Willie Wisely CD Release Show at Bryant Lake Bowl on 1/5/08
By: David de Young
Willie Wisely, an erstwhile Minnesotan who now makes his home in Los Angeles, performs under just his last name these days, and his brand new record is also called just that, Wisely. The new disc which comes out on the Oglio label January 8th is quite possibly his best and most consistent record to date. It’s as if he mined the pop sensibility already present in his 1996 and 1997 gems She and Turbosherbet, and not only trimmed the fat, but also cranked everything up a notch in wisdom and craftsmanship. (Wisely had previously released an album that combined the best of his first two albums with a couple additional songs into a single release called Go!) As an album, Wisely seems a more honest and cohesive finished product even than 2005’s excellent Parador. You’ll find yourself wanting to play Wisely over and over again to get the nuances, and there are a lot there than you may hear at first listen.
Wisely - Photo by David de Young
Wisely’s 2008 tour kicked off with a show at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis Saturday. It was an informal and intimate affair that consisted of Wisely solo and as well as him teaming up with guest musicians Peter Anderson on drums (with whom Wisely has played off and on going back all the way to Willie Wisely Trio days), guitarist Justin McGuinn and pianist Tommy Barbarella. Barberalla is featured prominently on new the disc, most notably, perhaps, playing the gorgeous piano part on the track “California.”
Wearing a sharp white turtleneck and sporty red tennis shoes, Wisely acknowledged he’d come down with a bit of a cold and hoped it wouldn’t affect his performance (I don’t think it did), before opening up with the reflective “Erase Me,” from Parador. He then dug further back into his catalog for “Loander My Guitar” from his first album, commenting that the nostalgia of such oldies is often lost on some of his newer fans and when on the road.
“Only Losing Me” was the first of the tracks from his new disc Wisely would pull out tonight. In fact, though tonight’s set showcased many brand new songs, it was still a thoughtful overview of his whole career. Despite there being what looked like a set-list on stage, Wisely seemed to be taking an organic approach this night as far as which songs to play, perhaps evidenced further by the fact that the backing musicians were often called out (literally) from behind the curtain to join in. It was in just such a way that guitarist Justin McGuinn appeared for “Who Blew Out The Sun” from Parador.
Peter Anderson soon joined in on drums for the lovely ballad “Ella,” a song Wisely wrote for his young daughter. “Love Is Wrong” was done as a duet with McGuinn, and Wisely performed an uncannily perfect Bruce Springsteen imitation from the “Dancing In the Dark” video of the Boss extending his hand to grab that cute woman from the front row. (Those who got it found it hilarious, but I’m sure that went totally over the heads of anyone who didn’t. I’d never really thought of it before, but that was kind of a gargantuan pop culture moment, was it not?) Next up the title song from Parador included a sing-along - as it frequently does at Wisely’s shows - on the “oh noo” part at the end.
Tommy Barbarella joined on piano for “California,” a song so ready-made for TV someone should make up a show just so this can be its theme song. Had it existed at the time, it could easily have replaced the Phantom Planet song that introduced "The OC" when it was on the air. Peter Anderson returned for the lead-off track of the new disc “On My Way,” a song that reminds me structurally of Lloyd Cole’s work, Cole being one of my favorite songwriters. It’s a journey song, as much about beginnings as it is about leaving things behind, and a perfect way to start out the album. For this song, Wisely switched to his Gibson, and we had an almost full band electric number while still retaining the pared down feel of the entire show.
More songs and stories followed, including the infectious “Vanilla” and the beautiful “Through Any Window” from the new disc. (The video for the latter song features Jenna Fischer and has helped draw attention to the song and tens of thousands of new fans to his music, according to Wisely. It helps that the song is a crack job of songwriting to start with.) Other “oldies” later in the set included “She Said Yeah,” in which Wisely surprised even himself hitting the high notes despite his scratchy throat. A request for “Please Don’t Talk About Me” morphed into a live mash-up with Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” which was as good as it was entertaining, with Wisely mimicking (again downright uncannily) Robert Plant’s gyrations while continuing the lyrics of his own song as Peter Anderson channeled John Bonham on drums.
Wisely - Photo by de Young
Wrapping up the show, Wisely proved he’s as much of a family man these days as a showman by dedicating his last song “Flowers For The Lady” to his mother-in-law, who was in the audience. But not to be let go so quickly, another fan called “time out” during the set’s applause and veritably demanded “Vagabond” (one of my personal Willie favorites) as an encore, to which Wisely graciously obliged despite being almost two hours into the set without a single break.
The show was a real treat for hometown fans, and if the fans on the road get anything like this show they are sure to come away feeling fulfilled and humming some great songs on their way out the door.
Be sure to check out the HowWasTheShow artist podcast featuring Willie Wisely.
- “Erase Me” (Parador)
- “Loander My Guitar” (She)
- “Only Losing Me” (Wisely)
- “Who Blew Out The Sun” (Parador)
- “Things We Said Today” (Beatles cover)
- “Ella” (Wisely)
- “Love Is Wrong” (She)
- “Parador” (Parador)
- “California” (Wisely)
- “On My Way” (Wisely)
- ?? (Not sure)
- "Kristine”
- “Vanilla” (Wisely)... playing songs the guys don't know
- “She Said Yeah” (Turbosherbet)
- “Can’t Love You Enough” ()
- “Through Any Window” (Wisely)
- “No Surprise?” (Not sure)
- “Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone / Kashmir” (She)
- “Cracked World View” (Wisely)
- “Flowers for the Lady” (Turbosherbet)
Location Info:
Bryant Lake Bowl
Artist Info: Willie Wisely
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