The Russian Wilds. Google it, and most of the results you’ll get will be album reviews. But about three-quarters of the way down the search results page, you’ll find a link to a Smithsonian Magazine article about two photographers and one writer who traversed and documented 5,000 miles of mostly untouched Russian countryside stretching from Europe to the Pacific coast of Asia. This may or may not have anything to do with the title of Howlin’ Rain’s new LP—oddly enough, I never asked—but the album cover’s psychedelic, eyeballed pomegranates and regal flamingos paint a picture of a band sojourning to unknown realms, hoping to bring back a few bushel barrels of strange fruit to share with the enlightened masses.
As you’ll see in the interview below, Howlin’ Rain frontman Ethan Miller is a cerebral dude who can turn a phrase like a NASCAR driver turns a corner. Steeped in the heavily punk rock yet hippie-friendly ethos of Northern California, Miller explored the outer limits of music by hanging out with local cats who introduced him to free jazz and ultra-underground “private press” labels. His previous band, Comets On Fire, was a psychedelic noise rock outfit known for their epic space jams and incendiary live sets. With Howlin’ Rain, their bend is decidedly more classic rock, but their transgressive approach to pushing each song as far as it can go still remains.
