willis Official News Feed

back at it!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:57:08 +0000

the return to rock-ville was a huge success! thanks to t henry's and our friends brady and ruben for getting us out of our holding pattern! we are in talks to return there soon.

so where have we been? well, life has been keeping things busy. lee got married and bought a house in omaha. casey bought a house south of lincoln. and zack has been cramming to learn lyrics for a side project we're calling flannel channel, which will serve as the house band for kfrx/red 9's "90s nite" for the next several months. the band is willis + zack's brother, nick, and we think you'll really enjoy it.

crazy, huh? so what does all this mean for the future of willis? willis has, does and will exist, though it will take a turn toward the way of the sasquatch, and be harder to spot. new originals are in the works, which will breed more original music shows. willis 'cover' shows will happen less often, and both of these will probably happen more often in omaha. the lineup will remain the same. the fun will remain the same. and we hope you will continue to support these endeavors as you always have!

thanks again for everything over the years...let's rock it out till the mayan calendar meets Y2K in non-event land...and beyond!

it's official

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:50:58 +0000

after more than a year of trying to find and buy a house in las vegas, lee is not moving after all! how can this be? you say you've been to every 'going away' show they've had in the last 6 months, and now he's sticking around? believe us, every time we thought it was his 'going away' show, we believed it was. but if you haven't heard, the houseing market in las vegas is a little outta whack! as a result, lee's chain has been pulled in every direction, and he finally said 'enough is enough.'

so now what? well, lee is moving to omaha, and willis? will continue, expanding in new directions and returning to the business of writing songs and peeling back the onion that is omaha's music scene.

thank you for all your support! we're looking forward to the next phase of willis? and all the opportunities this turn in the road will bring! see you soon!

now what?

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:55:59 +0000

so what's up with willis? we're wondering the same, but in the next few days all the mystery will end! stay tuned!!!

summer in full swing!

Sat, 07 May 2011 13:19:49 +0000

it looks like all the cold stuff is behind us, so lesss busss out the swimsuits, sunscreen and bug spray! thanks to all y'all that have stuck with us thru another winter. as long as you keep coming out, we'll keep showing up, too! also, if you hear of a little nebraska town that needs some willis in their lives, please let us know! we're itching to hit the road!

Back in the Saddle

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:47:33 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came out to Grata last Wednesday. We had a great time...its good to be back in action after taking a few months off this winter. Stay tuned for more shows and some new tunes to be added to the setlist!!!

long cold winter

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:46:14 +0000

well, we're in the belly of the winder beast. it's almost like we had to cut open a ton ton with our light sabres and crawl inside to stay warm. the good news is, we're optimistic that warmer weather is on the way, so we've decided to give our gig booking muscles a little workout. as you can see, we still have em, and we've added a boat load of shows with the effort! having said that, we're still looking for more, so if you have one for us, please let us know!

yes, lee is still going to move out of town, but willis will play on until that day, and long after that bitter sweet day!!! thanks for all your support! we hope to see you soon and often!!!

wild week winds down

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:21:02 +0000

thanks to all of you who joined us at grata or the rococo...or both! fun times, and lots of reasons to be thankful! next stop is lee's first performance at the zoo bar's 'troubadour tuesday'. please put it on your calendar as this will be his first solo event in a looong time, so his potential to botch it is high!

the very next nite, dec 22, willis returns to the grata for our Christmas gig. bring a wrapped $5 gift enter the goofball gift exchange...seriously. make it funny!

fun november!

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:01:51 +0000

though we\'re going to have a slow october and november, we ahve two extra fun dates that were just confirmed! willis will be at grata on weds, nov 27. this is traditionally everyone\'s nite to have thanksgiving with their friends before the fam arrives...and the last day their pants fit correctly till mid february..so plan on celebrating at grata!

the latest addition is thanks to our good friend em at the rococo. if you\'re not going to the stadium to watch the huskers demolish everyone\'s least favorite colorado team, plan on watching the game on the rococo\'s giant movie screen! after the game, stick around for myriad buffalo jokes, and three hours of rock from willis!!! it\'s been a long time coming (getting willis into the rococo), so please don\'t miss this special nite!

repair the roof!

