Wilder rock 'n' roll coming to the V Club

If Webb Wilder were a breakfast experience, he'd be Waffle House 3 a.m.

Wilder, who's been called "the Tom Petty of the trailer set," likes his rock 'n' roll chunk covered and smothered with greasy guitars and syrupy-good, quirky comedy that whisks in country, blues, soul and a touch of mystery.

You can get a taste of the guitar rich live fixings come Friday when Wilder and his blistering rockabilly band, The Beatnecks, makes their first Huntington appearance.

The Blind Pig Records artist fires it up at The V Club 741 6th Ave., for an 8 p.m. show that also features veteran Lawrence County, Ky., rockers, Super Chimp (formerly known as Night Train).

A favorite of "Mountain Stage" in Charleston and someone who's chalked up muchos gigs at Charleston's The Empty Glass, Wilder said somehow in his two decades of playing he's never been to Huntington -- not that he can remember -- and now he's curious.

Splitting time between his native Mississippi and Nashville, Wilder said he just watched "We Are Marshall" down in Mississippi to get better acquainted with the town.

"I saw it for the first time staying with my cousin who has a TV as big as mama's china closet," Wilder said. "I'm not really a sports guy, but I understand that emotion. I think being in a band is the equivalent of playing on a team."

Wilder's team that he tongue in cheek says are "winning fans by the dozens" include Wilder on lead vocals and guitar, Tom Comet on bass and vocals; George Bradfute and Bob Williams on guitars and Jimmy Lester on drums.

Wilder said whatever gets boiled into the musical stew, it's still rock 'n' roll to him.

"It's rock 'n' roll that leans a little this way and a little that way even if occasionally it's some kind of country thing, and regardless of how we look we sound like rock 'n' roll," Wilder said. "We learned country from the Rolling Stones. We have R&B components, British rock invasion and a surf guitar influence, and I think it all comes out as rock 'n' roll."

And it comes out "all good" as we say.

The band's latest outing, and its first CD for the mostly blues label, Blind Pig, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report album chart.Interestingly, the audio was carved from Wilder's first live DVD, "Tough it Out!" put out on Landslide Records.

The new live CD features 15 of Wilder's best from the sing-along anthem, "Tough it Out," to his stringer full of quirky goodness such as "You Might Be Lonely For a Reason," "Human Cannonball," "Louisiana Hannah" and "Miss Missy From Ol' Hong Kong."

"It's been seven weeks in a row so, oh yeah, we really appreciate loyalty," Wilder said. "There's nothing like a dedicated long-time fan."

Those fans will be happy to know Wilder and the boys are almost done with a new studio album being cut at former guitarist Joe McMahon's studio in Nashville.

"He's played a show or two as the lead guitarist even in the last year, and he has a studio now, and we're dear friends and have this history together," Wilder said. "So we started on this thing at his studio. It's been going on for a year and nine months. We'd like to get it done and out there this year. It's been interesting and rewarding every time we get a block of time we emerge closer to the goal."