“Wild metaphorical music that rocks” has been used to describe the sound of Alexa Wiley & the Wilderness, a Portland-based band with an abundance of long-time local musical roots. Their music borrows from an array of genres and musical expressions and the songs display varying styles tied together with themes of the search for meaning in our hurried, modern world.
Alexa Wiley is the songwriter that curates the Wilderness band’s unique collaborative blend of meaningful lyrics integrated with Bret Malmquist’s lead guitar work, Steve Dearborn’s multi-instrumental arrangements, Dale Turnbull’s bass accents and Sean Oldham’s adept drumming. The band’s creations are a mix of poetry, jazz, world beat, country, rock, and folk accented by evocative vocal harmonies.
Alexa Wiley also performs with Dan Haley in the musical duo ‘Wiley Coyote.’ Wiley Coyote’s performance consists of lyric driven vocal music supported by acoustic guitar(s), mandolin, and harmonica with vocal harmonies and light percussion. The due performs a unique blend of styles that compliments their joint poetic musicality.
Alexa Wiley has opened for and played with an outrageous range of fellow musicians, from legendary American folk icon Michael Hurley to brilliant Oregon artists such as Richmond Fontaine, fisher poet David Densmore, and local Portland working musicians such as Lincoln Crockett, Freddy Trujillo, Kris Deelane & Dan Haley.
Get Lost
Alexa loves metaphor and has purposefully searched out that which is unpredictable and wild about herself. And it does mean taking a chance of getting lost in the wilderness of oneself. It’s an art. Alexa suggests we take a chance taking that trip into the wild and unknown.
Oregon Music News Feb. 2015
“Even though I don’t think it every day or even muster the courage for it every day, being actively curious about the mystery and taking innate joy being wild, as Alexa Wiley describes it, is really at the root of any creative work. This mantra is deeply woven into the newest album, “Alexa Wiley & the Wilderness”. – Interview with Alexa by Inessa Anderson about the ‘Art of Getting Lost.’ (Inessa Anderson was a long time beloved Portland music broadcaster who died in 2022.)
Inspired by place
Alexa has lived in Portland since she was 6 years old and her music is inspired by connections to our shared place in the Pacific Northwest. Her first major foray into place-based artistic collaboration was the co-produced Salmon Nation Artist Project.
As a lover of the outdoors and iconic Columbia River, Alexa often donates performances for local outdoor organizations such as Outdoor School For All and Columbia Riverkeeper. Her anti-LNG song is featured in Columbia Crossings: Oregon Faces America’s Energy Future, a documentary of the long fight in Oregon against proposed liquefied natural gas terminals.
Through her friendly collaboration with fisherman and poet Dave Densmore, Alexa teams her melodies with Dave’s rough and real poetry to capture moments of transcendent relevance in a show they call For the Love of Fish. Alexa and Dave’s blend of artistic virtues form a complementary lyrical dialogue addressing the difficult environmental choices facing our contemporary Northwest community.
alexa wiley 
Thanks for the CD at Bottles
August 11, 2018
Hello Alexa !
Greetings from Tourist-Soon-to-Be-PortLander Michael McKimmey .
We met at your gig in April @ the International Hostile on 18th, and conversed briefly @ Saturday Market …
Anxiously Awaiting Another Audience …
Will see You again soon at a gig and would enjoy singing with you, at your leisure !
Peace … Michael