fivethreesix: Artist: Will StrattonHometown: I’m from northern NJ, but I live in Brooklyn, NYTouring info: Mostly New York City and occasionally the greater northeast right now—seeking a decent booking agent. You can check where at on my Bandcamp.Album: New Vanguard Blues, most recently. Now I’m working on the follow-up, tentatively titled The Late Romantics.Proof: www.WillStratton.bandcamp.com, just hit play.Website: www.WillStratton.com Ever since Napster and the era of “download a song here, download a song there” took over, music has really become about the single and the individual song. Which is really a shame because artists are creating an entire work- that thing called an album- which is meant to be enjoyed in that order and all together as a completed piece of art. A few weeks ago, at a late midnight hour, a friend tweeted a referral to Will Stratton. Out of curiosity and insomniac boredom, I went to his bandcamp and hit play. About an hour later, I realized that I just sat there and listened to the album in it’s entirety without feeling time pass or even letting it become background noise to checking emails. I can’t remember the last time this has happened, but I was overcome with happiness and an instant need to get in touch with Will. His twitter bio reads: “I am a songwriter, and I fancy myself a writer,” which is the perfect sentence to sum up his beautiful, quaint, soft and humble music. New Vanguard Blues is the third album from this Brooklyn via New Jersey artist. He’s earned himself comparisons to Nick Drake, and that sweet, simple acoustic sound with a stroke of genius is just what he’s offering. Stratton is the type whose music brings the word “prodigy” to mind; it’s evident that you’re listening to something that is beyond what you can hear. He’s the type that may never be played on the radio, but will be called on by Chris Thile for a collaboration; he may never headline Lollapalooza but I bet Bob Dylan would dig his album. This feels like the right time to mention that Sufjan Stevens played oboe on his 2007 album, What the Night Said. For now, he’s playing bars and coffee shops around New York with hopes of touring elsewhere once he finishes his fourth album which he’s working on now. Anyone know a booking agent? I’ve got an easy sell. | N Who are your top three influences? Nick Drake, Big Star, and Leo Kottke. If you had to pick one celebrity to represent your whole band, who would it be? Gene Hackman, I guess. I’d kind of like Gene Hackman to be my manager. And Dustin Hoffman to be my publicist. I think they’d make a good team.  How would you describe your sound in five words? Stoic American Primitive love songs. Where do you want to be one year from now? Touring with Neil Young. What is the first record you ever bought? Weird Al Yankovic’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (it was a cassette, of course). The first CD was Beck’s Odelay, and the first actual record was Bill Evans - Conversations With Myself. Life gives you lemons, what do you do with them?Suck on them! And try not to grimace too much.

fivethreesix:

Artist: Will Stratton
Hometown: I’m from northern NJ, but I live in Brooklyn, NY
Touring info: Mostly New York City and occasionally the greater northeast right now—seeking a decent booking agent. You can check where at on my Bandcamp.
Album: New Vanguard Blues, most recently. Now I’m working on the follow-up, tentatively titled The Late Romantics.
Proof: www.WillStratton.bandcamp.com, just hit play.
Website: www.WillStratton.com

Ever since Napster and the era of “download a song here, download a song there” took over, music has really become about the single and the individual song. Which is really a shame because artists are creating an entire work- that thing called an album- which is meant to be enjoyed in that order and all together as a completed piece of art. A few weeks ago, at a late midnight hour, a friend tweeted a referral to Will Stratton. Out of curiosity and insomniac boredom, I went to his bandcamp and hit play. About an hour later, I realized that I just sat there and listened to the album in it’s entirety without feeling time pass or even letting it become background noise to checking emails. I can’t remember the last time this has happened, but I was overcome with happiness and an instant need to get in touch with Will.
His twitter bio reads: “I am a songwriter, and I fancy myself a writer,” which is the perfect sentence to sum up his beautiful, quaint, soft and humble music. New Vanguard Blues is the third album from this Brooklyn via New Jersey artist. He’s earned himself comparisons to Nick Drake, and that sweet, simple acoustic sound with a stroke of genius is just what he’s offering. Stratton is the type whose music brings the word “prodigy” to mind; it’s evident that you’re listening to something that is beyond what you can hear. He’s the type that may never be played on the radio, but will be called on by Chris Thile for a collaboration; he may never headline Lollapalooza but I bet Bob Dylan would dig his album. This feels like the right time to mention that Sufjan Stevens played oboe on his 2007 album, What the Night Said.
For now, he’s playing bars and coffee shops around New York with hopes of touring elsewhere once he finishes his fourth album which he’s working on now. Anyone know a booking agent? I’ve got an easy sell.

| N

Who are your top three influences? 
Nick Drake, Big Star, and Leo Kottke.

If you had to pick one celebrity to represent your whole band, who would it be? 
Gene Hackman, I guess. I’d kind of like Gene Hackman to be my manager. And Dustin Hoffman to be my publicist. I think they’d make a good team. 

How would you describe your sound in five words? 
Stoic American Primitive love songs.

Where do you want to be one year from now? 
Touring with Neil Young.

What is the first record you ever bought? 
Weird Al Yankovic’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (it was a cassette, of course). The first CD was Beck’s Odelay, and the first actual record was Bill Evans - Conversations With Myself.

Life gives you lemons, what do you do with them?
Suck on them! And try not to grimace too much.