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:13:02 +0000

thanks to all that came to the zoo last nite! sheesh! i'm guessing they're calling in the repair crew to reattach the roof you helped us blow off the place last nite! also, thanks to stonebelly and the toons for adding to the fun! new gigs on the way soon!

thanks!

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:27:50 +0000

thanks to all who came out to grata! fun times! look for another confirmed date there soon!

also, thanks to all who are now sporting the new willis t shirt! if you haven't seen it, just imagine the most awesome t shirt ever imagined, and multiply that awesomeness by 3.14, and you'll be close to imagining how awesome they are. get yours soon! they're going fast, and each one is unique.

finally, while willis is still chugging toward a major change, we are still booking dates and are available for your bar, barmitzvah, wedding, divorce, anniversary, birthday, promotion, demotion, lateral move or retirement party! if you have a different occasion, try us. i bet we'll consider it!

thanks again for all your support! see you soon!

rollin along!

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:56:34 +0000

thanks to all y'all for coming to the zoo and the grata! while the clock is ticking toward the end, we're not done yet! hope your summer is rolling along as amazing as ours. thanks again to all our friends for such amazing support! we'll see you soon!

red 9 does it again.

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:19:55 +0000

for the second time this summer, we have been booked at the red 9, and later cancelled due to double booking. while we really want to work somehting out with them, it's frustrating to us, and the people we care most about: you. if you would like to see us at red 9 again, please mention this to them every time you're there. thanks for all your support!

next stop: the legendary zoo bar. it'll be an all original set this thursday (july 15) in one of the best sounding rooms in the midwest. be sure you find a seat by 9:30, as our friend mark thornton and his band will be kicking things off with their roots rock jams!

still at it

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:11:18 +0000

though you may have heard rumors of willis' demise, they are not true! we are still booking gigs and plan to for the indefinite future. while the miles betwixt us may increase, and the frequency of shows decrease, rest assured, willis will continue!

thanks to all y'all that cam to the grata on a school nite. we had so much fun, we're going to do it again aug 11...so bring your friends! next stop, the legendary zoo bar with our friend mark thornton and his ensemble.

hate to be hatin

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:19:52 +0000

looking forward to our first appearance at grata. saw our boys 'hardwood dash' there on weds, and they really brought it. other events of the week were red 9 cancelling garfan's show at the red 9...which means we won't be there either. some things are just meant to be.

hope you'r edoing well! can't wait to see you again soon!

tick tock tick tock...

Fri, 14 May 2010 05:02:33 +0000

well. if you haven't heard, lee is moving! we know. this is soooo weak. the upside: willis will ride on. so if you're a bar owner or fiance or party planner or anyone hoping to bring the willis rock and roll experience to your shindig, don't freak! we are still available in lincoln, kc, denver, des moines, las vegas, phoenix and los angeles. it's just gonna take a little planning and lazer-tipped marketing to be sure erbody knows.

betwixt now and lee's departure, we're packing in the gigs, so don't be shy! let us know where to be and we'll be there! um...scuze us...the phone's ringing! mmmm! can't wait!

here we go!

