WILLY TEA TAYLOR
There is no question that Willy Tea Taylor’s life as a singer/songwriter was predetermined – his role realized the moment he wrote his first song. His inspirations drawn from two separate wells; Living the life of a cattleman’s kid and experiencing true visionaries music like Greg Brown, John Hartford, and Guy Clark. The image of Guy Clark and friends sitting around the kitchen table loaded with ashtrays full of butts, half-smoked cigarettes, food, and booze on one Christmas Eve in 1975 burned into Taylor’s soul. Those guys, swapping songs without pretense, lit Willy Tea’s fire. And ever since, its led purpose with passion – finding a hang by curating relationships through musical friendships that get him closer to his own Clark style kitchen table.
From his early days co-fronting The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, to singing solo in countless cowboy bars, to pitching countless wiffle ball games, Willy Tea has never lost the vision. Now Willy Tea Taylor has taken his vision of the “hero hang” on the road. and his talented traveling band The Fellership is made up of his fantastically talented buds who play Willy’s songs with a brand of reckless abandon and utter humility that spits in the face of pretense. The way The Fellership plays Will’s songs is the way they demand to be played and, in their short time together, they have been awe-ing every audience lucky enough to see them.
THE GREAT WESTERN HANGOVER
The ten-song LP features a sample-size blend of Willy’s musical influences like Tom Petty-esque rock anthems, riders of the storm rattling westerns, and bait’n tackle choir chants, while delivering the masterful songwriting that Taylor’s cult of underground folk followers devour. The Great Western Hangover features other talents like Anna Tivel, Jeffrey Martin, The Rainbow Girls, and members of Fruition, and TK & the Holy Know-Nothings.
Recorded live in a two-and-a-half day session at Our Lady of Perpetual Heat Recording Studio & Spa just outside of Portland, The Great Western Hangover showcases many sides of Willy Tea Taylor’s musical mind and songwriting prowess. Willy Tea Taylor has dedicated his life to constantly crafting the ultimate “hero hang” as an eternal seeker of Guy Clark’s kitchen table. Gathering folks betrothed to music, who ride the wave of the unknown, and strive to experience full-hearted gratitude amidst the chaotic modern world is what built the foundation The Fellership stands upon.
Some might think of it as an expanded supergroup, but in the form of Taylor’s band, The Fellership amplifies good times, supports wandering souls, and acts as defenders of a well-crafted song. Though a constantly shifting outfit, this Fellership iteration pressed in wax features Taylor Kingman (TK & The Holy Know-Nothings), Tyler Thompson (Fruition, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings), Kris Stuart (Wanderlodge, Root Jack), Dylan Nicholson (The Turkey Buzzards), and Eric Patterson (The Turkey Buzzards).
PRESS
THE HARMED BROTHERS
Based out of Eugene, Oregon, The Harmed Brothers are an up and coming force in the Folk/Roots/Independent music scene. Chronic touring and constant writing have made up the last four years for the “indie-grass” group. Founded in North Carolina, the band took its eventual shape in Cottage Grove, Oregon upon the meeting of guitarist/vocalist Ray Vietti and banjoist/vocalist/keyboardist Alex Salcido. Soon after teaming up, The Harmed Brothers released their acoustic debut “All The Lies You Wanna Hear,” in 2010. Since its release, the band and their live show have evolved into a beast within themselves. From bluegrass trio, to a manic-mariachi duo to five instrument outfit, the Harmed Brothers have never lost the key elements that have made their show and their music so special: driving guitars, a raging banjo, soulful harmonies, vocals and songs that howl at the moon and scream into the abyss. These tales of love, loss, despair, curiosity and triumph are the separate and collective works of co-songwriters Vietti and Salcido and are shared and exchanged vocally in-studio and on-stage. Backed by drummer Ben Kilmer and upright bassist Zach Kilmer, the end result is a unique, emotional roller-coaster of storytelling and performing. The Harmed Brothers have slung-shot back and forth across the country, building a following and strengthening an ever-growing repertoire and becoming part of a giant family within the new American independent music scene. In May 2012, The Harmed Brothers released their sophomore effort, “Come Morning,” on LackPro Records. The album has met rave reviews, stretching across greater North America and Europe. The Harmed Brothers have recently finished a seven-month U.S. tour. They plan on touring throughout part of late Fall and are preparing for their first European tour in early 2013.
TOM VANDENAVOND
Tom Vandenavond is a contemporary ghost with a wisdom in his music that exceeds his years. His sound embodies the nature of solitary travel and the inevitable connections made from a life on the road. He has torn through his Midwest roots and created an auditory imprint of the highways and byways, truck stops and roadsides of the afforded white line spectacles of the American construct. If you listen, you can hear a long haul on the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental highway … where the DayGlo over-exposure of Los Angeles meets the desert of Palm Springs … red rocks and mesa tops before Phoenix and Tucson … the cumbersome nothingness of West Texas where a man can can bide his time only with his thoughts and AM radio…. El Paso with a glimpse of the Third World at the border of Juarez … San Antonio and New Mexico heavy with Spanish and Native American charm … a brief pass through future city Houston and the descent into the thick air of southern Louisiana stretching over the 35 along the Pontchartrain into the heart of Cajun Country … Mississippi’s Jackson County into the Panhandle….