Will Payne Harrison

ARTIST: Will Payne Harrison

SONG: “Clarity”

HOMETOWN: Lafayette, Louisiana

CURRENT LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee

AMBITIONS: Currently, I am working with musicians I believe in behind the scenes. My ambition is to get these wonderful musicians heard and hopefully ride the wave of success with my own music.

TURN-OFFS: Clanky bass tones, forced lyrics, apathetic singers. The word “sultry” when describing female singers.

TURN-ONS: I saw Andrew Combs play Musician’s Corner here in Nashville the other day and he definitely gave me a musical boner. He and his band are some of the most tasteful musicians and his lyrics are phenomenal. Listen and you’ll see what I mean.

DREAM GIG: I kind of already had it. I went out on the road playing bass for Matt Butcher & the Schoolyard Band opening for the Avett Brothers. But for me personally, Merle Fest or opening for Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings is definitely up there along with touring in the UK.

FAVORITE LYRIC: “The History books won’t get it right, there will be some people who believe I had a reason to fight, but the truth is change is hard and I just needed some time.” Civil War song by My Politic

SONG I WISH I WROTE: Any song Steve Earle has written, but definitely “Devil’s Right Hand” or “Galway Girl”

5 PEOPLE I’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Lyle Lovett, Jimmy C. Newman, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, Steve Earle.

MY FAVORITE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Without a doubt, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Tulsa, OK. Usually halfway through arena concerts I’m ready to go. When they finished their encore, I remember thinking “that’s it?”. They’re just that captivating.

I WROTE THIS SONG BECAUSE… I received a fairly critical review in a publication that my songs are too much shit-kicking and not enough depth. This song was a reaction to that. Writing well is the best revenge. After all, he was probably right. - American Songwriter

Will Payne Harrison has released a new video for “Don’t You Worry” ahead of his debut release Louisiana Summer due out next month, and you can catch him here in town on September 18 at Tennessee Brew Works. Harrison has relocated from his home state to Nashville but says “you can’t take the Louisiana out of the Cajun.” His music is a blend of Americana, Folk, and Alt-county, and he was recently featured in American Songwriter as a “Daily Discovery” for his first single “Clarity.” With heros such as Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, and Tom Petty, and a knack for storytelling, this is sure to be a hard hitting album dealing with such emotional topics as fear, faith, love, and loss. Click below to watch the new video, mark the upcoming show on your calendar, and keep an eye out for the new album sometime in September. You won’t want to miss it! - No Country For New Nashville

If live music over coffee sounds like a dream come true, Will Payne Harrison will be playing songs from his new album “Louisiana Summer” at Reve Coffee at 10 a.m. Jesse Reaux — Rayo Brothers — will join in on banjo.

If you don’t know Will, you should.

American Songwriter recently featured the Americana-Folk-Alt Country singer and guitarist as one of their Daily Discoveries.

This is a good chance to check him out. - The Daily Advertiser

Caitlyn Smith is a young up-and-coming bluegrass singer-songwriter. Strong banjo, vocals, and lyrics. Here is a link to some of her music: https://www.reverbnation.com/caitlynsmith
Will Payne Harrison is a singer-songwriter loosely in the category of Americana/Folk/Alternative Country. Strong guitar, vocals, lyrics. Here is a link to his website: http://www.willpayneharrison.com/
Moonlight on the Mountain is located at: Bluff Park Shopping Center, 585 Shades Crest Rd, Birmingham, AL 35226. Bring your own food and drink. This venue is dedicated strictly to the music. Relaxed atmosphere, tables, friendly folks! - Birmingham365.org

Central Louisiana native Will Payne Harrison will release his debut album on Saturday, and he’s coming home to celebrate.

Harrison, a recent Nashville transplant, and his band from Tennessee will play in Alexandria Friday and Lafayette on Saturday.

“I wanted to make my first stop in Louisiana,” Harrison told The Town Talk during a phone interview on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old left for the Music City a little over a year ago after living in Lafayette for a decade. Harrison, who graduated from Tioga High School, grew up in the Alexandria area and still finds his way back to the city several times a year.

As the title of his CD, “Louisiana Summer,” might suggest, Harrison’s heart is still in the Bayou State.

Besides performing two shows, Harrison has other plans for his trip back.

Over the Labor Day weekend, he also will be working on the music video for his first single “Clarity.” It will be set in New Orleans and filmed by a local videographer.

Harrison said the 10 original tracks on “Louisiana Summer” were inspired by his transition from Lafayette to “uncharted territory” (Nashville).

“Almost all of the songs were written during last six months of living in Lafayette,” Harrison said, adding he had mixed feelings of fear and excitement during that time.

The CD also includes a cover of “Louisiana Rain” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Harrison’s plan for his album is simple. He wants to share his Louisiana roots with the world.

“I really think that there’s an important history in Louisiana with Cajun and Creole cultures,” Harrison said.

He has a hard time categorizing his style, but said it has a folk-roots feel. Some of his bandmates, like fiddler and harmonic player Fawn Larson, bring their own Cajun backgrounds to the table, too.

Harrison performed just last month in Alexandria at Spirits Food and Friends, and this weekend, he will be at Embers in downtown from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The official CD release show, on the Sept. 5 release date, will be at Lafayette’s Cité Des Arts at 7 p.m.

It may be almost Fall, but Harrison’s “Louisiana Summer” is just beginning.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. - The Alexandria Daily Town Talk

WILL PAYNE HARRISON

Louisiana Summer

The press on Will Payne Harrison’s Louisiana Summer notes his once-local status (and membership in The Onlies) and that you “can’t take the Louisiana out of the Cajun.” You won’t fi nd waltzes, two steps or anything of the sort on these 11 tracks. Instead, it is pared down, soft and easygoing folk Americana.

