Wildling is the current name for the musical collaboration involving key members Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya. They have been recording music and touring under different band names since 2004.
Test Your Reflex (2004–2009) The original group was composed of five musicians (Ryan Levine, Andrew Ampaya, Sal Cortez, Ryan Clark, and Augustin Sanchez) of various backgrounds all between the ages of 19-21 at the time. As
Test Your Reflex, they started out in the rehearsal rooms of a teen center in
Thousand Oaks,
California. They came together in early 2004. Having played in various
electronic and
rock bands since
grammar school, lead singer Levine decided he wanted to try something new. Inspired by classic albums like
U2's
The Joshua Tree,
Peter Gabriel's
So and
Joni Mitchell's
Blue, after experimenting in his garage, Levine gradually developed the sound that would become
Test Your Reflex. It started when Levine met
drummer Sal Cortez through an ex-girlfriend. The two then began searching for others to join them. After many months they finally found
guitarist RC (a.k.a. Ryan Clark), a former guitarist of
Los Angeles punk band R.O.H. Then came
keyboardist Andrew Ampaya, a classically trained
pianist with similar musical influences. With innovative and like-minded
bassist Agustin Sanchez joining shortly thereafter, the first and final line up of
Test Your Reflex was created. with hints of
U2,
The Cars, and
Simple Minds as well as
The Cure and
The Killers. The band featured on the MySpace Tribute to the Smashing Pumpkins album released on
MySpace Records and distributed in the July 2007 issue of
SPIN Magazine. They liken themselves to other bands on the Pumpkins tribute, such as
The Bravery. All tracks appeared on each band's
MySpace page from May 14, 2007.
Test Your Reflex opened for
The Smashing Pumpkins on July 22, 2007 at
The Fillmore in
San Francisco. Before that, from March 22, 2007 to May 12, 2007,
Test Your Reflex toured the US with the Detroit-based band
Electric Six. Television performances include two appearances with
Carson Daly. On June 22, 2007 the band appeared on
Last Call with Carson Daly and the following month performed on the Carson Daly show (aired July 12, 2007). The complete list of media coverage/online releases for
Test Your Reflex was as follows: •
Last Call with Carson Daly – July 12, 2007 •
LA Weekly Digital Jukebox – April 19, 2007 •
LA Times "Buzz Bands" – April 19, 2007 • Artist Direct – April 12, 2007 • Pre-RCA Release of "Pieces of the Sun" on
iTunes – April 10, 2007 •
SPIN Magazine/SPIN.com "Artist of the Day" – January 5, 2007 Their song "Thinking of You" was featured as the background music of a radio commercial for
Michelob Golden Light beer, heard in the Twin Cities and other markets in the midwest where the beer is sold.
No Country and Low Shoulder (2009–2014) With the conclusion of their contract with RCA Records, in 2009, the group changed its name to
No Country. Also in 2009, two members of the band (Ryan Levine and Sal Cortez) appeared as members of the fictional band
Low Shoulder in the 2009 film ''
Jennifer's Body''. The band performed the songs "Through the Trees" (written by Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya) and "One More Night" (written by Ryan Levine) as well as
Blondie's "
In the Flesh" in the film. The film's soundtrack includes the song "Through the Trees" by
Low Shoulder.
Wildling (2014–present) In November 2014, Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya formed a new five-member band with the name "Wildling", made up of new members: songwriter and producer Erik Janson on guitar, previous member of indie California beach band
Cayucas Casey Wojtalewicz on drums, and Ryan's younger brother Justin Levine on bass. Wildling performed their first show at The Satellite in Los Angeles. They were immediately invited to headline The Satellite's residency in January 2015, and the next week, they were invited to support
Young the Giant, who had attended the show. A few months later they performed in Austin for
SXSW, and by summer 2015, they were recording their debut EP. The band has worked with different producers on different songs, including
Doug Boehm (
French Kicks,
Dr. Dog), Caleb Shreve (
Phantogram,
Bear Hands), Ted Gowans (
Tegan & Sara), and Ben Greenspan (
Fences). Ryan sent lead single "Hummingbird," directly to DJ
Kat Corbett of
KROQ, who added it to the regular rotation on her show, "Locals Only." The debut EP was released in October 2015. Wildling is signed to
Warner Bros. Records. ==Discography==