The Cauldron

William Elliott Whitmore, singer/songwriter, hails from an old Iowa horse farm, digs skateboarding and subconsciously channels blues legend Charley Patton on some ditties. Southern Records, his label, refers to his style as "burnished by smoke and drink and full of emotional depth." Vanguard Online describes his musical styling as blackgrass, a hybrid of bluegrass meets black, heavy metal. The rawvoiced singer comes to Cleveland Tuesday, March 13 at the Grog Shop. The Cauldron chatted with Whitmore recently about his banjo, Iowa, and that voice of his.

The Cauldron: Your music has been classified as folk, blues, and alternative country, but it has also been classified as hardcore punk. What categories would you say your music falls into?

William Elliott Whitmore: That's a good question. I would definitely describe it as a folk blues, but with punk rock and hardcore ethics mixed in. I grew up listening to country music and old blues music. Around 15 and 16, I got into punk rock. That's when I started listening to things like Minutemen and Minor Threat. They intrigued me. That's when I learned that you don't need a booking agent to book your tours. You can book your own tours.

What made you want to learn to play the banjo? Do you like it better than the guitar?

WEW: My grandpa played the banjo. I had good fortune that I had a musical family. My dad played the guitar, my mom played the accordion, and my grandpa played the banjo. I grew up mostly playing the guitar. I still play the guitar, but I like how the banjo sounds. It's kind of like a snare drum with strings. My grandpa gave me his banjo before he passed away. That was about 10 years ago, around '97. I do like it better than the guitar. When I started out, not a lot of people were playing the banjo. It's like it's just crazy enough to work. It's hard for songwriters to stick out there and the banjo kind of set myself apart.

Does your home of Iowa have any input on your music?

WEW: Very much. It's interesting to see how a person's environment shapes their art like for painters and photographers. I live on a very beautiful farm, very serene. When I'm home I'm very inspired. The natural things like the sound of the birds and the trees. Living out in the country helps. It has always influenced me. I do like the country more than the city. But, I would probably lose my mind if I had to live in the country all the time. Because of my music, I can experience culture by traveling to different countries and places. But in the end, I can retreat back to the country to gather my thoughts.

You've been compared to legends such as Tom Waits and Johnny Cash. Do you think your music has any resemblance to theirs?

WEW: That's a great compliment. Those are two musical giants that I look up to a lot. I guess there are a few similarities. With Johnny Cash, just the similar upbringings like a blue collar, farm thing and growing up like that. I think the similarity with Tom Waits is probably the voice. He's a great songwriter.

Your voice makes you sound a lot older than you actually are? How old are you? How old do people usually say you are?

WEW: I am 28 years old. I will be 29 in a couple months. Most people say I sound like I'm about 100 years old. I usually get from like 60 to being 160, like I shouldn't even be alive. But it basically just comes from too many bad habits and singing. I sing and play a lot and all the hooping and hollering works on you.

What is the main message being projected from your latest album Song of the Blackbird?

WEW: It's a many-layered album. It's the third part of a trilogy. It centers around about a 10- year period when both my parents died, my grandpa died, and some close friends of mine passed away. I wrote the songs to try and deal with all that. It was basically a way to not kill myself and stay sane. It also talks about like the birth and death cycles and how that relates to farm life like planting crops in the spring and harvesting in the fall. And also how there's no life without death. I'm building a cabin right now and there is a sycamore tree outside of it and all these blackbirds hang out in it and wake me up in the morning. But they sing kind of an unorthodox song that sounds like a shrill but I have accepted it as a beautiful thing and got use to it. I sort of equate my voice to it because it's not the best. I wish I could sound like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. But it's like, if what you're saying is worthwhile then nobody minds it, so I've come to accept my voice.

Why did you decide to stay with Southern Records for your last three albums?

WEW: They came to me at a show I was doing years ago. I was on tour with a band called Ten Grand. They are kind of a punk rock/indie group that had some buddies of mine in it. They [Southern Records] had come to Chicago to sign them and they saw me open. They signed me for a three-record deal and I was the only guy who did my type of music on their label. Before, I was burning my own albums and xeroxing my own covers and putting them together myself. I jumped at the chance. When they came to me, I don't even think I read the contract, I just signed it. I was hungry enough to jump at anything. Plus, I liked all the bands on the label.

What are some things you like to do aside from your music?

WEW: I really enjoy skateboarding. That's how I got into the music I listen to now. Just growing up on the farm and reading skateboarding magazines. I just had my own line of skateboards made; a William Elliott Whitmore skateboard line and they have banjos on them. I've been riding one of those. But, I can't do what I use to do because I don't have the knees anymore. I always enjoy writing. I like carpentry and I've been doing painting more too. I used to paint a lot when I was younger.

What is coming up next for you with your music career?

WEW: I'm not sure. I've been writing some new stuff. Those three records are all I really wanted to do so it's hard to look past that. I will always play music but whether someone hears it or not is one thing. I kind of exercised my demons. It may be time to just retire back to the farm and spend some time with my horses. I'm just not quite sure yet.

What is the one thing you could say that your music has given to you that nothing or no one else could ever give to you?

WEW: Music has given me this ultimate power of healing. I was just at a point in my life where writing songs helped me to deal. Without music, I probably would've shot myself. I was at a very dark point in my life. I have music basically to thank for saving my life.

Grog Shop
9 p.m. March 13, $10 with Red Sparrowes & Hell's Information
www.grogshop.gs

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