Exposed Vocals just caught an exclusive interview with Willy from ‘Willy and the Planks’
Schooled by the Masters of North Mississippi and Polished in the Tennessee Tradition, Willy and the Planks were born in such a place.
Their unique flavor of Hypnotic Blues will put you in a welcomed trance.
Willy and the Planks original style of Juke Joint Blues takes you from all that crazy shit in the world, to a place where you can say “I’m ALIVE, and I FEEL GOOD!
Brought together by their shared desire to reach through the everyday distractions and stresses of our busy world, Willy Gibbs (Guitar), Mark Noble (Vocal/Bass), and Chris Gibbs (Drums) have created music within that place of much needed escapism from it all.
There are a thousand things that distract us every day. Sometimes, when it all gets to be too much, we try to escape into our music.
“Even that can run aground quickly. Now & then, we find ourselves looking for that Special Thang…it’s a feeling more than anything; it’s the BLUES! Not that fast lane stuff that blows right by you, this can only be cooked up in the Deep South, this brand of Juke Joint Blues; its real, its life, and it is like a bite of BBQ that’s both hot & sweet, it’s both love & pain in every taste!”
Currently promoting their brand new self-titled album, Willy and The Planks are excited about the attention being directed towards their catchy new single titled See That My Grave Is Kept Clean, along with the new music video to accompany this fun track.
This is one of those exciting albums that dares to say, “If you don’t dance, if you don’t sing along, and if you don’t play air slide guitar…YOU AINT LISTENING!”
Willy and the Planks……They’re gonna wake up your Soul!
Exposed Vocals: So, tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Willy: Me personally, In upstate N.Y near Syracuse. My childhood, without going into any great detail, unfortunately, was not so good, a bit of a nightmare. Music became my escape. First listening, and eventually attempting to play.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Willy: You’ve got to invest in your art, literally, with real money. As an independent artist, you must be your own business manager. Be realistic, make sure the quality of your recordings, are worthy of airplay, and be sure the presentation of yourself, both physically and on the web (social media, website, press kit etc) are worthy of a club/festival owner’s business. Remember, your art is your business!!
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Willy: Hell yes! In the Blues, there is a lot of opportunity for improvisation. We rarely do a song the same way twice. There is a lot of musical freedom in that, and with it, a greater probability for error. When it happens, you just need to relax and get on with the next note…stay in the moment.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Willy: Yes. Regionally at the moment. Played in Switzerland this past May. We will be out and about a lot in 2018. Lots of road stories…We’ll talk later.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Willy: I’m not in the studio business. When we record, we go to the best studios we can afford.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Willy: Make sure you have a solid on-line presence, Social media, website EPK etc, all of these things work well for us; however, best thing for us is still a credible live performance and networking with a physical audience.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Willy: Either a juke joint with Robert Johnson or a Dive Chicago bar at 3AM with Elmore James. Just to have that one on one with those direct sources of early blues. Love those two!!
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Willy: If all goes well, we’ll record and release something late 2018.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Willy: Drinking…Way too much!!
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
Willy: Willy and the Planks will be hitting the road very hard 2018… Come out and see us!!!
Exposed Vocals: Any Shout-outs?
Willy: YES! My brothers and mentors in the blues… David Kimbrough Jr.,and Little Joe Ayers.
To contact or book Willy and the Planks for a show, email: [email protected]
Contact (Bill Gibbs) directly: 615.668.2089
Press Contact: Ryan Donnelly, Email: [email protected]
Label: Independent/Unsigned Label: Independent/Unsigned Album: Willy and the Planks (Self-Titled)Single: See that my grave is kept clean Genre: Juke Joint Blues Hometown: Lebanon, Tennessee Influences: RL Burnside, Muddy Waters, Fred McDowell, David Kimbrough Jr.For Fans Of: David Kimbrough Jr, North Mississippi Allstars, Kenny Brown.
Track Listing:1. Keep your Hands off her2. Darkness inside of Me3. Miss Maybelle 4. You got me Crying5. Lonely Town, Lonely Street6. I Feel Good, Little girl7. See that my grave is kept clean
Member/Instrument ListWilly Gibbs – GuitarMark Noble – Vocal/BassChris Gibbs – Drums
