Willy Porter takes new drive through 'How to Rob a Bank'

by Dave Tianen of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

At 41, married, with two kids, Willy Porter is firmly entrenched in middle-age dad-dom and looking to cut back on the road work.

But that's more of a change of direction than a step back. Porter has a new album, his seventh, called "How to Rob a Bank" and is looking to spend more time in his studio. He also has his own independent label, Weasel Records, and recently added a second artist, folkie Natalia Zukerman.

Given Weasel's small size, Porter says he's looking at the label as a co-op for talented people who are motivated enough to handle a lot of the nuts and bolts of a recording career themselves.

"How to Rob a Bank" is an interesting departure for the veteran singer-songwriter. The title track is a topical tune cobbled from recent headlines. The immediate inspiration is a GM employee who lost his job and tried to rob a bank but was so polite about it that he waited in line for a teller.

"Bank" is Porter at the top of his game, working off his creative debt to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.

The album also makes some off-center musical choices. Label mate Zukerman lends her support with Dobro and lap steel, but so does the eclectic women's folk rock quartet Raining Jane, which includes sitar and cajon.

"I don't want to make the same record twice, so I thought they added some needed estrogen," Porter says of Raining Jane.

Other notable tracks include "Lemon Tree," which taps into some Beach Boys-style falsetto, and "I Didn't Bring It Up," co-written with Paul Cebar. With more than a decade of married life to draw on, Porter tackled the conversational navigation skills that evolve during a lengthy relationship.

Nearly 20 years into his recording career, Porter has done the major label thing and the independent label thing. He's toured with and gained musical admirers as diverse as Tori Amos, Ian Anderson and James McMurtry. He likes to think he has gained some experience but kept the beginner's open mind.

"I still chase my tail like everybody else," he says, "but I hope I'm writing with a perspective that's gotten wider."

"How To Rob a Bank" will be released June 2 at locations including www.willyporter.com.

Original article at: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/44015577.html

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