Until this afternoon, we had been 0-fer in recording sessions with our state of Iowa homeboys or homegirls for that matter – for the sake of inclusion. Though our studio is located in ROCK Island, Illinois (always pronounced with emphasis on the Rock, I’ve been instructed to tell everyone), all of the principle players in the makings of this website are based just across the Mighty Mississippi River in Davenport, one of the Quad-Cities and we are akin to feeling some state pride. We had been pestering the truest patriot of this state of ours – William Elliott Whitmore – to step our ways for months (he was on our original wish list when we started this whole shebang back in February). We thought, who in our small but fertile state is already out there taking names that we’d love to do some vouching for? We thought of no one better. Will isn’t just proud of where he’s from, he is enamored with where he’s from. It’s what he sets his soul to – the temperature of the Iowa soil, air and water. He’s a woodsman, a skater and every bit the kindhearted dude who would always have enough beer, conversation and firewood for company. He is a man from Lee County, Iowa, where most addresses are rural routes and you’re sure to find more gravel roads than ones of pavement. We thought that there was no better person’s charisma and karma to have on our side than Will’s. Years ago, it was here in the Quad-Cities that Will had his driver’s license taken away from him after a show, forcing him to tour with a friend driving him around. He has a history here. We wanted him in here incredibly bad because you deserve to know who he is too. The hardest part was getting in touch with him. It used to be that you had to call his uncle’s farm to see if he was around that particular day. He has an e-mail address, but no computer in the cabin he’s in the process of building in the middle of his family’s acreage, right on the treeline. He doesn’t even have electricity or plumbing yet so what kind of good would a computer do him. His uncle would usually say, “Nope, Will’s on tour,” or “Will’s in Europe. Would you like me to give him a message?” The messages must have piled up from everyone calling. He probably got back to some of them. We weren’t one of those returned. Then he reluctantly got a cell phone. Oddly enough, he said he loves it and it’s made his life easier. He has reception on the farm. So, long story short, we finally got a hold of him and he came to visit us. Here at the studio, we have long hallway, with wooden floor at the far end. This wooden floor turned Will’s perpetually thumping foot into a kick drum. As Londoner Keith John Adams looked on, Pat set up two microphones, which perfectly captured his unique dynamic and his own sterling version of Americana – the kind that sounds like the aching, muddy, sometimes difficult to appreciate place we cal home. – Sean Moeller

First song
Does Me No Good (William Elliott Whitmore) [4.37MB] [4665 downloads]


– original version appears on Hymns For The Hopeless
This song was written about six years ago when Will lived in a trailer on his family’s farm. “It was always one of my favorite songs. I always try to play it live so when you told me you wanted me to do some songs for you, I knew I wanted to do this one. I’m really proud of it. It’s about my old man and having these regrets, sitting by his bedside and you wish you could communicate with him. When he died, I had a lot of regrets I couldn’t say. All those things I did when I was younger – I know I was a pain and I can never say sorry for it. You start to get eaten up by things like that.”

Second song
When Push Comes to Love (William Elliott Whitmore) [2.90MB] [4201 downloads]


– original version appears on Ashes To Dust
“I don’t have very many love songs, but that’s one of them. I’m not influenced by love songs. Every once in a while, you meet a girl that just gets you and sometimes it’s kind of bittersweet. It’s like trying to eat a banana with a peel on it. You just say, ‘I don’t know what it is about you, but you’ve got me.’”

Third song
That Train That Carried Away My Girl (William Elliott Whitmore) [2.92MB] [4300 downloads]


– unreleased standard
“I’ve never heard the exact title of this song, but I love all of that public domain stuff. Verses get added to it, words get changed. It’s kind of like that ‘Stagger Lee’ song. I just wanted to do an old song. It’s like, ‘Man, I wish I could find that guy that took my girl away, damn!’”

Fourth song
Dry (William Elliott Whitmore) [3.16MB] [4154 downloads]


– original version appears on Song of the Blackbird
“I’m really proud of this song too. I wrote this when I first started working on my cabin. I was cold and disoriented every morning in my freaky, silver trailer. There were these blackbirds that have this real unorthodox song. It started penetrating my dreams. It’s a crazy song, but it’s beautiful too. The bluebird can sing, but the crow’s got the soul.”