Willy Clay Band

Life is sometimes pretty slow north of the polar circle. In the mining town of Kiruna, people tend to think at least twice before they act. And if you don't have anything important to say, you keep quiet. There's not a lot of chit chat going on in Kiruna.

The five members of Willy Clay Band are very much a product af the far north and its mentality. They don't see it as an odd thing to wait four years to release the follow up to the successfull and highly acclaimed debut album »Rececca Drive«. They just had to wait until they were ready to do it. Wait until they had the songs.

But now the follow up is finally here. And what an album »Blue« is! 13 brilliant original songs + a cover of the eighties hit »Never Never«. It's not only the songs that are impressive. The sound of the band and the vocals are better than ever.

The Willy Clay Band was tipped for stardom by the experts on both sides of the Atlantic, following the release of the acclaimed debut album “Rebecca Drive” (2005) and number of successful US shows.

Remarkably, the band comes from deep in the Arctic Circle, being based in the northern Swedish mining town of Kiruna. But it’s in London and Nashville that those in the know are saying they have what it takes to become huge.

Listeners who tune in to Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 are familiar with the band, whose ‘Rebecca Drive’ album, recorded in Tennessee, has been featured strongly. Both Iain Anderson and Bryan Burnett have been playing tracks on BBC Radio Scotland as well.

The debut album ”Rebecca Drive” was recorded in Hendersonville, Tennessee and produced by Will Kimbrough (Rodney Crowell, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joe Shaver, Steve Forbert…) and features guest performances by the legendary Garth Hudson (The Band) and pedal-steel virtuoso Bucky Baxter (Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, etc.).

At first listen you might be tempted to label their style as classic country/folk rock, yet spiced with influences of alternative country. Listen closer and you¹ll find that the Willy Clay Band has translated the genre, coloured it with their own reality from way up north in Sweden to create a sound all their own. When they sing about travelling down the highway, it¹s not Route 66 or the I10 but the road between Kiruna and Karesuando. When you hear the sound of loneliness it¹s not an echo from the Arizona desert, it¹s the emptiness of the endless plains in the land of the midnight sun.
The reviews have all been filled with praise, drawing comparisons with everyone from Son Volt, The Band, Steve Earle and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to The Eagles.

The five-piece, with strong three-part vocal harmonies, have toured UK and US several times (including one appearce at Americana Music Conference).