The legend of Darby Wilcox begins many years ago deep in the darkest corners of the wilderness. We know very little about Darby’s true origins as she was raised by a pack of wolves until the age of seven. Wolves are notoriously poor record keepers so details about her age or how she came to join a wolf pack as an infant are a mystery to us all. We can theorize, however, that long nights spent howling at the moon might have been key in the development of one of the most soulful voices in the music industry today.
When she was discovered by hunters and returned to her family Darby coupled her voice with a passion for musical instruments. Over the years Darby has taught herself how to play the guitar, ukulele, harmonica and even the kazoo. She actually picked up the guitar at the age of 12 when a dislocated finger prevented her from attending the flute lessons her human family had forced upon her. One suspects from her fine tuned wolf instincts that the injury was self-imposed in order to pursue more a desirable instrument but after all these years Darby remains mum on that subject.
As Darby continued to develop her talent for music, she also found herself living life to the fullest. Just last year she rode her bicycle across South Carolina from the Upstate to Charleston. When asked why one would pursue such a strenuous undertaking over a mere three days, Darby admits that she “wanted to take on a challenge that would raise money for charity and really punish my crotch. Plus, I wanted to trade that thing in for a younger model anyway.” Crotch punishment aside, Darby has also been shot multiple times in a drug deal gone awry, saved a family from a meth lab explosion and played Sandra Bullock’s stunt double in the movie Speed.
Through all of this excitement, Darby’s focus has never strayed from music. Citing Cat Power, Radiohead, Elliot Smith, The Beatles, Counting Crows, Bjork, Velvet Underground (R.I.P. Lou), Badly Drawn Boy, Wilco, Neko and Beck as her influences, Darby has always expressed herself through her music. From the first song she recorded for an elderly boyfriend when she was 15 to songs about more emotionally mature moments like motherhood, Darby’s real story has always been told through song.
After five years as a member of O Melo Cello Tree and a year with Adele Cotton, Darby has struck out on her own as a strikingly impressive solo artist as well as a band leader. Darby’s solo performances and recordings offer a unique window into the soul of this artist but things get a little more rambunctious when she is accompanied by her band of misfits she lovingly refers to as “The Peep Show”. In either incarnation, Darby Wilcox is an outstanding performer with one hell of a story to tell…
Darby’s first solo EP She Took to the Sea is the first chronicle of the tales of a young musician that has a lifetime of stories to share. It is inspired by her travels, her raw emotions and an innocence that prevails despite her aged soul. Ongoing DNA testing may yet prove that despite her comfort with the wolf pack, her true roots could actually have more ties to the fabled sirens of the sea as we suspect she might be a mermaid. At any rate, the combination of genetics, personal history, and undeniable talent make She Took to the Sea a true five-song masterpiece.
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