“The greatest Americana artist you’ve never heard of. A storytelling titan” –The Guardian
“Part folklorist, part cowboy poet, part Vaudeville entertainer, Willi Carlisle” is “one of the premier songwriters, storytellers, and performers in roots music” –Saving Country Music
“An absolute juggernaut…One also gets the impression that if that if he fell into a box of musical instruments, a perfectly fledged folksong would come out…with his sweet and soulful voice”- Canadian Broadcast Company
Willi Carlisle is back. He made a short stopover last year with Mama’s Broke here in toon but this is his full headline show. Support is our very own Rob Heron (solo)
Willi Carlisle is a poet and a folk singer for the people, but his extraordinary gift for turning a phrase isn’t about high falutin’ pontificatin’; it’s about looking out for one another and connecting through our shared human condition. Born and raised on the Midwestern plains, Carlisle is a product of the punk to folk music pipeline that’s long fueled frustrated young men looking to resist. After falling for the rich ballads and tunes of the Ozarks, where he lives, he began examining the full spectrum of American musical history. This insatiable stylistic diversity is clear in his raucous performances, where songs range from sardonic trucker-ballads to the heartbreaking queer waltzes to an existential talkin’ blues about a panic attack in Walmart’s aisle five. With guitar, fiddle,accordion, banjo, harmonica, rhythm-bones, and Willi’s booming baritone, this is bonafide populist folk music: Carlisle recognizes that the only thing holding us back from greatness is each other. With a quick wit and big sing-alongs, these folksongs bring us a step closer to breaking down our divides.
“Powerful…both down-home and brainy” -Washington Post
“Terrific…sharp satire and a literary bent” -ABC News
“Willi Carlisle speaks his truth…reminiscent of folksingers like Woody Guthrie” -NPR Music
“An Ozarks renaissance folklorist” -SingOut!
“Folk music superman, both scholar and showman” -Trav SD, Chelsea Now NYC
“Carlisle turns the cliché of solo performance on its head”
– Cincy City Beat
“Carlisle is superb…Expertly roving between guitar, banjo fiddle, harmonica, and accordion”- Winnipeg Free Press
“picks and bows, stomps and strums…until your heart bleeds” -Minnesota Playlist