YES! Sold out show at historic McCabe’s Guitar. I was at Arista for Willie's first album. We could not break him. He kept at it. He NEVER faltered, NEVER gave up. Willie is the real deal. Mike Bon _______________________________ I am now on the older side of this business... but I am still 25 years younger than Willie! But I'm a true believer in him and all that he does. His son Luke and I were at high school together at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, NY. I'll never forget when "Heaven Help The Lonely" came out in 1991. I was into The Cure, Fishbone, The Replacements and Public Enemy but also Dylan, Springsteen and U2 and I really dug that song. I was just starting to get an idea of what great songcraft was and this was a lesson in it. Years on, I got to know Willie and became his promoter here in his hometown of Western New York mainly through our mutual friend: the late great independent radio promoter Bruce Moser. At that point, I had still only barely grasped Willie's power and impact. It was when I'd be at a Springsteen show and he'd bring Willie out to play "Working On The Highway" with him and the E Street Band. Now Bruce doesn't bring out a lot of special guests, so that meant something. Then when Bono would have a stadium on its feet but out of nowhere gave a shout out to WIllie at the height of U2's set? Wow. You meet Willie and he's like a South Buffalo leprechaun: his hair is half his height! He's the biggest believer of his own myth and he sells you on it. He continues to write and produce these albums that should keep most singer/songwriters of any worth on their toes. He knows how good he is and he is still out there playing like he's moments away from stardom. When you see him get up and a do his show: you also buy in. He has the songs, the power: he has that thing! Man, he's really good. And his band is equally great: a real NYC cast of characters. His bassist Johnny Pisano is LITERALLY a backround player from The Sopranos' Bada Bing but he's also a punk guy and a rock and roll lifer like Steven Van Zandt. They go out and play rooms from 150 to 500 cap but knock it out every night. Willie will not give up. Glad to see you shine a light on him. He deserves it! Danny Kutzbach _______________________________ Bob Willie Nile is a national musical treasure! In 2025, I had the honor of presenting him with a “College Radio Legend ‘ Award for his extraordinary recording and performing career for over 45 years. Whenever you get the itch for a hit of righteous and crucial rock mixed with lyrical majesty, get yourself to a Willie Nile solo, duo or full band show ! Norm Prusslin _______________________________ GREAT take on Willie Nile, who I've been seeing on the east coast for many years. An unknown superstar of an artist. Springsteen sings with him sometimes, usually on Willie's anthem "One Guitar," which should have been a massive song and is more relevant than ever, if music still has any power to change the world. And as a person Willie is maybe the nicest musician I've ever met, and I've met many. A few years ago on a new year's eve show in New Jersey, a friend of mine, Americana singer-songwriter Lisa Bouchelle, opened the show for him. She mentioned in passing that she had a huge vet bill come up unexpectedly and was having some financial issues with it. At the end of the night Wille put a few extra bills (more than a few) in her pocket and said it's for the vet bills. A gem of a person. Rocky _______________________________ "American Ride" is one of the best albums of the last 20 years. And definitely see Willie with a full band. His bassist Johnny Pisano is one of the most entertaining players out there.. Pete Kuehl _______________________________ "See a MASTER at work!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TNQ02QER4A Willie is one of those IYKYK artists, and man did he blow our unsuspecting audience away: Kelly Breaks _______________________________ Way to go! Willie is a dear friend and we were also there last night. Glad you finally got to see him. We first heard about him on the former Little Steven's Garage show when it aired on KLOS upon the release of his Streets Of New York album (a classic desert island disk). He did his first west coast tour in decades in support of that album and we were able to also host him for one of our house concerts and several house concerts since. What you saw last night is one of the greatest living American songwriters and yes unfortunately a lot of people don't know about him. In songwriter circles he's well known, Bruce Springsteen invites him on stage for tour stops in NYC and he's even the godparent of one of Little Steven's kids. Last year's show at McCabe's included the guitarist from Counting Crows joining him on stage and a few years before that Creed Bratton joined him for a killer encore of the Grass Roots "Let's Live for Today". Many don't know that actor Creed Bratton was a Grass Root. Anyway, so glad you got to see this iconic American talent live. Don Adkins _______________________________ I’m so glad you got to finally see Willie Nile live. His shows are like no other, whether solo or with his band. He’s the most gentle, genuine, and kind-hearted rock & roller but make no mistake, whenever he plays the venue that I help to run (or any other I’ve seen him at), he means business and he ROCKS. And you’re right about the songs - they are ANTHEMS for a better world: “I’m a soldier marching in an army, got no gun to shoot, but what I got is one guitar, I got this one guitar…" Long live Wille Nile. And his dad! Gail Prusslin Montclair, NJ _______________________________ Bob Heaven help the lonely!!!! I sing along every single time I hear it Peter