Freshly Pressed – Wild Iris “Cavalcade”

Hailing from right here in St. Catharines, ON, Wild Iris is an indie rock four-piece, with a sound that mixes retro and modern styles, channeling artists from the 70s and the 90s. They’ve just released their new single, “Cavalcade”, so we caught up with the band to chat about the song, how they first got together. and each member’s superhero alter ego.

From The Strait: Tell us about the new single, “Cavalcade”.

Wild Iris: It’s a song about participation, really. Paul and Jordan (who is no longer with the band) were discussing different cultures one evening. They stumbled upon certain cultures that celebrate their holidays or historical events with all sorts of colourful floats being pulled by horses throughout town, accompanied by music, fireworks, etc. which was super interesting. It was all about the community joining these processions, which have been a tradition for hundreds of years. We had the idea to try and describe what we thought it would look and feel like to be a part of because it’s something unique and foreign to us. Scott got a hold of the lyrics right around when the Freedom Convoy, which topically came to mind when describing cavalcade, was occupying Ottawa and pulled some inspiration for the bridge of the song. The instrumentation tried to emulate a sense of scale and awe, drawing reference to how being in a cavalcade would feel to an individual. It would have been a powerful experience.

FTS: How did the band first get together?

Wild Iris: The band has its origins in the Niagara region, dating back to individual projects each member had been working on in the years leading up to 2021. Scott was recruited by Paul to be the vocalist in 2021. Chace joined the band on bass in 2022 and acted as the first permanent bass player in the band. Following the departure of our previous drummer, Justin joined in the summer of 2022. From here, we have solidified our sound and have been working on developing our own unique take on the alt rock-indie genre.

FTS: What are some of your favourite Niagara bands or artists?

Wild Iris: JIN! It’s hard not to get stoked on their funk and blues rhythms. “Sleepy Jean” has a cool folk energy that we dig. Lots of great music around here.

FTS: Every band has their own way of creating songs – what is your songwriting process like?

Wild Iris: Oftentimes, Paul, or occasionally Scott, presents an idea to the group. From there we whittle away at it and add our own individual nuances and ideas until it starts to resemble a song. Following that, we just keep on playing it until it “feels right”. This process can take a long time depending on the song, but there is no rushing art. Ultimately, we try to approach each song with a unique perspective. We try not to get hung up on conventions and just simply write music.

FTS: If each member of Wild Iris were a superhero, what would their name and superpower be?

Wild Iris:
Paul: “Dr. Discreet”. The thought of invisibility is wild to me.
Scott: “Bridge”. I can teleport myself and/or others – Avoiding traffic by day; fighting crime by night.
Chace: “Star Man” I would fly through the cosmos fighting evil.
Justin: Human Metronome. My super power to annoy other musicians.

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Check out “Cavalcade”, the latest single from Wild Iris!

Follow Wild Iris on Facebook & Instagram

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