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Willy Tea Taylor performing solo at the 2015 Wildwood MusicFest & Campout. Photo by Christopher Sohler (www.christophersohler.com)
Wildwood Sessions: Willy Tea Taylor
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a slow pitch that has virtually no spin and moves erratically, typically made by releasing the ball from between the thumb and the knuckles of the first joints of the index and middle finger.
If you we’re picking a Most Valuable Player at this year’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout, you could build a very strong case for Willy Tea Taylor, the California-based singer-songwriter who delighted showgoers with not one but two scintillating performances. Our podcast hosts roped Willy Tea into the festival podcast trailer to record this session while he was in between sets: the first a daytime solo performance; the second came later as he was leading his band, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit.
Of course, Willy Tea isn’t interested in being the MVP, though we think he might settle for the Cy Young Award. Now 39 years old, he still hasn’t given up on his dream of pitching in the major leagues. With his new album, titled “Knuckleball Prime,” due in September, the wonderfully bearded Mr. Taylor explains that pitchers who master the art of the knuckleball can extend their careers well into their 40s. So there’s hope for him yet!
But as a songwriter and performer, Willy Tea has been in his prime for years now and doesn’t seem to be losing a thing. All he needs is his voice, his famous four-string guitar and a story to tell. Here he performs a beautiful new song, “Lazy Third Eye,” that he wrote with friends Jay Cobb Anderson of the band Fruition and Taylor Kingman of The Hilldogs. Enjoy.
Always a Wildwood Fest favorite, Willy Tea delighted the masses with a Saturday afternoon solo performance. He returned to the stage later that night with his band The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit. Photo by Christopher Sohler.