Stema _______________________________ I’ve known Willie since those Kenny’s Castaways days, (same neighborhood as that walk-up) and he is the real thing. Thanks Joe Henderson _______________________________ Bravo Bob! You shone a beautiful light on Willie! He is the goods. A mensch who loves what he shares, and nothing about him, is not him! I have many times, after his show watched how Willie, right after stepping off stage, goes out and meets his 'fans'! Chats, take pictures with all and shares his love for his beloved Father... No ego! This, is one rare, extraordinarly talented gem! Again, Bob, mega thanks! Rose Gross-Marino _______________________________ So glad you wrote this Bob. Willie kills live, and solo, at McCabes, probably the ultimate Willie experience. Keeper of the flame… jimeddy Ann Arbor _______________________________ I like you bought Willie Nile’s self titled debut. It still remains in heavy rotation for me. Also like you, I never saw Willie live until a couple of years ago when he played a full band show for a nice summer crowd on Long Beach Island. I was blown away. They joy of standing up and singing along reminded me of concerts from long ago Willie is a true legend in my mind. Going stronger than ever at 78. Glad you enjoyed it. Donald Furrer _______________________________ I LOVE WILLIE NILE! Bill Green _______________________________ I love it when anyone totally gets what I do about an artist. And especially when you do. I’d never heard of him when I first saw him play at The Carleton in Halifax. Mike Campbell runs a thing he calls an Urban Folk Festival. He books three people whose music he loves “from away” and sets them up with a true all star local band. That show. Willie with The Halifax Allstars remains in my top five live shows. It would have been an easy remodelling the next day because they took the paint off the walls. How do I describe what I saw and how I felt? I don’t need to. You just did. That same feeling of how is it everyone doesn’t know this guy, to the enjoyment of songs heard for the first time. Rock and Roll lives here. Jeff Pinhey in Halifax _______________________________ I loved Willie Nile’s first LP and was a music director at a small station in the South and we played Vagabond Moon and It’s All Over and some others. But the phones didn’t light up. I got his second LP and liked it but then I lost track of his releases until Streets of New York in 2006. It’s absolutely one of my favorite albums! I saw Willie at McCabe’s years ago and sure wish I’d known he was there whenever you saw him. Glad to know he’s still killing it. Bill Fitzhugh _______________________________ As a long time Willie Nile fan, thank you For this. Rik Shafer _______________________________ Hey Bob: Thrilled you got to see one of the best kept secrets in rock 'n roll. I first saw Willie live with a full band at Theodore's Blues Booze and Barbecue Restaurant in Springfield, MA in the early 2000's. He tore the roof off. I've been a diehard fan ever since and have seen plenty of his acoustic and electric shows. I've told so many friends about the guy. His live shows are always memorable. He is remarkably gifted singer songwriter and a sweet down to earth guy. My favorite filmmaker Jim Jarmusch says of Willie "...he continues to live somewhere below the radar, crafting his songs from street level observations and the leanings of his heart." And from Lucinda Williams "...Willie Nile is a great artist. If there was any justice in the world, I'd be opening up for him instead of him for me." And when Bruce Springsteen plays Jersey or New York, he often brings Willie up on stage. Great great great interview with Mr. Nile on NPR from 2006... https://www.npr.org/2006/03/12/5258097/on-the-streets-of-new-york-with-willie-nile Cob Carlson Boston _______________________________ Saw him last week at Joe’s Pub, Bob and he was amazing , also saw him solo at CityWinery last year doing a 2 night early and late career thing…not sure why I I didn’t connect earlier but now I can’t get enough… It’s a little like Jesse Malin who I also found in the past couple years…saw his show Silver Manhattan recently and in the same way can't understand why both Willie and Jesse aren't more well known ...glad you enjoyed it...John Canavari _______________________________ I first heard Willie Nile on the 'Largo' album (I think you understandably breezed right over this one on your episode with Eric Bazilian). I picked up a used copy of the CD at one of those used CD places that used to exist. The cover kind of jumped out at me because it was some sort of cardboard thing rather than the standard jewel case, and I also wondered if the album was someone's modern take on Dvorak. Anyway, back to Willie. He sang "Medallion" which was one of my least favorite cuts on the album, so I kind of forgot about him. Fast forward about 10 years and I was talking about music with this cat who grew up on Long Island and was sort of obsessive about the NYC music scene. He was raving about Garland Jeffreys, Mink DeVille and Willie Nile one night while we were out drinking, and I was reminded of Willie's name. I went out and got the self titled album and was hooked right off the bat with "Vagabond Moon". I finally got to see him play as a showcase artist at Folk Alliance International about 5 years after that. He sure wasn't folk. He oozed pure New York cool. He was Willie. Glad he's still out there doing it. Todd Shelton _______________________________ I thought that might have been you at the show… Happy to see that it was and you saw what we did too. We followed you out the door, I think, although when you went to your seat just before showtime I mentioned to my wife that it