DREAM WULF

Close your eyes on the multi-faceted walls of Holocene and let the thunder roll in the periphery of your mind. Saguaro and chollas stretch their spiny arms into a darkening sky, breaking the sunset horizon like veins in a great eye. Mountains rise ahead of you, a lonesome trail connecting their great shadows to yours like an inky umbilical cord. Voices pull you from a great distance, straining with desire and exultation.

You are in the land of the Dream Wulf.

Based out of Portland OR, Dream Wulf is a psych rock quartet comprised of Glenn Walters (percussion), Kyla Maunakea (bass), John Villadelgado (guitar and vocals) and Jessica Bahl (vocals and guitar). I reviewed their brand new album All Things Unconsidered back in December, and while I couldn’t attend their album release show I made certain I was up front for their next gig. The last time I had seen the band was in a crowded basement at The Honey Pot, and it was incredible to see how completely Dream Wulf’s energy filled a larger venue, spilling into the audience and shocking us all to movement.

The set began in heavy feedback, all four members settling into stances like career athletes or lifelong dancers. What started out as a hazy freeform jam gained momentum and sound, crystalizing into identifiable riffs and grooves before erupting fully formed into Blue Dream, the premiere single off of All Things Unconsidered. Jessica Bahl’s voice is at once powerful and delicate on this track, velvet lacerations in a tapestry thick with color and distortion. Kyle Walter’s percussion hits hard on the central riff before breaking down to toss syncopated patterns against the masterful bassline and crisscrossing guitars. 

The audience huddled closer as the song drew to a close - John Villadelago thanked us for coming, explaining that he’d still be playing in his living room if it weren’t for us - and laughter mingled with the drawn-out applause. Some brief stomping of pedals and tightening of drumheads later the crunchy funk-rock opening to Apex protracted the room, drawing absurdist geometry from the speakers and sending it streaking above our heads. A girl with hair down her back sent her long skirts flying alongside her limbs and locks, twirling with abandon. More followed suit as the acid-washed mammoth riff of Last Known Purple ripped loose, clearing space for a transcendent harmony of molten guitar and electric vocal that drew all the air from the room.

Amidst the raw cheering that followed, John told us a story about talking to his parents about psychedelics - while under their influence.

“That part was my bad,” he admitted with a sheepish grin. “Took a great shit afterwards though. Those are always the best.”

Before anyone had time to work through the heady music and disarmingly honest banter, Kyla Maunakea launched in Darkness, unsheathed a slithering bassline that dripped and zigzagged down a dark mountain pass, ominous and not a little funky. Brushing comedy aside, John took to the mic in a lamenting refrain that displayed surprising range and clarity, his voice rising like a vulture on warm night winds alongside flanged-out guitars that painted a mirage across the stage. 

Levity immediately returned as Jessica Bahl took a minute to tune her guitar, during which John lazily tossed out the main riff to Sweet Home Alabama. The crowd, not one to miss an opportunity, grabbed hold, launching into the chorus. When John stopped, taken aback, we cheered for more. Dream Wulf obliged, the whole band jumping in for a verse before laughing with us, the mood in the room significantly elevated.

My Own Advice once again features John on vocals, bluesy with a heavy stain of black magic about his voice. Northern Lights rounded off the incendiary set and wrapped up All Thing Unconsidered with a toe-curling guitar solo you should just watch below.

The bass hit hard. Reverb encircled us like the closing petals of a rose. Heads banged and hair flew. Dream Wulf brought so much passion to the stage and so much levity to the breaks that I completely lost time and had to remind myself there was another band coming up, to save my energy.

Grinning like a maniac, wiping sweat from my brow and picking guitar fuzz out of my teeth, I immediately began the process of looking forward to this incredible band’s next gig.

Follow Dream Wulf to ensure we can rock out together next time. As always, thanks for reading.

♥ Zach