Under the helm of songwriter David Wimbish, the band known as The Collection has been pumping out sprawling, alternative folk records from the Appalachians for over a decade now. The band’s sound evolved over the course of four full-length records, culminating in a contemplative, yet spirited folk rock catalog backed by Wimbish’s poetic, at times confessional lyric writing.
Last year, however, Wimbish released a self-titled album under the new, albeit familiar, moniker David Wimbish & The Collection, opening a new chapter as a solo artist while still honoring his former band’s legacy. The release includes a pair of new songs, as well as a handful of hits from the past decade, re-recorded at a studio in Nashville as Wimbish prepares to hit the road by himself.
In a recent conversation over the phone, Wimbish spoke with BandWagon about the change and what he has up his sleeve for 2026. As soon as we hop on the phone, we laugh as we realize we still have each others’ numbers from a show we played together almost ten years ago in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Wimbish stepped into a new chapter, both musically and generally, re-branding to the new moniker. With this he has shifted toward songs of healing and community following a whirlwind of major life changes: a natural disaster, becoming a parent, preparing to move, and parting ways with his old band.
Since the band had nearly the same lineup for around five of the ten years they played, he says he didn’t feel quite right continuing the name after the band ended around a year ago. Still, he wanted to bring some of the old songs with him, while also having to make decisions quickly to re-establish the musical space as he embraced some major life changes.
“Part of holding on to that moniker is just sort of wanting to combine all the things that I’ve been able to be a part of,” Wimbish says. “I’ve always been the songwriter for The Collection, so it was like, I don’t want to lose this ten years of stuff I’ve done with this project completely by being like, ‘I’m in a new project.’
“But I also don’t want to be in the same thing, so I think my goal has been to sort of try to marry my entire career into one space. And I don’t know if that’s been successful or not, but that’s been the goal.”
Wimbish is also open about the album he is currently working on, calling from the studio in between sessions. He expects to start releasing songs from the record early this year, and he says his time moving toward the solo approach, while chaotic, has also sharpened his vision.
“Now that I’ve had a year to sort of marinate, I feel like, as I’m stepping into the next record and space, I have a little more understanding of what I’m doing now,” he explains.
”And I feel like that will probably become more public and seen as these songs get released, and I move into this next phase.”
In the immediate future, Wimbish is moving from his longtime home in North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia, citing both new parenthood and living through a severe hurricane in Asheville as major contributing factors. For Wimbish, this newly opened chapter in his personal life has him feeling more established in the new approach to his music as well.
“It was a very fast sort of like, ‘Okay, here’s the new space around what I’m doing,’ and I’m proud of it and really happy with it,” he adds.
For his self-titled album, released last July, Wimbish recorded with a live studio band in Nashville—an approach he had wanted to try out for a long time.
While most of the eight-track release is comprised of thoughtful, rootsy takes on old songs, two tracks are new, including the pensive closer, “Take It With You.” Tracks like “Medication (Deserve To Be Well)” and “You (Taste Like Wine)” call back to the many songs of The Collection era, while leaning further into a Southern twang that feels particularly fitting for this album.
He’s also created more space around his day-to-day songwriting habits over the course of his career, and he says he’s worked to make it more of a daily routine and ritual than doing it every once in a while.
“It’s become much more of a practice and an intention, and sort of putting myself to work, rather than just waiting to be inspired,” he notes.
His newer tracks, and especially those he’s working on now, are also more focused on healing, community and intention than those of previous releases, he explains.
“Something that makes me feel excited or hopeful is just feeling like, on this new record, I’m coming from a place that feels much more like, ‘Whoa, there’s been a lot of healing and change in my life, and wanting to just sort of offer kindness and compassion to people.
“So I’m hoping the same for these shows: coming out and getting to play, really, for like, some of the first times since stuff with my band, my hope is that people can come to the shows and not just experience the show, but there can be some sort of space around intention and healing and community together.”
David Wimbish believes you should take it with you when you go.
Catch David Wimbish on a three-show Colorado run this month:
- January 8 – (Colorado Springs) at LuLu’s Downtown with Grayson Ratliff | Tickets
- January 9 – (Denver) at The Black Buzzard, with Pie Lombardi and René Moffatt | Tickets
- January 10 – (Greeley) at Moxi Theater, with Pie Lombardi | Tickets
You can also follow along with David Wimbish & The Collection on Instagram, or keep up with his releases on Bandcamp.
