Continuing education: Willie DE’s musical education spans from busking on the Downtown Mall to studying jazz guitar at VCU. When he takes on a genre, he owns it, showing off his stuff with funk, blues, folk, and even some new wave, à la Elvis Costello. Along with his substantial knowledge of covers and fan favorites, […]
Continuing education: Willie DE’s musical education spans from busking on the Downtown Mall to studying jazz guitar at VCU. When he takes on a genre, he owns it, showing off his stuff with funk, blues, folk, and even some new wave, à la Elvis Costello. Along with his substantial knowledge of covers and fan favorites, […]
Building a groove: Willie DE may be the hardest-working musician in local show biz. As a determined teen he formed his first band, The Wave, at age 13, and busked on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall and in the parking lots before UVA football games. Following his education in jazz guitar at VCU and extensive touring on […]
In September, WVTF ’s “Roots Down” host Luke Church gathered four area songwriters—David Tewksbury and Willie DE of Charlottesville met Roanoke’s Phil Norman and Corey Hunley in a live show that united the performers through instant chemistry. In a musical equivalent of finishing each other’s sentences, the session found the musicians harmonizing, swapping verses and […]
When guitarist Willie DE walks onstage to unveil his sophomore album, Thunder Train, he will be taking another big step on a musical journey that cuts straight through Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. As a young aspiring musician, DE made his first bucks while busking on local streets, and credits his membership at the Music Resource Center […]