While Joe Wais might not be a household name on his own at this point, the Milwaukee multi-instrumentalist has quietly fashioned a reputation as one of the city’s most active and prolific musicians in the realm of bluegrass. Wais is a longtime member of The MilBillies, a third of folk trio Valley Fox, one of the founders of the Bluegrass Whatevers series and a member of its “Sugar Bush” house band, and he can occasionally be heard backing the likes of Joseph Huber at live outings. Saying he keeps busy would be an understatement.
Despite shouldering that impressive workload, Wais was able to find both the time and inspiration to craft material for a solo EP. Today marks the release of North Illinois. The EP—Wais’ first solo effort—features four homespun songs that find him looking back to his roots in northeastern Illinois. Over a span of about 17 minutes, Wais chronicles, in his own words, “the immense changes that have occurred over the last three decades, using folk and bluegrass themes and instrumentation as a means for lamentation.”
Opening track “Main Street” sets the tone by commenting on how cornfields were replaced by factories and Main Street in a once-charming small town has lost its character. Subsequent songs mention industrial exodus and the impact it has on the remaining residents. “Tanner House” seems to touch on a protagonist’s overwhelming itch for a better life, and the realization that leaving home might be the only way to find it.
North Illinois wasn’t just self-recorded (before being mixed by Ian Olvera and mastered by Justin Perkins of Mystery Room Mastering), but Wais also sings and plays every instrument—including banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and fiddle—on the quartet of songs he wrote. Meet Joe Wais or, if you’re already familiar with his past work, hear one of Milwaukee’s busiest musicians as you’ve never heard him before and stream North Illinois now.