Willi Carlisle Captivates Colorado.
A Night of Soulful Storytelling and Meaningful Melodies.
Colorado welcomed the great and gleaming Willi Carlisle for a recent 3-show run. Willi Carlisle and his band of eccentrics, supported by the Dublin-based 2-man group DUG, played the Belly Up in Aspen on Oct.17 and Denver’s Globe Hall on Oct.18 before making a final stop in Fort Collins own Cloverlick Banjo Shop on Oct.19. I had the gratification of attending both the Denver, and Fort Collins performances.
Though this is not the first time Willi has played in Colorado this year. I also had the honor of seeing him grace the grounds of Planet Bluegrass Ranch in August, where he made an appearance playing solo at the revered Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons. If that W.C is not a familiar name to you, I implore you to change that.
Lorkin O’Reilly and Jonny Pickett, who make up DUG, joined Willie Carlisle and his traveling circus this year on their first ever North American tour, leaving behind a very good impression on the continent.
Willi Carlisle kicked off this tour shortly after the early 2024 release of his newest record, Critterland. This magnum opus of an album is a small museum of hymns, poems, balladics, and tragedies, a genuine relic of folk art. Darell Scott, the album’s producer and 4-time Grammy nominated artist, calls it a “Sunday-morning cryer,” and for good reason: many a tear was shed amongst audience members at both the live sets. Willi Carlisle crushed this tour, but not without the help of his high-voltage support band. Grady Drugg joined him on electric and acoustic guitar, or as Willi called it the “guit-fiddle,” with Joey Berglund on stand-up bass, and Sophie Wellington on fiddle and tap, all of them joining on occasional backing vocals. Willi, being the well-versed craftsman he is, rotated between his slapsticks, banjo, guitar, fiddle, concertina, and harmonica. Sophie was an absolute ball of energy, and together, they were impeccable. Always jumping, jigging, and grinning ear to ear, second-hand exhaustion attended the show for these moments. DUG, the introductory Irish Duo, ferrying a steel guitar and a banjo, was an exemplary prelude to their recital. This entourage clashed together to create the perfect storm of a Willi Carlisle concert.
.Willi swept us up in his mammoth—former football captain—arms, and drew us all in close. He harnessed the inferno of a centuries old flame and catapulted it into the core of every fortunate mortal fauna in the audience, critters included, setting it ablaze, stoking, extinguishing, and tending to it as his mythos saw fit; defining himself as a sincere and soulful, well intentioned, arsonist. There are not enough words in the English language, or any language for that matter, to describe how much of a true delight it is to see this man carry-out his work, well c’est la vie… la vie (Willi had his fair share of language puns throughout the shows).
Willi’s stage presence opened up a Pandora's box of personality. With his hips on a gyroscope and his heart in his voice box, he unleashed his poise upon us. Everything was done right, from the hermetic harmonics to the blue bellows of the banjos. If you’ve felt the ardent of love, the agony of heartbreak, the slash of a late loved one, or the exhilaration of being, you may begin to understand what it's like to see a Willi Carlisle production.
Willi Carlisle’s concerts are not just musical rapture: they are a full fledged theatrical experience. He yanks at your heart strings and strikes movement in your limbs, he is a true emotional puppeteer. Willi steps on stage toting an open beer bottle (later a glass of whiskey for this launch in Fort Collins), and a leatherface-esc half mask. He spewed his tastefully written and politically fueled opening lines in a grumbling rasp, setting a precedent for the remaining hours of the night. His band slowly crept out, also concealed by beautifully flawed critter masks. The crowd prepared for the onset of the jamboree.
Globe Hall was a fantastic place for Denver to host this maven. The togetherness and familiarity that a small venue provides is unmatched, a spot-on place for live folk music. The Bar and BBQ restaurant attached to the venue allowed for the coterie to mix and mingle before standing shoulder to shoulder to experience the splendor of the music. Willi’s wavelength of high’s and low’s translated exceptionally well.
Having said that, his performance in Fort Collins knocked it out of the park. It was held in the backyard of a family’s residence, which is also home to the Cloverlick Banjo Shop, and was an absolute mecca of tight-knit places to experience live sound. Situated on this lovely piece of property sat a small wooden and seemingly hand crafted stage, adorned with a vintage piano, antique art, a mirror, and candles. In the apron of the stage sat carved log benches, a skateboard half pipe, a tree fort, and finally an unparalleled sense of community. It was an outright hootenanny. If you find yourself in Fort Collins, and you’re in the market for a banjo, or a good time; Do pay them a visit. Willi’s showmanship made the audience feel as though they were sitting around a campfire with a life-long friend, and in the case of the Fort Collins show, there were three of them, burning and churning as the show went on.
While each and every song performed was a feather in his cap, there was one that stuck out like a black sheep: Two Headed Lamb left the crowd in calamitous awe. It is a beautifully tragic song based on the poem Two Headed Calf by Laura Gilpin. In the mindset of theatricality, Marshall Tinnermeier, the tour manager, disguised in a sheep mask, approached the stage with a wooden framed and self standing illuminated story scroll. Willi had a holster full of sheep-related puns for this interlude. As each somber note progressed, the scroll’s account followed. Displaying painted images and lyrics tied to the song, it was a sight to behold. Being a melancholic song, it still struck a warm feeling; in Willi’s words, “Sad songs make me happy.” Tinnermeier, the man of many talents, also appeared later in the set boasting a clarinet and a hot dog costume; More examples of the staginess of the production. Believe it or not, but the costume came out during the song Boy Howdy, Hot dog! The Band sang “Boy Howdy,” and the crowd shouted out “Hot Dog!” First timers caught on quick enough. If the previous songs didn’t establish a rightful audience connection, that one certainly did.
Another bold and undaunted sequence was Willi’s solo execution of The Money Grows on Trees. This was a seven minute long daring tale, loosely based in fact, of an Ozark drug runner and his associations with the local law. Willi sends the band away and stands proudly alone. He spent these seven minutes raising his arms in heroic fury and throwing his air with confidence. With his saliva being thrown onto the closest onlookers and his fists crashing through the air like a morally potent dictator, the fable was rendered into the kernel of the open-eared. Hearing it on the record is satisfying enough, but to hear it told live was truly something else.
A most significant respite of the show is one I would also like to underscore. I wanted to highlight it to show Willi’s generosity, but also to continue to increase awareness. Willi spoke about an experience utilizing 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline. Whether this experience was personal, or vicarious, is irrelevant because his call to attention was remarkable. He compelled the crowd to repeat the number many times… Nine. Eight. Eight. No one does it like Willi Carlisle. It was noble and open-handed. Willi gave a short speech during the show about how, at a young age, he was mad because he felt the world owed him something. In contrast to now, where he’s mad because he feels he owes something to the world. To know so much and to control so little. Keep cool Willi, you are paying that debt.
Musical genres grow and adapt with the times, folk music is not immune to this. Willi Carlisle does an exceptional job at balancing tradition and modernity in his projects. He is a tried and true musician, bard, and performer; A bonafide prodigy. I had the great pleasure of sitting down with him in his “office” (tour sprinter van), to ask this kind gentleman some questions. Heed my warning though, he’ll christen you with his vernacular, and pamper you with his wit. Link to read the full interview here.
When I was departing the second show, I extended my gratitude to Mr.Carlisle once again. He asked me if I had enough, I responded by saying it was more than enough. His nature filled my soul till it burst, yet left me starving and smoldering for more. Satiation surrounding such immense passion is unachievable. In the spirit of this actualized artisan, I would like to conclude with a poem.