If It's Too Loud...

Willi Carlisle makes traditional country/folk that doesn't quite sound like anyone else. His latest single, "When the Pills Wear Off," has all of the elements of a classic folk song. There are even strings all over the song, but Carlisle just has his own thing going on to make it stand far out from the pack of current folk artists. Plus, as lovely as the song sounds, it's about losing friends to addictions. It's a mournful song that has just a little bit of a sense of humor to it. Everything about "When the Pills Wear Off" goes against everything else about the song, but things like that are why we love Willi Carlisle. Willi Carlisle says of his latest single: “It’s kind of about getting a little older, moving from hard drugs and hookups to bedroom sex and pharmaceuticals. It’s an amalgam of queer stories that I’ve heard, lived, and seen.” You can listen to "When the Pills Wear Off" below. Critterland is due out January 26 on Signature Sounds, ...

There isn't anyone out there doing the folk thing quite like Willi Carlisle. His latest single is a perfect example of what makes Carlisle such a special and unique artist. "Critterland" dances along the edges of traditional folk and the more mainstream modern version of the genre. Plus, he just injects something unique into the song that isn't exactly alt-folk but isn't not alt-folk. "Critterland" is also a bit of a protest song, but it's a song that protests in favor of love and family. It also might be the best song about attempting to live in an intentional community Arkansas of all time. Willi Carlisle says of his latest single: “At its simplest, it’s bucolic. The power of love is the power of nature, the remedy of the granny-witch and the herbalist, the song of the sparrow and the pouch of the opossum. Even if you’re labeled a ‘queer and a communist,’ it’s worth fighting for your fucked-up family at the end of days." You can watch the vide...