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.
The podcast crew survived another action-packed weekend at the Wildwood MusicFest & Campout here in beautiful Oregon, and upon returning to Portland the lads went right back to work in The Helm producing Episode #54.
Having hosted one half of The Harmed Brothers earlier in the year, we figured it was time to bring in the other half — singer-songwriter Ray Vietti. Known to his touring pals as “Donny Baseball,” Ray’s been spending much of the first half of 2015 in the Midwest, playing shows and traveling with fellow troubador Soda Gardocki.
On this episode, Ray tells us of his travels with Soda and his efforts to work on his performance skills without the help (or hindrance, as it were) of alcohol. The two spent significant time in Soda’s hometown of Chicago, playing Whiffle Ball and music with friends and cohorts.
Ray also talks about his early travels from his hometown in Missouri and the path that led him to “fall in love” with Portland and settle on the West Coast.
Now back from his early 2015 travels, Vietti has reunited with his Harmed Brothers partner, Alex Salcido. The pair are playing shows and building momentum for their next record, due out in early 2016 on Fluff & Gravy Records. They’re currently soliciting contributions to cover the cost of recording and producing the record through a crowd-funding campaign via Indiegogo. Check out the page here, and see the related video at the bottom of this post.
Ray Vietti, kicking out the jams in The Helm.
Then, with Alex riding shotgun on banjo, Ray shares a couple of acoustic songs — one expected to be on the next record called “A Life In Progress,” and another called “Ode To Uncle Tupelo,” one of the first songs the two wrote together. Later, Alex grabs to the spotlight to sing on “Sail Away,” the Randy Newman classic. We capped the interview and performance with a couple of songs from the Harmed Brothers’ critically acclaimed record “Better Days.”
We also have some great music to share from some of our favorite country and Americana artists, including Elizabeth Cook, Adam Lee, Lilly Hiatt and Nikki Lane. Co-host Eric Kotila’s songlist contributions serve as a tribute Owen Mays, the great young songwriter who passed away recently.
So dial it up and make it happen. Here’s the playlist for Episode #54:
Sometimes It Takes Balls To Be A Woman, Elizabeth Cook Drinking, Cheating, Loving and Leaving, Adam Lee and the Dead Horse Sound Company Too Bad, Lilly Hiatt A Life In Progress (Live In The Helm),The Harmed Brothers
Ode To Uncle Tupelo (Live In The Helm), The Harmed Brothers
Sail Away (Live In The Helm), The Harmed Brothers Never Went Away, The Harmed Brothers Love Song For The Assumed, The Harmed Brothers Same God, The Calamity Cubes Way To Go, Dogbite Harris Crooked Smile, Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band Don’t Ya Blame Me, James Hunnicutt I Don’t Care Anymore, Owen Mays and the 80 Proof Boys Another Dead Friend, Leroy Virgil Myrna Lee, Blue Mountain Lies, Nikki Lane If You Think You’re Mine, James Sasser
Our latest night in The Helm was a rowdy one and made even rowdier by the presence of one of Portland’s best new country bands, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs. Featuring the terrific songwriting and acoustic playing of Jenny Don’t — best known for fronting the fabulous punk-surf-garage band Don’t — The Spurs were kind enough to stop by to promote the release of their new 7-inch and a concert they have coming up opening for Lukas Nelson & The Promise of The Real at Mississippi Studios on March 17.
The Spurs perform as a four-piece fronted by Jenny and backed by legendary drummer Sam Henry, guitarist Lewi Longmire and bassist Kelly Halliburton. Kelly missed the podcast (he’s on tour with his punk band P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.), but the rest were on board at The Helm to share their thoughts on playing country music, touring Europe and reaching bigger, receptive audiences. And with Lewi adding some lead telecaster and Sam slapping a pair of brushes on a single snare drum, Jenny led the Spurs through a pair of brand-new songs that were warmly received by the excellent rogue’s gallery of Helm guests.
Jenny Don’t has the chops and boots for kickin’ out the jams. Photo by Christopher Sohler
Once The Spurs wrapped up their interview, things devolved pretty quickly in typical That Much Further West Podcast fashion. But over the course of the episode our hosts managed to share their usual healthy dose of Americana and alt-country for the episode playlist.
Co-host Phil Favorite ran with an “Amarillo” theme, started by a request for the Austin band Lil Cap’n & Travis by our friend and in-house guest Shelby Farrar. Also on the list is a song “Amarillo” from the excellent new album by Ryan Culwell, and the same-titled classic by Emmylou Harris.
Co-host Eric Kotila added some great songs by some of the artists who will be performing at this coming summer’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout, including Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, Matt Woods and podcast favorite Emily Herring. And third amigo Mike Lee shares some tunes from and stories about a handful of his favorites, including 500 Miles To Memphis, Supersuckers and Soda Gardocki.
We saved the last song from the one and only Willie Nelson. And for the record, news of Willie’s death last week were greatly exaggerated, which is reason enough to dial it up and dig into Episode #44. Here’s the playlist:
My Life In Amarillo, Lil Cap’n & Travis Amarillo, Ryan Culwell Amarillo, Emmylou Harris Do You Know Thee Enemy?, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club The Very Best, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit Drinking To Forget, Matt Woods Your Mistake, Emily Herring The Fire (Live In The Helm), Jenny Don’t & The Spurs The Note (Live In The Helm), Jenny Don’t & The Spurs Shot My Old Man Down, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs You Win Again, Jenny Don’t & The Spurs Easy Come & Easy Go, 500 Miles To Memphis Streets of Baltimore, Gram Parsons Roadworn And Weary, Supersuckers Gutter Queen, Soda Gardocki Uncloudy Day, Willie Nelson