Willi Carlisle at the Raccoon Motel -- June 5.
Friday, June 5, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Touring in support of his most recent album Winged Victory, which Glide magazine praised as "timeless folk music" that "addresses these times without being straight-out protest music," singer/songwriter Willi Carlisle headlines a June 5 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Moon, the artist's frequently cheeky recording also hailed by SputnikMusic as "Chock-full of innuendos, comedically verbose tangents and brutally honest horniness."
As stated in his online biography: "Folksinger Willi Carlisle holds tight the conviction that love is bigger than hate, and no-one is expendable. Carlisle’s music has always been a dance between absurdity, spectacle, and philosophy. On his fourth studio album, Winged Victory, Carlisle returns with his signature blend of traditionally-rooted folk music and kaleidoscope of oddball characters to confer with his core tenets in more overt and provocative ways.
"Carlisle delivers Victory as the next chapter in his long-running direct address to the hope that by understanding our collective suffering we might be free of it. He’s intent on creating art and a well-rounded life in a broken world. The idea began with 2022’s Peculiar, Missouri when Carlisle proclaimed 'your heart’s a big tent, everybody gets in.' After gathering together all the world’s weirdos and misfits under the big tent, with 2024’s Critterland, Carlisle let them loose into the world. Now, on Winged Victory, they speak for themselves, unencumbered by social expectations.
“Victory, Carlisle’s first self-produced album ... both indulges a few of his wildest dreams (including a version of Richard Thompson’s 'Beeswing,' among several traditional folk song covers, and feels like the inevitable sequel to Critterland’s charismatic menagerie of chaos. Though occasionally raunchy, and routinely provocative, Victory is not afraid to make a spectacle for the sake of a point. Victory should be understood as a reflection. It revels in the beauty of tiny, monetarily-worthless moments and things, offering with them a consideration of our innate humanity."
Willi Carlisle plays his headlining engagement in Davenport on June 5, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $26.45, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
