Britton Wetherald

To ask Britton Wetherald what kind of music he makes is akin to asking him where he's from. There's no definite answer, and if he does offer one, you can expect it will be only part of a long and confusing story. He will tell you about his typical punk roots as a bass player back in Denver and inspiration from time Seattle and Portland. He will admit to a fledgling rap career during his tenure working at a studio in Los Angeles. He may mention grueling hours learning "the biz" at school in Florida. A few are vaguely aware of time spent in Africa. Upon purely random circumstances he ended up in Chicago with a zest for a new genre he calls "heroin folk."Even more perplexing is the subject of influences. In one breath, Britton will rattle off a dizzying list of pairings of seemingly unrelated musicians--Miles Davis and the Coachwhips, the Velvet Underground and Dillinger Four, Elliot Smith and Johnny Cash, Smokey Robinson and the Creation, MC5 and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Curtis Mayfield, T. Rex and the Descendents-- a testament to his slightly askew method of songwriting. ("It'll be like if the Warlocks and Hank Williams had a baby and named it 'Daft Punk'.. seriously.. check this out, you'll love it..I wrote it on an airplane..")Britton has worked in recording studios in Los Angeles and Chicago. He co-wrote a song with Grammy-winning producer Rico Lumpkins (Outkast, Master P, Public Enemy, TLC). He claims as a mentor Norman Whitfield (producer/songwriter for Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips). Britton has performed in Chicago and at Kenyon College in Ohio.He is presently juggling time between pursuit of a "heroin folk" demo and recording Crosstalk, the weekly Gearwire.com podcast (http://www.gearwire.com/crosstalk.html).In the spirit of the Brothers Johnson, Britton would probably like to make it known that he is a Gemini. He is less willing to reveal that he has a secret man-crush on Marc Bolan.