1. Who are Wille and The Bandits? (a short introduction)
Wille - Lead Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Lapsteel, Weissenbourne, Dobro
Matt - Six string Bass, Five string Double Bass, Foot Piano, Vocals, Percussion
Drew - Drums, Djembe, Tongue Drum, Vocals
2. Your upcoming tour is in support of the new record ‘Steal’ - when was it recorded, and where? If there are any interesting stories about meeting producers and session players and working with them, let us know!
The album was recorded and produced by Dave Williams in analogue at the Grange studios. The studio is one of the last remaining analogue studios and recording reel to reel tape was an amazing experience. When recording in this way it is all about playing live together much like how the old classic records were made. I think with us being at our best live, it has a really bought the energy we put into live shows. We were also very fortunate to have Don Airey the Hammond Organist of Deep Purple play on the record. He is a great guy and as expected has done a fantastic job on the keys!
3. The album is set for release in January but fans can grab a copy early at the upcoming tour… surely that's incentive enough to get along to the shows! Do you think it’s pretty important to let fans that come out to see you live get the first chance to listen to the record?
It is something very important to us, especially with our roots coming from playing in pubs and our DIY ethic which has always meant we have had a very close relationship with our fans. Without our fans we would not lead the life we have playing music full time and touring the world. So for us I think it was a way of giving something back.
4. How would you describe your audience and how do you connect with them? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.
We are very lucky that we have a massive age range in our audiences the older generation love the more retro side of the band harking back to Pink Floyd and Led Zeplplinn in the riffs and guitar solos but we incorporate more modern influences in our music that the younger crew enjoy.
5. You’re touring pretty extensively over October and November… what does playing live mean to you as a band, and how do you manage to keep spirits high on the road for that long?
We love playing Live and love being on the road, the social aspect of meeting new people and the constant changing of landscapes and cultures breeds inspiration. I think also travelling with your music to different countries is a great way of seeing the world as you are not treated like a tourist and people make a special effort to make you feel very welcome. We are all lucky that we have a good crew that all get on and enjoy each others company which is important when playing so much.
6. After your huge crowd at Cropredy we imagine you’re pretty excited for Oxford… what can we expect from the show?!
There will be many of the new songs from the album “Steal” in there with some older classics. Being that it is our own show we also have a longer set which allows us to create different dynamics and take the audience on more of a musical journey.
7. What does your dream gig look like? Are there any artists you’d love to play alongside or support, or perhaps a city you haven’t yet visited as a band?
I think we all would love to tour in the USA and to visit some of the great music cities such as Nashville,New Orleans and Austin and it is very much on the cards too.
8. After touring the UK and Europe, what does the rest of the year hold for you, particularly looking towards 2017? A big rest?!
More touring, More travelling and more FUN!
Wille & The Bandits headline Oxford's Jericho Tavern for us as part of their October tour... tickets are available here for the cheapest price (and no booking fees!) Details about the rest of their tour on their site.
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