Music Review // Stephen Wilson Jr. "Live at the Print Shop (Full Episode)"

 

"The Print Shop" has really become a special place to hear stories and songs for various musicians.   While I was not familiar with Stephen Wilson Jr going into this show, I definitely learned enough about him and heard enough of his songs to instantly fall in love.   This all started with the song "Calico Creek", which I did know, and following that song the talk between host Adam Blank and Stephen Wilson Jr shifted to him being the quiet kid growing up, which I can relate with, and also being a boxer.   I wanted to know if all those kids really did drown but I guess I'll have to google it.

"Billy" was the second song performed and it has the hook "You can call me Billy but the hills come with me".   Stephen Wilson Jr just has this natural song writing ability that can't be taught in schools.    With these rambling guitars and Springsteen-like vocals you can think of this as being that rebel country but it's so much more.  People who are into country music will definitely be into this, but I think on a whole this is just amazing music that everyone should hear- regardless of what your main genre of choice is.   This also comes out in the song "Cuckoo", which is about those every day things we can't control.

While a lot of this show is about his father, there is the slow and brooding song- "Father's Son"- in which he sings "I used to hate being called junior / But I don't mind any longer", which makes you think about naming your child after you.  "Year to Be Young 1994" sounds a bit like an "All Apologies" riff and name drops both Boyz II Men and Nirvana, as there are references from that time.  This leads to a discussion about John Mellencamp and how Stephen Wilson Jr went to his wedding when Wilson was only 12 years old.   It's a great story and after "The Devil" Stephen Wilson Jr is gifted an amp from Adam Blank.

What hit me most about this whole thing is that Stephen Wilson Jr left his job as a scientist to become a song writer but he never planned on singing the songs.  As the stories will tell, he'd sing on the demos of songs but he kind of wrote them with the intent for others to sing them.  Stephen Wilson Jr has such a great voice it'd be a shame if we never got to hear it and I feel like if you watch this whole show through you will immediately become a fan and fall in love with this pure music soul.