Back in April, contributor Edd Hurt noted that longtime local hero Webb Wilder makes a flavor of roots-schooled rock ’n' roll that doesn't ever feel timestamped. Like the artists who invented rock, Wilder doesn't get fussy about the purity of any one of the traditions that gets blended into the genre. He just focuses on what feels right — a philosophy that worked on his 1986 debut It Came From Nashville just as well as it does on his newest LP Night Without Love.Â
Focusing on the feeling is key to the music video for the title track, which hit the web this week. Directed by Elise Tyler and Abteen Bagheri (and shot on 8 mm film), it follows the lonely life of someone who seems to have suffered some serious injuries. For company, our protagonist (Dillon Wolf Oleata) has only his pet turtle and Wilder, who appears on a late-night TV broadcast (as he likely did to many future fans back in the ’80s). What exactly happens in the video is for you to decide, but I can say without spoiling it that there's a special appearance by filmmaker and makeup artist extraordinaire Juliana Horner.
Check it out above, and visit Wilder's website, your favorite record store or Bandcamp to get a copy of Night Without Love. Also keep up with Wilder on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, listen for him on 89.5-FM WMOT, and look for his monthly livestreams via Facebook and YouTube.
