The Willis

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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