UTG ALBUM PREMIERE: Willie and the Giant – ‘Willie and the Giant’

April 20th, 2015

Jessica Klinner

No one can sing the blues quite like Southern-bred musicians, and Willie and the Giant are no different. The four-piece band from Nashville aims to please with their debut studio album, Willie and the Giant. The self-titled album captures the essence of the southern-bred band with a twist of old-fashioned blues.

Keeping things traditional and simple, the band recorded the self-titled album live in the same room at Welcome to 1979, an all-analog studio in Nashville. From the first note to the last, listeners are transported to that very room, and that’s just what the band intended. There’s no strings attached, just music done right.

Though the band resides in Nashville, their roots are deep in Alabama soil. Maybe it’s the South’s way of treasuring the past or maybe it’s the pure-blooded country boy in them, but whatever it may be, Willie and the Giant have it tenfold. Their southern roots reach deep into their music and anchor the band in a world of pure blues and soul–a feat not many in the present era can pull off so flawlessly.

Today, Under The Gun is excited to premiere the band’s debut full-length album, Willie and the Giant. Here’s what guitarist Jon Poor had to say about the album:

I think a lot of what turns us on about music is the live aspect. We like performing and we love to hear our favorite acts in a live setting. So tracking most of the album live in the studio just made sense. We’d done a 7-inch at Welcome to 1979 and had a great experience. [Singer/guitarist] Will [Stewart] likes to have a lot of vintage tones in his music, so going straight to tape seemed like a natural fit, too. We really try to capture a spontaneous vibe, and working on tape sort of forces you to make decisions and not look back.

Matt Slocum, who’s played with everyone from Susan Tedeschi to Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson, played keyboards on the record—classic electric piano, clavinet, organ. It [fit] perfectly with the music and the approach.

As a band, Willie and the Giant has really been coming into its own, musically, over the last 18 months. We kick around all sorts of ideas, and try to stay open to whatever sound we’re feeling. If the band taps into something we like, we don’t limit ourselves stylistically. We want our songs to be dynamic, to have something to say.

Listen to Willie and the Giant below.