Uncommon Ground ^ Willie Wisely

	Willie Wisely Inspired by hometown heroes like the Replacements and Husker Du, this neo-populist Minnesotan goes his own way, using the Beatles as his model and eschewing genre to make any music that pleases him. A musician’s musician, Willie counts SELF, Shania Twain, and Squeeze’s Chris Difford among the fans of his music. Willie fronted and recorded with a variety of ensembles before launching his solo career in 1996 with SHE, on October Records (recently re-released in Japan). Produced by John Strawberry Fields, whose other credits include Andrew WK, Mandy Moore and Switchfoot, SHE was hailed as a pop classic by publications such as CMJ New Music Report, FMQB, and Alternative Press, with critics raving that it was a "genuine pop rock gem," and "a consistently captivating album…that could redefine Minneapolis pop." By press time, Willie was already back in the studio, mixing TURBOSHERBET, a twisted, colorful departure that featured Michael Bland, Tommy Barbarella, and Brian Gallagher, much of Prince’s original New Power Generation. The singles "Raincan" and "Bygones" were hitting dozens of AAA and college radio station playlists nationwide. In the year 2000, with a host of prestigious awards chafing under his belt, including a second-place finish in the NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) "Best of the New Bands" competition in LA, and two Minnesota Music Academy awards (for Best Songwriter and Best Pop Album), Wisely was chosen by Spike Lee to be part of a national television campaign for IAM.COM and finally made the leap, moving to LA from Minneapolis. Wisely is now a fixture on the LA club scene. Renowned for his spellbinding voice, he plays at venues such as Spaceland, The Hotel Café and the Knitting Factory. Fresh off a successful Pacific Northwest tour, where he played with Eleni Mandell and Veda Hille, among others, Wisely plans to take off again at the end of the summer for a national tour. In 2004, Wisely signed with Franklin Castle Recordings and released, GO! a CD featuring the most irresistible tracks from Wisely’s earlier albums. Franklin Castle’s own Linus of Hollywood is producing Wisely’s next album, slated for release in fall of 2005. Since moving West, Willie has dabbled in scoring for film–- working on such disparate projects as the indie cult classic "Tromeo and Juliet" and "Scooby-Doo Two: Monsters Unleashed." He also DJs with his closet-busting collection of vinyl at The Standard Hotel, LA’s hip downtown outpost. All this and Willie still finds time to take the occasional offbeat acting job (look for him as the proprietor of the crack house in season one, episode one of "Six Feet Under," or as the disgruntled food worker in "Auto Focus," or doing the twist with Mike Myers in "Austin Powers in Goldmember"). Because he is married to a holistic veterinarian, Willie’s tiny basement recording studio often serves as a halfway house for everything from a lost guinea fowl to a brace of abandoned kittens, in addition to the couple’s beloved Schipperke dog. Between feeding times, Willie is currently producing albums for Andy Dick and Sandman, Montana’s Rappin’ Cowboy.
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Uncommon Ground Past Show Dates
2005-06-23 (1106 days)	Mike Mangione
	MOBfest Acoustic Showcase
	Jay Nash
	Willie Wisely