SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Artists reflect their influences. And the musical influences that shaped Bear Rinehart began in the 1980s, when he heard artists like U2 and Bruce Springsteen. But they had to share air time with the gospel music the South Carolina native heard every Sunday. And all of those influences and more can be heard on Bear Rinehart's latest album, "Curioso."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WILD FIRE")
WILDER WOODS: (Singing) Shine like a diamond so bright, we could find our way, 'cause you're the wildfire.
SIMON: It's the third album he's released under the name Wilder Woods - and joins us now from Franklin, Tennessee. Bear Rinehart - Wilder Woods - thanks so much for being with us.
BEAR RINEHART: Of course. Thanks for having me.
SIMON: Can I begin with asking you about your grandmother's curio cabinet? I gather that...
RINEHART: Yes.
SIMON: ...Inspired the - at least the title of the album, but the whole album, too, right?
RINEHART: Yeah, it did. I was actually kind of in the middle of making the record, thinking about the themes on it that were kind of emerging as I was writing for it. And in my studio, I have an old Coke bottle that has Bear Bryant's face on it. I'm named after Bear Bryant. All my family was from Alabama (laughter). And I...
SIMON: Bear Bryant, the University of Alabama football coach, we should say.
RINEHART: Correct. And she used to have that on her cabinet. And she lived in Butler, Alabama - really small town. And we used to go there as a kid, and I loved being there. And - but she just had all these trinkets on there from places she had been, mission trips she had gone on. So there's Costa Rica and El Salvador, but all the pictures of the family, her first Bible - you know, all the, like, sort of classic things from her life. And when I was thinking about the record and how much different kind of music has inspired me and how much it's snuck onto this record - I think maybe first time ever I felt that way - it made me think of that curioso cabinet she had. And that's the reason for the name.
SIMON: Well, here are the names of a few songs on the album. And maybe you can tell me if there's something in the cabinet (laughter) that's related.
RINEHART: OK, got you.
SIMON: For example, "Swimming In The Ocean"?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN")
WOODS: (Singing) Turn on your light, babe. Shine it on me. I need it to show me everything.
RINEHART: Yeah, that's - that'll be funny. That's - you know, my grandfather used to work on cars. Worked at a paper mill, and always was the guy with that. So that El Camino reference would probably be, in that song, probably the closest thing to that cabinet.
SIMON: And "Devil In My Eyes"?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DEVIL IN MY EYES")
WOODS: (Singing) I remember, got that love to give. About that time, my fist is coming off your lips. Running ragged nearly all my life. Still, I'm chasing something that I should not find.
RINEHART: Yeah, there's something to that, I think. My grandmother was the piano lady at the church, basically. And so we would play songs around there, and we always tried to play them louder and more rock and roll. So there's definitely a spirit of that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DEVIL IN MY EYES")
WOODS: (Singing) Got those angels on my shoulders, got the devil in my eyes.
SIMON: Tell us about your music, 'cause, of course, it has been described as rock, indie, folk, country, stomp. I could go on.
RINEHART: Sure.
SIMON: I don't even know. How do you want it to be described?
RINEHART: Yeah, no, I don't think I do care as much. I think I'm getting worse and worse at describing it as I get older. I really just want to put great songs on a record.
(SOUNDBITE OF WILDER WOODS SONG, "HIDE ANYMORE")
RINEHART: I want to make music that does for people what music has done for me. You know, it's been something I can lean on at times and been inspiring in ways, made life make more sense when I didn't have the words for it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HIDE ANYMORE")
WOODS: (Singing) Can't keep on driving, lying, crying in the backseat. But when I try to take the wheel, you take it from me. Life is a map left undrawn, and we're all pretending.
SIMON: And who's this guy Wilder Woods?
RINEHART: Well, I named the record - this was before I had my third child. I named him after my oldest two sons, Wilder and Woods.
SIMON: Aw.
RINEHART: And looking back, it was probably the worst marketing decision ever. But...
SIMON: (Laughter)
RINEHART: ...You know, I really...
SIMON: Well, now, wait. We'll see about that...
RINEHART: Yeah...
SIMON: ...One day.
RINEHART: ...Here we are.
SIMON: Yeah.
RINEHART: Yeah, here we are. The thing was, I really wanted an identity outside of the band I'd been in forever - a band called Needtobreathe I was lead singer of. And I really wanted people to listen to the music for what it was and not what I had done somewhere else.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DESCENDANTS")
WOODS: (Singing) Hope the world gets better for all your descendants.
RINEHART: I'm sure that - my 4-year-old is named Water, so he'll - I'm sure he'll be angry. I've thanked him on every record, so hopefully, he'll take that as an offering.
SIMON: What would be in your curio cabinet?
RINEHART: Yeah, some sports things for me. I grew up - I went and played football in college at a little school called Furman, and still really love that part. I think some of the church things, playing guitar - I mean, I learned to play guitar - I was vacuuming the church as a job. My dad was a preacher, so that was our job on the weekend. And they left the guitars out sometimes, and that's where I learned to play.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN")
WOODS: (Singing) Turn on your light, babe. Shine it on me. I need it to show me everything, 'cause I know...
RINEHART: But I would go up there and they had chord sheets for the songs, and that's how I learned the chords and started writing songs right away. You know, so I think probably that. And now, you know, it's - now that I have three little boys, it's the craziest, most amazing thing, what life has turned into. But the memories with them obviously would be a huge part.
SIMON: Look, I'm not proud of this question, but I have to ask.
RINEHART: OK.
SIMON: Is it hard to be named for Bear Bryant and live in Tennessee?
RINEHART: (Laughter) That's a great question. No, it isn't. Not now. I think that, you know, it's a funny thing, is that not a lot of people know who Bear Bryant is anymore. Younger people don't. And honestly, I grew up in South Carolina, where every time I would say in class, you know, my name is - I'd like to be called Bear, everybody would laugh. You know, there was no context for it. When I went to college, I was getting recruited by Alabama. I went down there. They were dedicating a Bear Bryant statue that weekend, and there were 400 kids there named Bear (laughter).
SIMON: Oh.
RINEHART: And I was like, whoa, these are my people. I didn't realize that this - I thought I was the only one.
SIMON: Bear Rinehart is Wilder Woods, and his latest album, "Curioso," is out this week. Thank you so much for being with us.
RINEHART: Course. Thanks for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN")
WOODS: (Singing) Don't it feel like - darling, won't you come and take a ride with me? Slide down in my Camino 1973. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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