Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Willie Heath Neal and Kira Annalise. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Willie and Kira, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Willie was already about 15 years into his music career when we met. I had sung a little with my brother but nothing serious. When I saw him on stage it changed the whole trajectory of my life. He continued to tour with his full band for years after we started dating, all the while giving me tips and advice on how to write and put together a band of my own. I started touring with my own band and we would commiserate over how hard it was to come home from tour and pay everyone else and have nothing left to put in your own pockets. We formed The Waymores as a way to pay some bills while not saturating our names around town. We made a little video for our cover of John Prine’s In Spite Of Ourselves and someone in Arizona caught wind of it and asked us to come play. We booked our first (nearly) cross-country tour in 2018. Most couples ask us how we’re able to be together 24/7 in a van and not strangle each other but we fell more and more in love with each mile. We really just never looked back. Willie had learned so much in the years before me that he really brought a ton to the table and would gently guide me on how to book, advance and route shows. I took over about 80% of the booking and he does all of the driving and about 80% of the mechanical stuff like loading in and setting up. We have a really good but very loose system that works for us. I know I can always ask for his help if I need it and visa versa. In order to make ends meet we try to stay between 150-200 shows a year but sometimes a week off just fits and we’re making it a priority now to take care of our mental health because the tour life is very taxing physically but also mentally. We learned some lessons the hard way, but I don’t think we’d change much. There’s something to be said about paying your dues and living on the road.
Willie and Kira, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
We’ve been called everything from The Honky Tonk Ramones to the next Johnny and June but to us we’re just a couple out here playing songs so that we get a chance to see the world. We started off just doing what came naturally, writing songs and playing them to people who would listen. As we grow, we’re learning more how to write with a purpose as opposed to just writing what comes in any given moment. We never force our craft, but we do have obligations to meet now so we’re learning how to teeter between fulfilling those and staying true to our hearts. We like to think that we help our fans when they need a laugh, or a shoulder or a way to explain how they felt when they don’t quite know the words. It’s rare that we leave a town without a new group of friends and that comes from our stage presence. It’s one that will make you feel like you’re in your living room listening to your buddies play music. We’re really proud of our ability to have kept thing in house for as long as we have. We do all of the booking ourselves and that’s a big deal to us. It’s getting to a point now where that may change soon and we’re just hoping to find someone with the same work ethic that is ready for non-stop touring. We absolutely love living on the road and seeing new towns and new people all the time. There’s nothing contrived about what we do. We write songs and they come out country, we’ve never tried to be anything we’re not and we just hope that our authenticity shines through in our work. We’re also hoping that all of the hard work and dedication continues to pay off and that this life is one we’ll see through to the very end.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In 2019 we landed a European Tour and had someone booking it. For whatever reason, the guy just disappeared and ghosted us. We still really wanted to go so we just started booking it ourselves. We did 5 weeks across the UK and Europe and handled all of the booking, backlines, van rental, etc ourselves and we did it all in a matter of two months. It was crazy hectic and unbelievably amazing all at the same time. We were really proud of ourselves for pushing through and not letting the little hiccups along the way stop us from the dream. We booked another one in 2020 but 2 days before we stepped on the plane to leave, Covid hit, and everything got canceled. The work had still been done, though, and we were proud to have done it. We hope to do several overseas tours in the future.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Go see live music and when you like what you see, share it with your friends. Share it often. Social media can be a nightmare, but it really gives us this amazing opportunity to share things, like music, at the drop of a hat with the whole world. To a little guy like The Waymores, it’s really important that as many people as possible hear our music and see our names. We realize that the media tells a lot of folks who to like and what to listen to but if you just branch out a little and go see some live, local music, you might be surprised at what you find. There is a crazy amount of talent out there that’s going unheard. There are always things like buying merch and tipping the band that are great, too but having your music heard by people is the most important thing you can do and having it shared by fans is the best way to do that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thewaymores.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewaymores or @TheWaymores
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewaymores
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/TWaymores or @TWaymores
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsL871jaoegI8BMQOR6dpYA
- Other: TikTok – @TheWaymores
Image Credits
Lyza Renee Lindsay Garrett