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Many musicians throughout history have
made their coin leading the life of wandering
troubadours, and The Wiyos have definitively
embraced and embodied this tradition. They
began life as an acoustic trio in a tavern in the
lower east side of Manhattan during the summer
of 2002 (a neighborhood historically known
as the ‘Five Points’ district). An old street gang
from that area, The Why’os, became the band’s
namesake, and soon thereafter on their inaugural
tour to New Orleans, the band put down their
hats and plied their trade. Originally meant to
be a few days stopover in the Crescent City, their
van broke down and they stayed for two weeks,
becoming enchanted with the city, meeting
many new musicians and steeping themselves in
the music.
The Wiyos’ first recording project was an exploration
of the new songwriting collaboration
between Michael Farkas and Parrish Ellis. They
enlisted the help of Joe Dejarnette as recording
engineer and producer and soon he was also
busy fulfilling the upright bass duties. The trio
experimented in the studio with multi-tracked
instrumental layers and manipulating acoustic
tonalities, with occasional use of unusual items
(a comb, megaphone, ceramic cup) to produce
unique sonic effects. This eclectic debut album,
entitled Porcupine, made sense for a group of
music geeks (two being music school dropouts)
with omnivorous and expansive musical tastes
ranging from early jazz to hip-hop, country
blues to classic rock, New Orleans brass bands to
Appalachian stringbands, The Beatles to Beck
and Tom Waits.
Around the time of the first record,
they began to devote themselves intensely
to the study of the spectrum of traditional
American musical idioms that were recorded
from circa 1900 through the 1930’s.
As a result of this newborn fascination with
old-timey American music, they began performing
more country blues, ragtime and western
swing songs in their concerts and decided to
make their next recording project a document
of their high-energy stage shows. Teaming up
with engineer/producer Perry Margouleff, the
band recorded their second and third records at
PIE studios, which is equipped with some of the
world’s best vintage analog gear. In an anomaly
from the contemporary methods of recording,
both records were cut entirely live over the
course of a few days. Using only three microphones
and a reel of two-track analog tape, they
recorded live with no overdubs, multi-tracking
or digital editing. Due to their years of dedication
to being a well-rehearsed touring ensemble,
almost all the songs were captured on the first
take.
Both the second record Hat Trick and their
third, the self-titled The Wiyos, derive inspiration
from the great dance bands and houseparty
music of 80-90 years ago; the early swing
syncopations, the grit and intensity of rural
blues, the bouncing rhythms of piedmont
fingerpickers, the vocal antics, mannerisms and
physical comedy of vaudeville-era performers.
The difference inherent in The Wiyos is the
notable proliferation of songs written by Farkas,
Ellis, and the newest member, Teddy Weber, the
results being some very interesting and singular
original music. Their songs exist in multiple
styles and eras simultaneously without sounding
forced or affected.
The Wiyos recently released their fourth record
Broken Land Bell, an album of all original songs
that includes adventurous collaborations with
NYC beat boxer Adam Matta and circus/theater
composer Sxip Shirey. A product of all their
disparate influences and many years of musical
evolution, Broken Land Bell successfully blends
their affinity of 1920’s/30’s country blues and
western swing with pop songwriting sensibilities
and post-modern experimental sound sculptures.
With recent resume additions that include
feature appearances at the Kennedy Center Arts
Festival, a BBC documentary on the roots of American
music, and 27 dates with the 2009 Bob Dylan Show
summer tour, The Wiyos are receiving greatly increased
recognition and praise.
Film:
Folk America: Hollerers, Stompers & Old Time Ramblers
(BBC television documentary, 2009)
Discography:
Porcupine (2004)
Hat Trick (2006)
The Wiyos (2007)
Broken Land Bell (2009)
