Ozark native, Willi Carlisle’s brand of folk music brings the genre into the post pandemic 21st Century with the sounds of the past mingling with the issues that matter to a broad-minded audience today. It doesn’t take long to fall in love with Willi and his music. When fans see him for the first time, either at one of his intimate shows, or via his recordings, or even in social media clips, they get goosebumps when they realize how unique and truly special his music is.

His performances feel like he is guiding the audience through folk history as he explores the various traditional folk sounds from bluegrass to old-timey americana, historic English folk tunes, and traditional corridos. What makes his music so special is that he takes his vast knowledge about the folk genre and uses it to pay homage to those old sounds and styles all while making them his own. He uses the space between songs to weave in historical context about cowboys, migrant workers and even the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funding art projects in the early twentieth century, to bring these forgotten stories to a modern audience. Carlisle has the uncanny ability to paint pictures with his songs that are so vivid you can see the landscapes and feel the character’s sentiment. He tells these stories with such passion and authenticity that people, including Willi himself, are moved to tears on multiple occasions during his live sets.

Carlisle’s sound is heavily influenced by tradition, yet his message is often contemporary. With songs like “Kristin on the Side” where he borrows a friend’s story about living as a ‘beard’ and “Singing Knives” about unrequited love, he tells tales of the complexity of modern day love and loss. He also isn't afraid to cuss a little and get a little edgy with songs like his popular “Cheap Cocaine” and the protest song “A Certain Kind of Fool,” in which he takes on sexuality, racism, war, religion, and so many other social issues that are relevant today.

Carlise is currently in the midst of an intimate “backyard” tour, literally playing in people’s backyards and limited capacity venues from Arkansas to California. The show schedule can be found on his Facebook and Instagram pages along with the link to pre-order his upcoming album to be released later in 2021.

Words by Martin Smith

Photos by Melissa Evans