W’s All Around: WILLIS and Winyah at SLO Brew Rock

words and photos by Leah Hetteberg

Having accumulated upwards of 600k Spotify listeners in just a year and a half, Winyah is quickly rising to become the next big name in indie-rock. Self-described as “the soundtrack to late-night drives and carefree adventures”, the band, originally from South Carolina and now based in Nashville, has proven that title to be true with their debut album, Lot To Learn, featuring hits such as the album’s namesake, Lot To Learn, and Feel It All Again. 

On November 6th, I got the chance to see them open for their fellow Nashvillians, WILLIS—illustrious for their TikTok-viral song, I Think I Like When It Rains, amongst other similar melodic indie-rock—at the SLO Brew Rock in San Luis Obispo. Such an illustrious SoCal venue, met with these two incredible bands, was sure to make for a magical night!

I excitedly arrived at the Rod & Hammer Rock in San Luis Obispo about half an hour before doors opened. It’s a fascinating spot: An ambient brewery + restaurant placed in the middle of a seemingly unsuspecting corporate park on the outskirts of SLO. Daylight Savings having recently been enacted, I was already unsettled by the mere concept of arriving at a concert with it dark out, so seeing the string lights and firepit aglow amidst the grounds of industrial buildings and the local airport felt like a beacon of musical hope after a trek through fields of darkness.   

Admittedly, I came to the show with the primary intention of getting to see a Winyah show. I, like many active in the modern indie-rock realm, have fallen into fandom of theirs in a violently exponential fashion throughout this year. In line with what one of my housemates said prior to the show, it seems like at some point this summer, all of a sudden, everyone was listening to them. 

 

Their rise has been rightfully exponential, but shows no signs of slowing. Throughout their curt 10-song set, they played three new songs, including a single that they surprise-released that night! Normally, I am not a fan of unreleased songs being performed at shows as a means of avoiding developing emotional attachment to a piece of media that I have no immediate access to. However, each new song felt as enlivening and enriching as each of their old songs. 

 

Winyah’s newest single, Nothin’ At All, that they performed and released that night!

Albeit, one can hardly call these songs old. The Lot To Learn album only dropped this past February, complete with 10 absolute bangers. They played 7 of those 10 songs, tragically shirking me of one of my favorites, Mamacita. Fortunately, this album is of the nature where each individual track is nearly equally obsessive, to the point that I hardly noticed this loss as I was so enthused by the music they did play. Surprisingly, they did not end with Lot To Learn, but instead with Lay Me Down, another one of my favorites, and truthfully, the absolute correct song to end with. With its climactic chorus and addictive bass line, it made sure the set went out with a bang.  

 

The whole set rocked, and even their more low-key, jazzier tracks were electric. The entire crowd was moving the whole time, plastered with radiant music-induced grins. To that point, I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the crowd: There was a substantial number of hands stamped “Under 21”, though about equally as many holding cups of the house brew. Furthermore, it was a refreshing change of pace throughout both sets being amongst a room of clear live music lovers, whether they knew the band or not, as opposed to sold-out houses of idle phones-in-the-air. 

I acquired a vinyl press of the album following the show, which I then got signed by three of the five members of Winyah: Butters, the lead guitarist; Jake, the drummer; and Stevo, the bassist. Thomas, the frontman, had left just a few minutes before I could approach their stand, and Rob, the keyboardist, and his infamous cowboy hat I had yet to catch sight of since their set ended. In quintessential Southern hospitality fashion, they were the sweetest guys you could imagine. Butters chatted with me for a few minutes about playing guitar, after I noted the impressively small size of the pick that he given to the girl in line before me. After our conversation, he bade me farewell, emphasizing, “See you soon”! A sentiment I dearly hope will manifest truthfully. 

 

Check out Winyah’s debut album, Lot To Learn

While I knew much less of WILLIS, as I expected from the mystical ambiance of I Think I Like When It Rains, amongst the other songs I previewed prior to the show, they showed out with an indisputably exemplary performance. Talk about a band with soul. They proclaim that, “WILLIS wears authenticity fastened on to their sleeves”, which they indisputably hold true to. Watching each individual member on stage, you could tell that they all put their entire beings into every note while uniquely offering a distinct element to their eclectic sound and image. Also a five-piece band, it was noteworthy that their frontman was a smooth, satisfying vocalist, while also a sublime bassist—an uncommon but always spectacular sight. Not to mention the raw Southern authenticity that this guy radiated. His vibrant personality shone not just through his performance, but just as much in the remarks between songs, noting fun lore about songs or his bandmates. On multiple occasions, he introduced the next song, saying, “and it goes just like this…”, which I adored. Additionally, I loved his bass—sort of a creamy brown accented with white—the sheeny designed fit perfectly into Murphy’s aesthetic. 

 

As I mentioned, it was not just the frontman who was full of liveliness. Most notably, WILLIS’s two guitarists each brought their own brand of groove that perfectly balanced the other’s. On the right, Trey Murphy, had the groove of a bassist in a guitarist’s body. Through every song that man bore the most satisfied grin as he moved and grooved; it was infatuating to watch. On the left, Edward Armstead was similarly funky but in a more steadfast and sturdy manner, though equally exciting to watch. In the second half of the set, Edward was introduced and let off to rip a guitar solo in between songs, and he ever so elegantly obliged, giving us a crisp but jazzy blues riff that felt like candy for the ears and soul. 

It goes without saying that the crowd was entranced the whole show. Each song, though distinctly theirs in their token bright yet psychedelic indie tone, brought a unique beat and energy alongside deep storytelling and authentic emotion. It was a thrill to have them gift us with a song that was unreleased at the time, Clover, which I am excitedly anticipating the release of.

The band very seamlessly got even further engaged with the crowd throughout the set, climactically ending the main set with, I Think I Like When It Rains, with which everyone seemed to be able to sing along. They then concluded the encore with what became my new favorite song of theirs, CJ’s Van, a fun, road-trip bop on the same EP.

Check out WILLIS’s second EP, Locals 2, containing internet hit, I Think I Like When It Rains, and my personal favorite, CJ’s Van: 

 

As predicted, this was all around an outstanding show. Genuinely one of the favorites I’ve been to of the 20+ that I have attended this year. Both Winyah and WILLIS, while distinctly different, offered incredible live energies to accompany their extraordinary music. I’m excited to see what’s next for both of these bands, and hopefully catch them on the road again soon.