There was a familiar electricity in the air at Putnam Place on Friday April 18, equal parts hometown pride and rock-and-roll revival as Wild Adriatic had a long-awaited return to the stage that wasn’t just another gig. It was a homecoming, a resurrection and a declaration that this band, after six years of evolution and endurance, is still very much alive and kicking.
The release party for their self-titled album was a statement: bold, raw and deeply rooted in the Upstate New York scene they’ve helped define.
Opening the night was Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band, a shape-shifting ensemble built around Fulmer’s poetic songwriting and a rotating cast of accomplished local players. They didn’t ease into the evening, they laid the groundwork with smart, emotionally tuned arrangements and a stage presence that balanced earnestness with unpredictability. Fulmer, equal parts folk craftsman and indie provocateur, seemed fully in sync with the band’s fluid musicianship. Their live performance thrives in the liminal space between genres folk, Americana, jazz and the result is a sound that’s complex without being convoluted.
When Jeff Morad of WEQX took the stage to introduce Wild Adriatic, the crowd surged forward with the kind of buzz usually reserved for old friends returning from a long trip.
The band hasn’t released a full-length album since 2017’s Feel. In the time since, they’ve ridden the unpredictable waves of a pandemic, personal reinventions and a well-earned hiatus. The result of that journey? Wild Adriatic, the album is a body of work conceived in the intimate confines of a Lake George apartment and now fully realized with the kind of sonic clarity that only comes from sitting with the songs, letting them breathe and eventually setting them free.
From the first note, it was clear this wasn’t a nostalgia trip. Wild Adriatic came out swinging, fusing their signature mix of soul-soaked vocals, blues grit and high-octane rock into a setlist that felt like both a victory lap and a fresh start. The new material lands with authority – gritty, melodic and emotionally charged.
This isn’t a band coasting on past glories; it’s one that’s committed, refined and ready to push forward. Tracks that had gestated in the quiet corners of pandemic isolation now exploded with communal energy and you could feel that transfer from stage to floor in real time.
Frontman Travis Gray’s vocals were unrelenting. Equal parts muscle and nuance. The band’s chemistry felt tight. Drummer Mateo Vosganian and bassist Rich Derbyshire locked into grooves that kept the room in constant motion. You could sense that these weren’t just performances of songs, they were exhalations of a project long in the making.
This kind of set made it clear this wasn’t just a celebration of a new album. It was a celebration of survival, of endurance and of finally coming back to their hometown stage.
The vibe in Putnam Place was thick with mutual appreciation, and for longtime Wild Adriatic fans, it was the payoff for years of loyalty. For newcomers, it was an open invitation into the world of a band that’s built its following not on hype, but on sweat, honesty and consistency.
By the time the final chords rang out, Putnam Place had done more than host a show. It had become a launchpad for a new chapter in Wild Adriatic’s story and judging by the fire they brought to the stage, that chapter is going to be loud and entirely their own.
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