The Wiyos - ProfilesArchive

About Me

In their five-year lifespan, The Wiyos have driven over 400,000 miles in seven countries and played over a thousand shows. They have released three full-length albums, seamlessly blending their original songwriting with a wide spectrum of vernacular American music. The New Yorker says "the group brings exuberance and intensity to these vintage styles, and its performances are layered with vaudevillian stage antics." Originally an acoustic trio, they are in the process of expanding to a quartet and focusing on increased creative collaboration and broadening their sonic palette. They have built a reputation for riveting live performances. Americana UK reports that "their musicianship is outstanding", and Sing Out calls them "tons of fun".

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/11/2005
Band Website: thewiyos.com
Band Members: Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette - upright bass, vocals Parrish Ellis - resonator and archtop guitars, guitjo, banjo, ukulele, vocals Michael Farkas - washboard, harmonica, kazoo, vocals, sound effects Teddy Webber - steel guitar, guitar, vocals
Influences: victrolas, mountains, cities, silent films, street-corner musicians from the last 100 years. ragtime and piedmont blues, stringbands, jugbands, washboard swing. We love amalgamating music from early 20th century America and writing our own songs inspired by those various musical idioms.
Sounds Like: The Hoosier Hotshots, Washboard Rhythm Kings, Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies, Fats Waller, Arthur Blake, The Swingbillies, Spike Jones, Willie McTell, Anglin Brothers, The Skillet Lickers, Gary Davis, Gus Cannon & The Jug Stompers, The Carolina Tarheels, Casey Bill Weldon, The Lightcrust Doughboys, Pink Anderson, The Mississippi Sheiks, Bill Boyd & The Cowboy Ramblers, John Hurt, Joe & Charlie McCoy ......time to stop geeking out
Record Label: PIE Records/ Truthface Recordings
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

May 2008 news

Hello friends of The Wiyos, we have finally made time to update our myspace!! This is an exciting new phase for the band; we are collaborating with Teddy Weber (of The Hunger Mountain Boys) and writin...
Posted by The Wiyos on Wed, 28 May 2008 09:24:00 PST

Festival memories and the NEW CD!!!

Hello everybody!We're enjoying two whole days off in the midst of an insane touring schedule... we're busy mowing the yard, and cooking things from the garden at our home away from home with friends i...
Posted by The Wiyos on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:42:00 PST

Spring News

Hello Everyone!We just finished tracking the new record!!! We are so excited to bring you a whole batch of new material, a few traditionals numbers and a lot of originals. We recorded out at PIE stu...
Posted by The Wiyos on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 03:15:00 PST

Sorry for the delay...

We do our own myspace, unlike some bands who hire thier labels and/or pay some kid so when you get a myspace message comment or add, it is from someone in the band... please be patient!!!-joseph, mich...
Posted by The Wiyos on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:13:00 PST

First entry

Hey Everyone,Thanks for stopping by - We have had a crazy crazy summer on the road from Brooklyn to vancouver to LA to Vermont back to NYC by way of Ottowa, and then it was off to the UK for a month. ...
Posted by The Wiyos on Fri, 06 Oct 2006 05:21:00 PST