The musical endeavor of an honest young man, Like Wild is the solo undertaking of Lancaster County’s own Patrick Hatt. Like Wild’s finely honed and uniquely folksy-Americana style channels his own down to earth and personable nature and infuses it in songs written about the extraordinary parts of the everyday: love, optimism, and the ultimate importance of being true to yourself.
For Fans Of: Folk

You used to be in The Right Coast. Why did you leave and was this sound something you were always interested in?
I had a great time while being in The Right Coast. The dudes were my best friends and touring was a blast. However after a while the disconnection between the music and I started to really take a toll on me. I’m not really into that brand of pop music and I really hated a lot of the things I saw going on in the industry. Meanwhile I started toying around with the idea of writing songs. I had always been into a huge variety of music and folk and alt-country were my favorite. So naturally my songs took that turn. After completing a few songs and recording some demos in my bedroom, I guess I realized this was what I wanted to do. I could finally be honest with myself and write music I actually enjoyed. It was liberating. Leaving the guys was a tough decision though… especially since the band was doing well at the time and they were all my good friends. But now it’s over a year later and things with Like Wild are going great and I couldn’t be any happier.

What do you have to offer that other bands or artists don’t? What sets you apart from a lot of the other newer bands out there today?
Honestly, I’m not trying to re-invent something or start a revolution with my music. I’m not a very good guitar player so my songs tend to be very simple. I just try to write songs that I like and mean something to me. That might sounds corny, but it’s true. I guess that could be something different than a lot of artists. My music is very honest. I don’t just try to write a hook… or sell records… or whatever. I just try to put out the best music I can while staying true to myself. If people dig that then that’s awesome. If not… well that sucks… but I’ll still be playing till my fingers fall off.

How is the live show compared to the general sound of material that’s been released?
It depends really. Sometimes I’ll play with friends as my backing band and it will be very similar to the recordings. When we play loud, bar settings we might play fully electric and distorted which obviously gives the live show more intensity. Other times I’ll play all by my lonesome… and it will be a super intimate atmosphere. I think that’s the beauty of being a singer-songwriter. Flexibility.

More times than not, influences tend to bleed through. What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Well I’d say this next record is heavily influenced by some of the older guys like Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. I’ve also always loved a lot of the 90’s alt-country bands. Oh and anything that Ryan Adams has touched is great. There are also some great new guys in the scene that I’ve been jammin’ lately including Joshua James, Justin Townes Earle, Deer Tick, etc. I guess those are my obvious influences. But like I said I like a wide variety of music so there might be parts in my music that I came up with while listening to a Saves the Day record or something.

What would you say you have already accomplished and what do you have your eyes set on next?
Thus far I’ve put out my debut EP and a two-song single, played a bunch of shows in the northeast, and met some amazing friends and fans along the way. It’s really neat to see all of this take shape and even more exciting that it’s still just getting started. 
Right now I’m writing a new record, which I hope to have out this spring/summer. I’m also hoping to do some touring in the New Year as well. Good things are coming out of this. I promise.

Thus far, what’s a favorite memory or something quirky that’s taken place for you with this project (in-studio, onstage, or elsewhere)? 
I wish I had something funny to say here but I don’t. I guess my favorite memory so far is going out to California for my first time this summer. That’s where I recorded the “San Diego Sessions” single. Cali is beautiful and almost like a new world. I think that vibe kind of came out on the tracks too. It was a great time. I probably ate too much Mexican food though.

Is there anything in particular that you’d like people to take away from listening to your music?
All my songs are personal to me in some way (or a lot of ways). However, I try to write them universally so that the listener can take what they want from a song. I think it’s really rad to see what others get out of my songs. It could be a totally different thought or feeling than I had while writing the song but it remains powerful for the both of us nonetheless. 
I guess if I had one message to get out… I’d want it to be this:
Don’t believe everything you’re told. Don’t live your life for others. Think for yourself and live for yourself… and ultimately… love your life.

Check out Like Wild on Facebook, Myspace, and Bandcamp.

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