William Elliott Whitmore – Song of the Blackbird
Source: morecowbell.net
Last summer at Big V’s, i went to see The Plastic Constellations & Troubled Hubble, and was totally enthralled by the first opener, completely unaware of who he was at the time. I caught the last few songs of his set but never did catch his name as i was there for the headliners. Just a dude sitting on a small chair with a banjo belting out these tunes that reminded me of coalminers & steel workers. I asked a few other people who he was but nobdy knew…
Fast forward to this past spring, William opened for Destroyer & Magnoilia Electric Co. at the 400 Bar and i immediately recognized him from the previous summer. His voice definitely has some of the ragged qualities of Tom Waits, but in my opinion he’s got a ton of raw emotion & melody along with the gravelly throat as well. Seeing him sing in person is a bit of a shock at first, hearing this haggard & worn (in the best way possible) voice coming from white kid in his late 20’s (yes he’s not even 30 yet). Musically, his songs range from Appalachian Folk to sometimes tracks that wouldn’t be out of place on a classic Bob Seger record.
Dry, the first song off William’s new album (August 29th), and also where the title of the record comes from, is one of the songs that struck me the most at his show earlier this summer.
Well the song of the blackbird is mighty clear
On a mornin’ such as this
And all those useless pains & fears
Those things that i won’t missAnd the Morning Glories and Queen Anne’s lace
Baptized by the wind
These inspirations are my saving grace
In these times we’re living inMake a hard man humble
Make a proud woman hide
Her eyes from the light of day
When all the crops have withered and died
And the soil has blown away
The ground is so dry
The river’s on its hands and knees
And i hear that tune in the breeze
The crow is callin’ and i hear him well
Up in the red bud tree
Any the stories that you’ve lived to tell
Pass ‘em down to meWhisper the truth
Into your childrens ears
Let them know
Let them understand
Let them hear
The song of the blackbird is mighty loud
Through the evening mist
The moon is up and it looks so proud
Lookin’ down on a night, on a night like this
Download an mp3 of Dry here
Watch a video cliip of William playing ‘Dry’ here.
William headlines the Triple Rock Social club on August 27th and returns a month later to open for Lucero at the Triple Rock 2 nights in a row! (so sad i’m going to miss the Lucero shows)
More William Headlining shows:
Saturday Aug 26 Ames, IA The Maintenance Shop special guest Ghost Buffalo $9 for students, $10 others, All Ages
Sunday Aug 27 Minneapolis, MN The Triple Rock Social Club special guest Ghost Buffalo $8, 21+
Monday Aug 28 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Saloon special Ghost Buffalo $5, 18+
Wednesday Aug 30 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen special guest Ghost Buffalo $8 adv/ $10 dos, 18+
Thursday Aug 31 St. Louis, MO Hi-Pointe special guest Ghost Buffalo $7, All Ages
Friday Sep 01 Iowa City, IA Picador special guest Ghost Buffalo $5, 19+
