As you are most likely already aware, Indie Band Guru truly supports hard working musicians and tries to expose them to the world. We admire when an artist does not cater to the pressure to sound like everyone else on the radio and stays true to his/her originality. Mixing originality and hard work will get you noticed. Hopefully we can help this happen as we introduce you to Willie Ames.
Hailing from the sunshine of San Diego, California, Willie Ames is a guitarist/banjoist/singer/songwriter who performs acoustic folk/rock music in his own original way. After being taught the basic guitar chords by his father at the age of 5, Willie went on to self-teach himself by ear. He adds a twist though by refusing to play with a pick and has mastered a finger plucking and bare hand strumming technique that is all his own. You can really feel the warmness of this style throughout his songs. As for performing, Willie does it non-stop and has managed to independently play a show in all 50 states within the last few years. This relentlessness makes his music even more attractive in my eyes.
Willie Ames has released a 10 song original album entitled Night Owl that has been building him a steady fanbase that seems to grow after every show he performs. The title track ‘Night Owl’ is a dark and ominous song with piano and drums added to the mix making it a complete song that could fit along with any radio playlist. ‘Stumbling Home’ is a classic instrumental piece where Willie is able to really show off his finger plucking style. It makes for a warm and beautiful song. I am told Willie started writing ‘Black Widow’ within 10 minutes of picking up the banjo for the first time. It has a middle eastern influenced sound and shows that his playing style is perfect for the banjo. The list of great songs goes on and on throughout this record.
Bottom Line: Willie Ames is a musician that you should be aware of not only for his beautiful and interesting music but for his never-ending work ethic. Go support this man at: