What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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MONICA HOOPER NWA Democrat-Gazette D on't poets make the best songwriters? Willi Carlisle's new album, "Peculiar, Missouri," eases back and forth between poetry and songwriting so completely that he's not sure when he's writing one or the other — and he's OK with that. "I still write poems as often as possible. I don't think I am writing in an academic mode anymore. I don't think I'm writing the same kinds of poems that I was encouraged to write in graduate school. And I don't often know if I'm writing a poem or a song. And I want to keep it that way," says the folk/country singer, multi- instrumentalist, storyteller, playwright and, of course, poet, who released his new album about wholehearted and enduring love, the transient nature of existence, secret romance and stories from the past in July. The work is a magnum opus, but Carlisle remains humble. "I mostly just appreciate having anybody on my side. Because I hope to be one of the ones that's doing this for 30 or 40 years. Not just have one successful album release cycle, you know what I mean?" muses Carlisle as his album garners rave reviews from No Depression, The Associated Press, The Grammys and now here in What's Up! "Peculiar, Missouri" opens with "The Heart's A Big Tent" in which he sings ""How the heart's a big tent/ You gotta let everybody in!/ Doesn't matter who they are/ If they do right or where they've been/ Everybody gets in!" It's a bold, whole-hearted approach in a world where everyone argues on the internet and divides themselves into echo chambers. How does he maintain such an open approach despite everyone being angry with each other? "I find it really easy. I actually don't think that everybody has a lot of anger towards each other. I know that. And I think that's what I take exception to is I think people have personal poison that they dump out onto the world, but that interpersonally people are actually quite kind and are quite capable, and that we have more in common than we have different," he says. "I think that what I want to promote is like a return to certain kinds of traditional values where community and family was … very meaningful and very full of joy and mutual aid and fellowship. I don't necessarily think that I'm capable of bringing all that myself. I don't have 12 WHAT'S UP! JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2022 FAQ Willi Carlisle Album Release Show WHAT — A special, full band show with Willi Carlisle cele- brating the release of his sophmore album, "Peculiar, Missouri." Dylan Earl will open. Expect costumes, glit- ter bombs and sing-alongs. WHEN — 8:30 p.m. Aug. 5 WHERE — George's Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville COST — $15 & up INFO — georgesmajesti- clounge.com; willicarlisle. com FAYETTEVILLE See Carlisle Page 38 "I mostly just appreciate having anybody on my side. Because I hope to be one of the ones that's doing this for 30 or 40 years. Not just have one successful album release cycle, you know what I mean?" — Willi Carlisle (Courtesy Photo) Willi Carlisle embraces everyone on 'Peculiar, Missouri'