Rabbit Wilde to bring foot-stomping folk rock to Richland on April 7

Miranda Zickler grew up in Mount Vernon.

But she didn’t meet the Hamer brothers — fellow musicians who also hail from the Skagit Valley city — until she was living across the country in New York.

They all wound up in the same diner, the day before Zickler was set to move back west.

They got to talking about home, about music.

“It was a very strange situation,” Zickler said.

Serendipitous.

Eventually, Rabbit Wilde was born.

The folk rock band, fresh off playing South by Southwest, will stop in Richland on April 7, taking the stage at 10 p.m. at Emerald of Siam, 1314 Jadwin Ave. There’s no cover charge.

Zickler says to expect a good time.

“We are performers first. We have a lot of fun on stage,” she said.

Along with Zickler, who sings and plays banjo, rhythm guitar, percussion and accordion, Rabbit Wilde includes Nathan Hamer on ukulele, vocals and mandolin, Zach Hamer on lead guitar, vocals, percussion and harmonica, and Jillian Walker on cello and vocals.

Like Zickler and the Hamers, Walker also is from Mount Vernon. She and Zickler grew up a few blocks from each other.

The band is based on the west side, with Zickler in Seattle and the others in Bellingham, and is winning fans and acclaim with its infectious, foot-stomping music.

The Seattle Times wrote, “Rabbit Wilde pumps up banjo, harmonica and cello with thumping percussion, conjuring a revival meeting crossed with a hoedown. Daughter of the Sun, with bowed cello, is a sweet love song and Summer Hotel has a Lumineers thrum.”

The Hype said the band’s “beautiful vocal harmonies take you down a well-beaten path in the wilderness, accompanied by rhythm and melodies from the classic Americana folk instrument family. ... This quartet of incredible musicians have lassoed the Northwest spirit and infused it into their own brand of storytelling lyrics and deep and passionate hearts for the land they grew up in.”

Rabbit Wilde’s latest album, The Heartland, is available on iTunes, Spotify and www.rabbitwilde.com.

Standout tracks include the rollicking Howl and the lovely, evocative Porcelain Frame.

Although the band has played throughout the Northwest and beyond, the Emerald show is its first in the Tri-Cities.

Zickler said she looks forward to it.

“We spend most of our year touring and playing live shows. We have a lot of fun,” she said. “We love recording and writing, but the best part is getting on stage and getting a crowd’s energy involved. Sharing that experience with people.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Rabbit Wilde to bring foot-stomping folk rock to Richland on April 7."