Applehead].” Growing up in Floyd, Aila and Elisha were immersed in the rich, vibrant bluegrass and old-time music scenes. As kids, Elisha picked up the guitar and mandolin, while Aila reached for the fiddle. They became enamored with their instruments, which parlayed itself into both winning numerous renowned competitions around Southern Appalachia.