Wild Yaks

Wild Yaks came together in Brooklyn, New York during the autumn of 2007, launched by singer-guitarist Rob Bryn and drummer-vocalist Martin Cartagena. Their sound blended raw punk energy with urban folk textures, driven by fervent group vocals frequently sung in unison. Bryn and Cartagena remained the only steady presences across the band’s early years, while Will Bates, Sean Kennerly, and Chris Parachin each passed through the lineup. By the time the quartet tracked its debut EP, Ten Ships (Don't Die Yet), the permanent core had stabilized around Bryn, Cartagena, and bassist-singer Dan Scinta, with guitarist Zack Davis contributing to the sessions. Bryn declared the group’s dissolution in June 2010, yet the project resumed activity by early 2011, now featuring bassist-singer Jose Aybar and guitarist-singer Hunter Simpson as its fourth member; a third guitarist, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, occasionally joined them onstage. The band issued its first full-length album, Million Years, in November 2012 and toured behind the release. In May 2013 the musicians appeared on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, performing as themselves at a Brooklyn warehouse gig during which an assault occurs. Simpson stepped away amicably in 2014 to focus on his other project, Daytona, though he continued to appear with Wild Yaks live whenever schedules permitted. The group delivered its sophomore album, Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks, in June 2015.