For the most part, it is Harrison, his guitar and his soul. The closest resemblances to Louisiana here are Tom Petty’s “Louisiana Rain,” which he covers well, and “Pretty Girl from Youngsville.” Yet, neither one has a real connection outside of the name.

What the line might really refer to is his spirit.

Harrison wrote, engineered, mixed and mastered the record on his own, with guest spots from three musicians. Outside of that DIY gumption, Harrison also sports the Cajun translation of pain and sorrow into fi ne music. An honest performer, Harrison — now a Nashville resident — offers a chunk of his heart on tracks like “Clarity.” Here he relates that, “It’s not easy to fi nd out who you are, until you know who you’ve been.” He’s got a good way with words too: on the aforementioned “Pretty Girl …” he confesses, “That night when your hand slid into mine, I fi nally believed in the stopping of time.”

A friend of the Rayo Brothers, his string-only sound is kin, but less Old West and more heartfelt. He may not sound Cajun, but in the spirit of Cajun music, Harrison leaves it all out there, raw emotions and all. - The IND

Anyone who thinks a musician’s life is nothing but free rides and cashed checks should press play on the title track of Will Payne Harrison’s East Nashville Blues.

The Louisiana native and current Nashville dweller sings about being broke and not being able to afford the rent in Music City. His lack of funds takes him all over the Nashville area to places like Hendersonville and Antioch, but he is still broke. Even after he scores a hit song, he still has three roommates. It is a wakeup call a lot of folks need to hear—not only to value those who give so much to our culture and economy but also those who think a decent grasp of three chords and voice that doesn’t scare cats can make them set for life. It is the kind of honesty he lives and breathes in his music. Harrison fills the rest of East Nashville Blues with this honesty, a good grasp on string-filled Americana and a voice that—while not pop-star immaculate or rock-star strong—won’t scare cats.

Harrison frames his honest but fabricated singer/songwriter style with an early-morning Americana alt-country sound—sleepy fiddles, dobro, nonchalant percussion. Easy, clean and humble, this, his follow-up to Louisiana Summer, is well-written but simple. Very sparse melancholy string songs like “Shame” and others, like “Poor Man Blues,” reflect an easygoing spirit you can hear throughout in Harrison’s voice.

As he sings on East Nashville Blues, Harrison hopes that he will make it someday. This record won’t blow up his bank account but it does showcase the hard work and talent that make his high-rent lifestyle in Nashville worth it. - Offbeat Magazine

Will Payne Harrison doesn’t harbor any ill will toward Steve Earle and Jason Isbell. But Harrison could be forgiven if he did.

Harrison’s new CD, “East Nashville Blues,” reached the top 200 of the national Americana radio chart shortly after its debut. The album stayed there for two months.

But then multiple-Grammy winners Earle and Isbell came along.

“When Jason Isbell and Steve Earle dropped their albums later in the summer, I got knocked off the charts,” said Harrison, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate who’s called Nashville home since 2014. “But at the beginning of the spring, I was up there and that was really exciting.

“I’ve been getting great response. It’s a first for me, and I’m excited about it.”

Harrison brings excitement for his new CD home when he performs for the Reve After Dark music series at 7 p.m. July 28 at Reve Coffee Roasters in downtown Lafayette. Friend and fellow Nashville songwriter Steven Dunn joins Harrison. Renda Jade opens the show.


The Lafayette show is a stop on Harrison’s four-city, Louisiana tour, which moves to Texas and Oklahoma in January.

Rayo Brothers making good impressions

With his chart success, Harrison returns home riding a wave of favorable albums reviews. Offbeat Magazine of New Orleans called the disc “easy, clean and humble.” Mother Church Pew of Nashville said Harrison’s musical stories “can make your smile right before they make you cry. Willie Nelson and John Prine would be proud.”

Harrison wrote all 10 songs on the CD, backed by music from a few familiar names. Fawn Larson, who had The Onlies band with Harrison in Lafayette, added harmonica and harmonies to a remake of the band’s hit, “Bonnie & Clyde.” Melanie Bresnan, who has performed and toured with Harrison, contributed vocals and harmonies on “Pieces of the Past.”

“East Nashville Blues” is the follow-up to Harrison’s debut CD, “Louisiana Summer,” which was released in 2015. Offbeat, which now sings Harrison’s praises, then called his voice “flat and wobbly.”

But Harrison has unveiled smooth, sweet vocals to match the heartfelt lyrics on the new album. Harrison said Nashville peer pressure forced him to up his game.

Pawn shop visit changes Caillier's life

“You’re constantly around so many incredible musicians; you can’t help but force yourself to get better,” said Harrison, a Pineville native. “I spent a lot of time working on my guitar chops and vocal chops, just to catch up to all the talent that’s up here.

“I had to learn how to breathe right. If you’re not breathing right, you’re not getting the full capacity of your voice.

“I feel like I’ve gone from being just a songwriter to a singer-songwriter. I feel like my voice is definitely developing and will continue to develop.” - The Advertiser

Louisiana-bred Nashville-based troubadour Will Payne Harrison is back with East Nashville Blues, a ten-track album of brutally honest introspection delivered through the sounds of rockicana with a touch of bluegrass—and thank the good Lord those beautiful fiddle-infused Louisiana roots periodically peek through. Harrison follows in the footsteps of his heroes, telling stories that can make you smile right before they make you cry. Willie Nelson and John Prine would be proud.

Other artists: Pokey LaFarge & Colter Wall. - Mother Church Pew