Wild times for Wild Light

(Credit: Michael Schmelling)

Southern New Hampshire (or any part of New Hampshire, for that matter) isn’t exactly a hotbed for indie rock bands. So how is it that a group of childhood friends hailing from an area known more for its scenic views than great music is on the verge of releasing its debut album on hip Columbia imprint StarTime International? For Wild Light, great chemistry, great songs and a strong work ethic have gone a long way—and having friends in high places hasn’t hurt either.

Said friends, in this case, are Win Butler and his little band, Arcade Fire. Wild Light were relative unknowns until their old pals invited the band to open several shows, both in the U.S. and abroad. Since then, the quartet has gone on to record a debut album with producer Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck) and won a Boston Music Award for Outstanding Rock Act of 2008.

We caught up with keyboardist/bassist/vocalist Timothy Kyle—who also spent some time as a member of Arcade Fire while living in Montreal years back—and found out about some unexpected circumstances that have made it easier to move back home with the 'rents.

So, we hear congratulations are order from the Boston Music Awards.
Yup, yup, big stuff. We’re the Boston Rock Band of 2008, apparently.

Did you cross paths with any of the New Kids on the Block?
Yeah, we did actually. We heard them give their speech, and Donnie Wahlberg was simply delightful. [Laughs.] I think Seth [Pitman, keyboardist/bassist] was talking to him for a minute afterwards. They walked from the stage to get their photo taken and I think he, like, accosted him on their way.

Tell us a little bit about the Arcade Fire connection. Have you been subject to lots of heckling from your friends for walking away from that?
Nah. When I left, I knew that the Arcade Fire was gonna be big. I knew what I was walking away from, to a certain extent. It wasn’t until four years later or so that “Funeral” came out, and they went through several lineup changes. But I knew that Win’s band was going to be just fine. My friends’ reactions are more, like, it’s kind of cool that we know someone who’s famous. But they are also kind of jokingly, like, “Yeah, good move!”

Is that connection already becoming somewhat of a monkey on your back, or is it something that you still embrace?
I anticipate being asked about it, yeah. It’s something that, from the very beginning of the band, we knew it was probably going to be something people talked about. Personally, it is what it is. It’s something that’s part of my history, part of our history.

Being life-long friends must make many aspects of being in a serious band easier. Are there any unique challenges associated with that kind of relationship as well?
Yes, for sure. I don’t think we’d be able to be the band that we are without it being that way. When me and Jordan [Alexander, guitarist] started writing songs together, I couldn’t even play an instrument, and he could play “Iron Man,” and that was it. I started playing an instrument in order for us to have a band, or whatever kind of band you think you can have when you’re 13. So that’s serious history that’s a big part of what our band is. At the same time, you’re a really different person when you’re 26, 27 than when you’re 13. And we’ve all had our times going on different paths and then coming back together. It’s work, you know? There are challenges in just that. Whenever you know anybody for more than half your life, no matter who it is—people stop being polite and start being real.