With over three billion career streams and a legacy as the frontman of multi-platinum band NEEDTOBREATHE, Bear Rinehart has carved out his own path as Wilder Woods. Now three albums deep into his solo career, Wilder Woods offers a space where Rinehart blends modern rock, soul, and pop influences into something uniquely personal. His latest album, Curioso, takes inspiration from his grandmother’s curio cabinet, a collection of memories and keepsakes that mirrors the way his songs pull from influences, family, and lived experiences.
Ahead of his upcoming tour stop in Charlotte opening for Red Clay Strings, we sat down with Rinehart to discuss the creative spark behind Curioso, the balance of working with longtime friends and new collaborators, and how his journey as both a parent and an artist continues to shape his songwriting.
Melodic Magazine: You’re the lead man for NEEDTOBREATHE, but just dropped your third solo record, Curious, through Wilder Woods. You mentioned that when deciding the album art, you went with your grandma’s curio cabinet as the main focal point. Where did that decision come from?
Rinehart: When I was making the record, I was thinking about the songs as they came up, and they made me think of songs I loved growing up. Influences I had in high school or whenever it was and I’d always be like, ‘oh, that’s Pete Yorn’, or ‘that’s Black Crowes.’ It doesn’t sound like them, but there are pieces for me anyway, and I started thinking that’s like a little collection of my influences over the years.
That visual came up of going to my grandmother’s house when I was a kid. There were all the pictures of the places she had traveled, old Alabama memorabilia, her old Bible, and all this kind of stuff. I thought, that’s a cool way to think of it for me.
When writing Curios, you went from using old friends to new collaborators. How was the difference between working with relatively older friends versus the new?
Honestly, it’s always kind of a crapshoot. You never know with somebody until you’re around them a lot. Most of the guys I knew well enough. Writers-wise and players on the record, it’s gotten more and more me over the years. The solo stuff has. At the beginning I was just trying to make stuff different from NEEDTOBREATHE a little bit. There was an idea of what it ought to be, and now it can just be whatever I’m writing at the time.
Do you feel like your fan base with Wilder Woods are following over from NEEDTOBREATHE?
When we put the first record out, I knew there’d be a lot of NEEDTOBREATHE fans that wouldn’t like it. Just because I know what it’s like being a fan of a band. This guy does a solo project, and you’re like, ah. But there’s definitely some crossover, certain types of fans. NEEDTOBREATHE’s been around so long, depending on when you came into it, you might be a totally different kind of fan.
Doing tours is where you make real fans. People can like a record, but you get a relationship with the artist once they see them live. Now, having done three tours and doing this Red Clay [Strings] tour, it’s been really good to solidify what it is.
Do you have a different writing process when depicting songs for Wilder Woods?
I try not to anymore. The obvious difference is, first thing I do when I write a NEEDTOBREATHE song is play it to the guys. We bounce off ideas, and the band has a chance to really manipulate what’s gonna happen. With this, it’s more just me playing it back to myself, thinking, do I like this or not?
In terms of sound, there’s a different type of sound I allow in Wilder Woods a little more. But I try not to sit down and think, oh, I’m writing for this project. It’s more about timing. I end up writing probably 80–100 songs a year, so they gotta have somewhere to go. Some feel more like Wilder Woods things.
You said previously that the name behind Wilder Woods is your children. How would you say that being a parent has affected your abilities as an artist?
In every possible way. It changes you as a person. My oldest is 10 now, so it’s a whole different set of challenges every couple years. Perspective on life before kids, it’s easy for the world to be about you. You’re the main character. When you have a kid, it’s ‘whoa, I’m not the main character.’
Writing, your kids teach you a lot. Their innocence, their struggles.. you realize they’re your struggles too. For me, the first record especially was like a letter to my kids. What would they read when they’re 15 and be like, that was Dad? Now I’m living that daily. You get to tell them the things that matter most or what you’re learning, mistakes you made. That finds its way onto the records.
Do you take being Christian into consideration when writing music?
Honestly, I don’t. Which is interesting. I think I’ve gotten more peace about that over the years. When we first got into music, the whole “Christian music” label was like a bad thing. You were either rock or you weren’t. We never wanted that. It used to make me cringe.
At the same time, my faith is really important to me. The stuff that comes out now comes out very naturally. I can’t think of a better thing to write a song about than God. So I’ve come to respect it more and allow it more often. In the past, I might think, oh, that sounds too much this way. Now I just write whatever my heart and soul are going for.
Have your fans impacted that choice?
I don’t think so. Early on maybe it would’ve been easy to go, oh, we’ll sell more records if we do this or don’t do this. But now, honestly, no offense to the fans, when you’re writing music, the best place is writing it for yourself. If you believe in it and it’s true, it usually works out. But the second I start thinking about what they’d like, it feels like posturing. Doesn’t work for me.
When writing a new album, what is one of the feelings you get that tells you it’s complete?
I don’t know if I ever totally have that feeling. But when I listen back, as long as it’s true and has forward motion (meaning it doesn’t let you off the hook) that’s a big part. And if I’m proud of the lyric. When I write something that feels like it couldn’t have come from me, I’m really proud.
I’ll tweak a lyric all the way to the last minute. Springsteen has a process like that.. writing and then going back to redo lyrics. I have a little of that in me.
What would you say is your longest writing process, and for which song? And what was the quickest one?
The quickest was probably “Heartland” on the last Wilder Woods record. We were in the studio at the end of the day recording another song. Tyler was playing a guitar part with these bendy notes, and I was like, we should do a song like that. I wrote it that night, and the next morning we recorded it.
The longest process stuff is songs that are years old. I’ll flag them like, oh, that’d be interesting. You’re just waiting on some phrase to make it make sense. Maybe the chorus doesn’t land the way you want, or musically it doesn’t say what you want. I’ve got what feels like a thousand of those sitting there waiting for the right time.
If you didn’t choose music, what other outlet would you have chosen?
I like logistics, which is funny. When the band first started, I enjoyed the “how are we gonna pack this trailer, how are we gonna make it to this town with 50 bucks?” So maybe something in that.
What song on Curios scared you the most to write, and why?
“Where Do We Go From Here?” It’s the weirdest. It doesn’t have a normal structure. It felt very fresh to me. It’s also probably the song I’m most proud of. Feels like a new direction, and I think that’s cool.
What influence do you think most fans wouldn’t expect to hear on this record?
Kenny Rogers. His early work.
How would you describe Wilder Woods in three words?
Soulful. Passionate. Family.
Which track are you most excited to play live first?
Some of the songs turn out different. “Where Do We Go From Here?” is one I love playing. “Maestros” is a song the crowd reacts to every time, so it’s fun to have one in my back pocket that I know will work.
Is there anything new you can share with your fans that’s in the works?
This is such a dud to say, but I’ve recorded a few more songs. We were about to put them out, and I felt like I wasn’t ready yet. I’m sitting on some finished material. The newest thing will be a live record from the Ryman coming out.
As Wilder Woods, Bear Rinehart continues to carve out a space that is both familiar and refreshingly new in his art. Curioso stands as a testament to his evolution as an artist, father, and storyteller. Whether on stage or in the studio solo or in a band, Rinehart proves that his artistry is still unfolding on song and album at a time.
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