Wilder Blue Turns Luke Combs Boost Into New Album Cinco — SkimNews
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- Wilder Blue released their fifth studio album "Cinco" last month, recorded at Sonic Ranch studio in Tornillo, Texas with expanded instrumentation — keyboardist Travis Bishop, steel guitarist Harrison Yount, and fiddle player Steve Auburn — and a guest appearance from Nineties country star Tracy Byrd on "Texas Women."
- Luke Combs joined the band for a 2023 cover of Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road," leading to opening slots on Combs' 2024 stadium tour and what guitarist Paul Eason calls being "personally leveled up" — enabling coast-to-coast independent touring.
- The Wilder Blue used AI music platform Suno during the demo phase to render songs in different styles before studio recording, a practice frontman Zane Williams championed even as Jason Isbell and other musicians filed suit against Suno last week alleging the platform misuses artists' identities.
- Zane Williams, a Texas native with seven prior solo albums, formed the Wilder Blue in 2019 with Paul Eason, Andy Rogers, drummer/producer Lyndon Hughes, and Sean Rodriguez, building their five-part harmonies into a signature sound.
- Williams said the band's stated goal is drawing 500 to 1,000 fans per show nationwide, a threshold "where we can really make a comfortable living" — and one the group says it won't quit pursuing.
- The Cinco Tour runs through the Midwest and Southwest in September and October before California dates opening for Paul Cauthen in early November.
Why it matters: The Wilder Blue's explicit 500-to-1,000-fans-per-show benchmark puts a concrete number on what 'making it' looks like for independent country acts in the streaming era. Their continued use of Suno for demos — even as Jason Isbell's lawsuit puts the platform under fire — highlights a live split among working musicians over where AI fits in the creative process.
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