If you were at the Apache Cafe one night around New Year's, you witnessed a rare assembly of Atlanta's hip-hop A-list. It was a music promoter's dream -- members of OutKast, Goodie Mob and Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz appearing together in one venue for just one night -- only they were appearing in the audience.
Such is the level of respect commanded by Whild Peach. Over the last decade, vocalist Peach and her husband, guitarist David Whild, have collaborated on some of the most successful releases from Atlanta's famed Dungeon Family, and toured internationally with OutKast on the Stankonia tour. But the true passion of Peach and Whild remains Whild Peach, the indescribable stew of funk, heavy rock and soul that the duo first formed in Dallas in the late '80s and shipped to Atlanta in 1993.
The music of Whild Peach is consistently unexpected, shifting wildly from greasy, in-the-pocket funk to aggressive jet-hangar metal -- all fronted by the wailing, Janis-Joplin-meets-Tina-Turner vocal style of Peach. "We're definitely not neo-soul," says Whild, poking fun at the musical category into which live black acts in Atlanta most often get lumped.
The joke is partly funny, partly sad. For all their talent and endurance, Whild Peach has had difficulty finding a place in the Atlanta music scene, which tends to keep its rock and hip-hop outlets neatly partitioned, with little room for Whild-style variance. "It's the only way we know how to roll," says Peach. "The best have never fit into a category." Whild Peach plays the Apache Cafe Thurs., July 17. $10.
Wild Things
