Willy Porter - Guitarist Extraordinaire

Willy Porter is a talented singer, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He truly is a folk musician at heart. All of his songs begin with a stripped-down, folk-based arrangement, but he absorbs as many influences as he can and eases them into his various performances.
When Porter is not playing with his four-piece rock ensemble, he takes his act on the road solo. He can captivate an audience as completely as an entire rock band. Each time Porter takes the stage, he varies his set list as well as his song arrangements. Every show includes a healthy dose of outstanding unreleased material that seems to endlessly flow from some hidden well.
Always creating his own musical rules, Porter is most noted for his on-stage improvisation. "I would show up for the gig and if I didn't have a new tune, I'd have to make one up because I was embarrassed going week in and week out without a new song... so I would do this improv thing where I would write a song with the audience," said Porter.
That special repertoire Porter has with his audience is what inspired the album High Wire Live. The album is composed of all live songs he has performed around the globe. "When you walk out in front of people by yourself with your instrument, you're walking on a wire. Every mistake you make is out there; it's fantastic," said Porter.
Available Light (2006), Willy Porter's sixth album, finds the guitarist, singer and songwriter at home in his own musical world. Equal parts muscle, intimacy and atmosphere, the CD is Porter's most fully realized offering to date, and his first on his own label, Weasel Records.
This project was supported in part by a grant from the
Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin.
Additional support received from
Thrasher Construction, LLC and Pinnacle Plumbing, LLC
Special accomodations and hospitality provided by
Heidel House and Two Chez