JAVA Oct 2018

WYVES
Climb to the Top
By Tom Reardon
The word “rare” is defined in a couple of ways. Sometimes you’re
talking about how you like your meat cooked, and other times
you’re talking about a thing that doesn’t happen very often. Let’s
use “rare” to describe the Phoenix band Wyves, as in “This is
the type of band that doesn’t come around very often” and also, “Like a
beautifully cooked steak, damn if they aren’t tasty.”
Wyves jumped on the scene in 2015 and have only gained momentum
since. The quartet is made up of local music-scene veterans, which
shows in both the polished performances they deliver on local and
national stages and in their recorded output. Lead singer/guitarist Corey
Gloden, 37, is joined by guitarist and vocalist Nick Sterling, 28, bassist
Brenden McBride, also 28, and drummer Evan Knisely, 33, and the kinetic
energy between them is palpable. Good-looking, talented and eager to
please, it’s no wonder Wyves have gotten as popular as they have in
their relatively short career.
The band’s sound is modern but steeped in vintage rock ’n’ roll, because
these guys can really play, and vocalist Gloden has got the goods. Their
new album, R U OK? is completely solid from the first track through to
the last. To celebrate their recent release, we had a chat with the band
about R U OK? and how they come up with their songs.
How did Wyves get started?
Corey: Wyves was all four of us being in the right place at the right
time. We had all been coming off stints in other successful local Arizona
bands, and the pieces just sort of fell together in no time once we all
started jamming and writing. It was nice that we were all seasoned
players in the scene – but it was even better that we had a clear vision
of the music we wanted to make and had the right skills and capabilities
to do so. The knowledge from our past projects and what we could
have done better in previous endeavors was communicated and put into
immediate action with Wyves. We hit the ground running with a fulllength
album shortly after starting playing shows around town.
You guys have a pretty storied history in the Phoenix scene.
What bands were you in?
Evan: Corey was (and still is) in Dry River Yacht Club. Brenden and I
were founding members of Sara Robinson & The Midnight Special. Nick
Sterling was a young prodigy on guitar and released albums under his
own name. He wrote an album with Sebastian Bach and toured overseas
with him opening for Guns N’ Roses.
Where was your first show?
Evan: Our first show as Wyves was June 5, 2015, at Last Exit Live opening
for Banana Gun, Bear Ghost (who recently played the band’s release
show) and Captain Squeegee.
JAVA 35
MAGAZINE