might be you… I admittedly didn’t know Willie’s name but I’m forever reading the McCabe’s emails and thinking of the shows I should try to go to, and the combination of their write-up and the timing worked well so we jumped. I should motivate to see Tom Rush this summer (especially as a New England guy) but we shall see. I think the last show we saw there was 10+ years ago. We clearly have been missing out. (We saw Jimmie Webb last Friday at Catalina Bar & Grill, in part informed/inspired by your interview with him). I was thinking this week that as I listen to all your podcasts, the 2 hours or so I listen to you every week puts you high on the leaderboard of people I spend time with outside of work during any given week - inclusive of all but one family member who lives under our roof. A curious thing. Keep doing what you’re doing. Hope your health issues are resolving. Regards John Kimble _______________________________ You bring the truth.. Been catching Willie perform for too many years and wondering why he hasn’t caught on with the people. His full band shows are also must sees as he brings the show, so much music, so many shows, just not enough time. Once again, thank you Bob. Thanks Clint, _______________________________ I'm a huge Willy fan and I've been seeing him since the early 80s. You are correct in saying his live shows are his identity but his LPS are great as well! To say he's never had a breakthrough hit it is not exactly correct, Vagabond Moon from the first LP and Golden Down from his second LP where what I would call hits! mrscott616 _______________________________ I’ve seen Willie Nile, go see Willie Nile. All the best, Bruce Lorenz _______________________________ Hey Bob, thx for the story on Willie. Willie does have a great rock'n'roll band based in nyc. The bass player is Johnny Pisano, the drummer is Jon Weber, and sorry, can't tell you who the current lead guitarist is. I know Jon Weber because he has a rehearsal spot in the Music Building in Manhattan, as do I. They kick ass! You can find multiple YouTubes, including them playing at the NJ Light of Day benefit shows along with Bruce. https://youtu.be/s-XgEsIOYMs?si=EVz1T016R9ys41Oh Keep on rocking and writing! Ira Zadikow _______________________________ I've seen Willie a couple of times at McCabes and I'm not at all surprised that it sold out. He brings it! And I'm glad to hear that he is still bringing it at his age. I've seen him with a band and they ROCK. Either way, he is going to entertain you for the night. Bruce Greenberg _______________________________ Every word, every bit of praise, was so well deserved by my friend, the unstoppable Willie Nile. We’ve been running on the same road for a while now and our paths often cross in Italy and Spain. And like myself, Willie continues to wear his optimism on his sleeve. We’re still hungry for an impossible arena style success and that’s what drives rock troubadours like us to the next gig, no matter if our faded dreams defy logic. Someone should write a book about the fate of late 70s - early 80s singer-songwriters. Willie, Steve Forbert, Garland Jeffries and myself were made from harder stuff than “soft rock” and our roots barely reached the folk revival of the early 60s . Our bible was not Harry Smith’s anthology of American Folk Music and although easily categorized as “New Dylans” by rock writers and publicists who took the lazy route of meaningless genres, we had little in common with him or each other for that matter. We learned to play acoustic guitar inspired by Keith Richards’ Gibson Hummingbird on Wild Horses. It was not “folk rock” - but more like “rock folk” - we wanted to think deep like the folkies but boogie like true rockers. I for one think all of us succeeded in doing just that. But sadly, for some reason I’ll never understand, the term “singer songwriter” became a dirty word in the American Music business. 1977 was the pivotal year when the public embraced disco while the media was attracted to the nihilist vision of punk … not to mention that Elvis died. Suddenly singer-songwriters like us became music business orphans. Of course, the one great exception was Bruce Springsteen. He got through the gate just in time with his secret weapon – an unstoppable stage performer who continues to mesmerize audiences around the world. And as Willie can testify, Bruce’s generosity toward his peers is unmatched. I’ve played before 80,000 people in Paris when he invited me onstage for Born to Run. The Beatles may have been about love, and the Stones about sex, but Bruce has always been about hope. For all of us. If AI takes over popular music, it will have no difficulty replicating today’s lyrics, the vast majority of which are meaningless. And how could they not be when you’ve got a dozen songwriters on a hit song making sure not one word will cause a ripple in the culture. In 1977 Columbia records gave me a hard time for including the word “breast” on my album “Just a Story from America.” Can you imagine? But I’m not bitter and neither (I think) is Willie because without that major label push both of us were graced with early in our careers, neither of us would’ve been able to continue doing what we’ve been doing for these last 50 years. I’ve played almost 3000 shows and released over 50 albums. And I’m sure Willie’s numbers are nearly the same. And speaking of numbers, can someone explain to me when it became OK to rate songwriters as per the recent NYT list? Are songwriters now in the same category as professional athletes? All time batting average for Leonard Cohen? Does success = quality? I don’t think so… From Paris, Elliott Murphy _______________________________ Willie is a force of nature, onstage and