Generally, the 10-year anniversary is the mile marker at which a band does its first covers album. Not so with the Wilders. With Throw Down, the Kansas City group actually escapes into new material after a decade of pillaging turn-of-the-century hymnals, ragged jug-band 78s, and obscure honky-tonk LPs in search of what its members describe as "tunes from the Golden Age." The new one features lovely originals from every member, including Phil Wade's mournful "Together Apart," bassist Nate Gawron's "Honky Tonk Habit" and Betse Ellis' fiddle-burnin' "Goat Creek." After a year of constant festival touring, this party gives local fans a rare chance to catch 'em in a room the exact same size as the band's touring RV.
