Willie Ames: Folk California Soul
From the coast of sunny San Diego (Poway), California, Willie Ames is a guitarist/banjoist/singer/songwriter performing acoustic folk/rock music. He first learned to play the guitar at the age of 5 with simple lessons from his father who taught him how to form the basic chords A through G. From then on, playing guitar was a constant, as he self-taught himself by ear.
At the age of eighteen, Willie became deeply inspired by the music of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. While attending college, studying Mechanical Engineering, he decided that embarking on a rock and roll music career had to be done. Willie has written and continues to write his own original material that has listeners comparing his sound to his influences and other well known musicians. He does not use a pick and uses the bare skin of his finger tips to finger pick. This allows for a more versatile sound and reveals more taste in his guitar playing technique. He also uses a bare hand strumming/slap technique from time to time. Willie's finger work can be heard in almost every music line he writes and is especially present in his instrumental track titled "Ice Breaker".
In his songs that include vocals, Willie is picking the guitar/banjo and singing simultaneously. His track titled "Desert Run", which happens to be the favorite according to his listeners, is a good example that proves his ability to finger pick his instrument while singing. He does not use any machined sounds nor any special effects, just straight live finger work! His lyrics are written with influence from everyday experiences as well as fictional/artistic thoughts and ideas.
Willie plays a six-string acoustic guitar, both metal and nylon string. At age twenty-three, Willie picked up a five-string banjo, and learning came naturally. He began writing "Black Widow" within ten minutes of first picking up the instrument. As many other banjo players play bluegrass style of banjo, Willie digs deep to find a harder/darker rock type of sound. A six-string electric guitar also gets worked into the cycle of instrument use. For years now, Willie has been non-stop, performing showcases at music venues, festivals, party functions, corporate gigs, and weddings with his original music all across the United States. He's in pursuit of touring internationally with his live performance. Willie manages to distribute his original CD to everyone in attendance at every show.
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