Jackson Free Press

During a typical night's summer rehearsal for the Wild Emotions, their practice space—Daphne Nabors' house—is filled with heat, humidity and plenty of energy.

"It's about to get a lot hotter in here," says Nabors one night before practice begins. She takes an amp and sets up numerous box fans to keep the air circulating. Drummer Mary Elizabeth Cochran is practicing drum with riffs, with her iPod earbuds blocking outside noise.

Nabors, a well-respected musician and bassist for longtime punk band the Overnight Lows and various other groups, wanted to give lead guitar a try. Together with Cochran, bassist Carol Rogers (who is also a member of the new Jack White creation, Nashville's Black Belles), keyboardist Chrissy Valentine, and vocalist Ashley McKay, they created the Wild Emotions with its rare mixture of new and veteran musicians.

"I always wanted to be in a band with Ashley. She's good at writing lyrics. At first her voice reminded me of Nico Case from the Velvet Underground. It's soulful and deep," Nabors says. After a few practices, local musicians heard buzz about the ladies' musical ventures. So then came Cochran, with her enviable drum skills and McKay with her almost sinful vocals, and the band, as they are today, was ready to play.

This band has many different voices, as if they re-invent themselves with each song. Their self-titled song, "Wild Emotions," has a punk-rock sound more typical of Nabors previous bands, except the keyboard stands out over the drums initially and then blends into the powerful guitar and bass riff that Nabors and Rogers produce. The song slows down to almost a tribute to metal legends before, like being in the eye of a storm, until it explodes into a thick burst of music rain onto the earth.

The Wild Emotions bring amazing songs to the Jackson music scene, a truly unique sound and lots and lots of talent .

The Wild Emotions will play with the Hot Pieces at Hal and Mal's Red Room June 25 at 9 p.m.