The Northwestern
‘Willis’ Adds Dimension to Local Scene
Band has strong history in area
By Kirby M. Paters
of The Northwestern
The pulse of music rips through the speakers with an electronic
buzz. Listening to this, some people might not be sure what they’re
hearing. That’s the kind of reaction Oshkosh band Willis hopes
for.
Their heart is in experimental sounds.
Willis plans a theatrical event Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the New
Moon Cafe called, “Missing Memory: A Multimedia Experiment
with Willis.”
For the event, several instruments will be used such as the marimba,
cello, violin, synthesizer and Fender guitars, giving a more orchestrated
feel than the band’s typical sound.
Willis tests the boundaries of music as they use a theater of lights
and films entirely of their own making. The show is almost subversive
in its dreamscape of sounds. The band’s members hope to jar
the city of Oshkosh out of its complacency.
“Oshkosh is a great place,” guitarist and vocalist
Stephen McCabe said. “For a small town, there are a lot of
good bands. More good bands per capita than anywhere else locally.”
Guitarist Eric Van Thiel cuts to the chase. He said, “Oshkosh
is the best music scene no one’s heard of.”
McCabe says the band has 100 years of experience, since each band
member individually brings 20 years of experience. Willis, officially,
was created only two years ago, playing at several locations including
the Lounge and the former Studio Hall. Public reaction was enthusiastic
from the very start.
The other Willis band members are keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist
Dean Hoffman; bassist Eric Blumreich and drummer Todd Farber.
The band is working to put out an 11-track debut album this November.
Titled “Melodies to Coup d’Etat to,” they’re
hoping to pair local success with commercial success.
McCabe said they don’t want to compromise for the commercialism
that sucked in so many other groups—they want to define their
own sound.
The album is a work in progress being recorded at Topsoil Studios
in Oshkosh. Jason Lison, producer for the Willis album, previously
engineered and produced recordings at Smart Studios in Madison,
a music haven best known for producing for Nirvana and Smashing
Pumpkins. Lison knows his trade. He loves the pop sound. So does
Willis.
Getting an album out into the public may cause difficulties, since
the group wants to remain true to their artistic form. They’re
investing financially in a work of art, a huge gamble for the band.
Willis knows they may not make a return on their investment.
“We want to have a pop sound that’s not been heard
before,” McCabe said.
“We want the music to be difficult to like, but at the same
time we want it to be likable. There’s a contradiction, but
we like the contradiction.”
McCabe still writes lyrics for the group. An English major working
on his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, McCabe
finds his lyrical writing sometimes running into a roadblock—more
so than writing poetry or literature.
McCabe said it’s the most difficult form of writing he’s
done. His writing slips into ease when working with the group.
McCabe will be performing a solo show at Newsies later this month
on Sept. 22.
The band hopes to play outside the city of Oshkosh after their
album is released. Yet, in many ways, Oshkosh will always be home
to them.
Kirby M. Paters:
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