Meet the Wylde Scallions
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
The Band
The Wylde Scallions was conceived in the early 70s in the shag-carpeted basement on Greenhill Road somewhere in the swamps of Jersey. Steve had a guitar, Peter borrowed one, and they could play anything as long as it was G-C-D or A-D-E. When they finally got squared away on the Am7 in Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, things started to click.
New Jersey’s biggest export is people, so Steve went West and South and back East again, while Peter settled in the West, where Karen came into the picture. Spared the apprenticeship in the New Jersey basement, Karen fits in with an East coast attitude to go with her native West Coast style. The Wylde Scallions is a mythic state of mind cultivated bicoastally, fueled by a shared passion and commitment to the music, and shared through the magic of the Internet.
Peter
Like Beowulf’s Grendl, Peter was raised somewhere in the swamps of New Jersey. His first guitar was a Sears Silvertone that came in a triangular carton, was impossible to tune, and cost less than $25. In another time, in another century, in another basement, Peter and Steve began honing their craft, and now with Karen, the Wylde Scallions have a lot more fun than Ms. May’s junior high school choir practice ever even dreamed of.
~vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel, Wurlitzer, bass, mandolin, melodica, harmonica
Steve
Steve also hails from the Garden State and the other century’s basement. His first guitar was a Martin, and he’s been hooked ever since. His second guitar was a harmonica that he used to chase country blues up and down the east and west coasts. Shy and retiring no more, Steve is a singer, a songwriter, and a founding member of the Wylde Scallions. Just glad to be here, happy to be alive.
~vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, banjo
Karen
Karen has shared her native SF Bay Area (and all its great music) with Peter for some time. When she started guesting with the Wylde Scallions, she was affectionately called the Pearl Onion. Now a fulltime Scallion, Karen sings, handles the percussion tracks, and has become a contributing songwriter and fledgling videographer.
~vocals, percussion