The Wilderness
The Wisco 852 Williamson St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
press release: Hailing from all corners of the globe, The Wilderness was formed in 2015 after a chance encounter between the original members at an open mic in Kingston. After just a single practice together, Jonas Lewis-Anthony, Karl Tombak, Sacha Lansky, Henry Lawrence, and Scott Goodwin began seeking out and playing shows in Kingston. Later that year they recorded their debut EP “Sunday Afternoon,” and that Fall hit the road for the first time, playing shows all over both the US and Canada.
After that tour, the newly 4-piece Wilderness returned to Kingston and began writing the music that would become their debut album. During an eventful year and a half of writing and recording, the band experienced a great number of ups and downs that included failed recording experiments, trouble with producers, a daring file heist, and another wild tour that brought the band out to the East Coast of Canada.
With no time to rest after finishing their recording in a number of settings that ranged from pro studios to friend’s closets, The Wilderness embarked on their most ambitious tour yet. Once again a 5-piece with the addition of close friend Liam Neale, the band embarked on a month-long tour that took from coast-to-coast across the US, from Vermont to California and back again. It was during this time on the road the band released their debut album, “Saxton’s River.”
Following the completion of the tour, the band continued to play constantly around Southern Ontario, including a slot at the renowned Ottawa City-Folk Fest. In the time since then, The Wilderness has become known as one of the hardest working bands in Kingston, racking up well over 100 shows since the summer alone.
In 2018, the group once again grew with the addition of Nicolas Lennox on the Saxophone. In late February of 2018 the band ventured out on tour once again. This time their travels took them far into Northern Ontario, where they very closely avoided crisis multiple times to make it safely back to Kingston. Along the way they were joined by French filmmakers Celine Klein and Lucile Memin, who filmed the entire tour for a documentary to be released later in 2018.
The rest of 2018 looks to bring even more adventures for the band as they prep for another Summer of heavy touring, as they look to further expand their fanbase across the US and Canada.