off. He commands attention like few performers of any age, and he is a wise and kind and funny and generous human to boot; what you see is absolutely what you get. It's no coincidence that Bruce has brought Willie up to join him on his shows so many times over the years... game recognizes game. (BTW you're right that he's great solo, but Willie's band definitely does not detract from his essence; they kick ass and add to the power and joy; hopefully you'll have a chance to see them sometime too.) Willie and I used to see each other around the NY scene for ages, and in the Spring of 2008, we finally made plans to meet up for lunch and catch up for real. The week we were supposed to get together, my father ended up in the hospital with what turned out to be a terminal case of lymphoma, so I had to call Willie to reschedule. We barely knew each other at the time, but he spent over an hour on the phone with me as I sat sobbing in my father's car in front of my parents' house. He told me about his dad, his kids, his trials and his joys, and was as present and and solid as any lifelong friend might have been. Even if he weren't a rock star on stage, he's a rock star in my book for things like this alone (and there are plenty more examples). I always feel better after spending time with him; he is that rare dude who consistently spreads positivity and you know it's completely genuine. He sings, "I'm a soldier marching in the army, got no gun to shoot, but what I got is one guitar, I got this one guitar...." and he sure has learned how to make it talk. Be well, Judy Tint _______________________________ Thak you Bob, great article on Willie and so happy that you gave him his well-deserved recognition. Like you, I knew Willie’s first album. I knew who he was, appreciated that album, but there was not much more to go on. He could have been a contender, but some bad lawyer advice – his career went on hold and never recovered during the golden age. When I was running the King Biscuit Flower Hour record label, I came across a tape of him playing a Wollman Rink Central Park show – I was mesmerized by the songs and raw energy that was coming out of my speakers. I was smitten. No management company that I could find. I learned he was from Buffalo, found out his real name, the Buffalo address, and called the house cold and asked for him – by his real name. I ended up talking to his Dad who shares his name, and said not you, I need to speak to Willie Nile. I was eventually given his Greenwich Village home phone, spoke to him, went to see him, and released the live album which is still one of my favorites. Wille and I became friends; he is smart, well spoken, friendly and just a nice person with no attitude or airs. He is humble. I went to many of his shows with or without a band. He bands were always great, Rich Pagano on drums and a guitarist whom I discovered playing with Willie named Andy York who played during his Mellencamp breaks. As an aside, turns out Andy and I have the six degrees of separation thing. Willie’s shows are always great. He has the Springsteen vibe in him. Movement, joy, action and great songs that you can relate you. I haven’t seen him in a few years. But I am proud of what he has done the past 20. He keeps on writing, releasing independent records, and fighting the good fight because of his love of writing and music. I’ve been to many McCabe’s shows when I lived in LA, I lived close by. I’m jealous I was not there. It’s Willie, whom I will always love and respect. Best, Barry Ehrmann _______________________________ Thanks for recognizing the criminally under-rated talents of Willie Nile! I first saw him at his Toronto album release show in 1980 at the El Mocambo after playing the album in-store at A&A Records on Yonge St. where I worked at the time. I was especially fond of the single, Vagabond Moon, a track he rarely even performs these days. I saw him again at the Horseshoe Tavern on the tour for his follow up album, Golden Down and again he was fantastic. He left Arista Records and resurfaced years later on Columbia with Places I Have Never Been, a truly brilliant record that no one payed attention to and was hard to find. The next album, now on an indie, Beautiful Wreck Of The World, suffered the same fate. He delivered what I think is the definitive Willie album, Streets Of New York, in 2006 and when I opened a venue in Halifax - The Carleton - in 2008, I took a flyer and phoned his manager and somehow arranged to fly him to Halifax for a solo show in 2008. Three years later I invited him back to play the second version of my Halifax Urban Fold Festival (now in its 17th year), this time with a band of local All Stars to back him up, and even though he only met them at sound check, they absolutely killed it. I had him back to play with his own NYC-based band and even traveled to see them at Joe’s Pub once. The man is a machine these days, routinely releasing a great album every year and continues to tour relentlessly in the U.S., Canada and Europe. I am now honoured to consider him a friend and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if, considering his genetics, he keeps it up until he’s 100. He is the real deal and is recognized as such by talents like Pete Townshend, Bruce Springsteen and Ian Hunter; it’s about time everyone else caught up! Mike Campbell _______________________________ Thanks so much Bob. Bless your RnR heart! Heartfelt thanks for what you wrote in the newsletter. My inbox and phone are blowing up! I'm humbled and deeply grateful. Coming from you that means a ton! I refuse to give up or give in!! That makes two of us! Here's to us believers!! Willie -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