Mon, 03 May 2010 19:43:09 +0000

thanks for your patience. it's been a while, but we're getting spooled back up. may and june are still pretty locked down, but july aug and sep will be bangin! if you have an idea for where we should rock, please let us know asap!

thanksgiving

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:19:04 +0000

with turkeys, parades and a big birthday party in the rearview, we can finally catch our breath and launch a message of thanks. 2009 has been the busiest year ever for willis. gigs in iowa, kansas, missouri and new york city have been exciting adventured outside our hometown, but it's always nice to come home. we're not sure what 2010 will bring, but one thing is sure: 2009 was a great one and we're thankful for each of you who were part of it!

great weekend!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:59:14 +0000

thanks to all who came out this weekend! WC's was small an intimate, but still a great time! thanks to our guest musicians, bryan and mike! good times!

now, on to red 9! what's wrong with you people? first of all, someone fell in the pond of fire! i mean, we all thought it might happen, someday, but IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED! we hope you're ok, and thanks for being a such a great sport about it! and then, all you dance freaks! way to light up the dance floor! to all the post-show brawlewrs, boo! remember? we WON the game?! to the rest of you, if you had as much fun as we did, please call/email/tell the red 9! let 'em know you want us back with party dogz asap!

rocktober winds down

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:34:48 +0000

thanks to everyone that came out to earl's last week! what a bonkerz nite. thanks to ted and dustin for contributing to the music as well. we'll be back at earl's. oh yes. we will be back at earl's!

halloween is upon us. if you're a super willis fan (which you are if you're reading this), email us for info aobut the super secret halloween bash! it'll be nuts!

next week will be wild and wooley! friday at WC's and sat at the red 9. hopefully we don't implode! see you then!

nyc? is that all you got?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:15:07 +0000

just kidding! nyc was a total blast. thanks to everyone who came out to the show weds nite. there are already rumors this trip will happen again!

super big thanks to aaron and nichole for hosting us and showing us the sights and sounds! remember to peep him at http://www.aaronzimmer.com. if you need a website, peep http://www.lavalounge.net. if you need a purse, peep nichole's work at http://www.juicycouture.com/

the awesome trip ended with a blemish when we watched casey's bass shoot off the luggage carousel...onto the floor...with the case partially open! closer inspection revealed the bass was upside down in the case! and two of the buckles were broken! more on this story as it develops!

the busiest period in willis? history rolls on with a stop this friday at earl's! hope to see you there!

youhoo! nyc? are you ready?

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:43:07 +0000

we're counting down the hours till we leave the 'good life' for a weekend of rock and relaxation in the city that never sleeps. if you're one of the record labels we invited, congratulations on finding us! we're eager to meet you. if you're one of our freinds in the big apple, we're looking forward to seeing you again! rememer, we start at 8p SHARP on thurs! it'll rule!

thanks for playing!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:57:16 +0000

well, the results are in. from the hundreds of bands that entered the midwest battle of the bands, your buds in willis ended up third.

why third? how can this be?! this is hard to explain without sounding like sour grapes, but many have asked, so we'll try: first, examine the voting process. there were 3 judges. their scores represented 50% of our total score. the other 50% of the total score was comprised entirely by chips cast by 'fans' of the bands. one voting chip was given with each drink purchase.

now a closer look at saturday. we were the first band to play, and our slot was at 2p. our peeps (thank you for coming!) came out at 2 and left, hoping to come back later. the other bands (obviously) had later slots. the later the bands played, the more likely their people were to stay and drink...meaning more votes for their band.

add to this, we were the only band in the finals from lincoln. the other bands brought caravans of peeps to the 'big city' to drink themselves silly! imagine how many voting chips they earned if they arrived at 5, 6 or 7:00 and drank till midnite!

so. was it a music contest? yes. was it more of a drinking contest? probably. having said that, congrats to all the bands involved, and most importantly all the willis peeps who came out! it was great to hang and enjoy some other top-notch bands from the region. next stop: NYC!

the tourney ends saturday! HELP!

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:49:59 +0000

as some of you know, for the last few months, while you were working on your tan, we were rocking our way toward the finals in an ongoing tournament to crown the champion of the midwest bands. well, the finals are finally upon us! as before, we need you to win!

another fun note: the set we're playing here will closely resemble what we're taking to our gig in new york city next week! come help us tweak it! help us pick songs, decide where we should put them, and when zack should take off his shirt! we want kenny's to have the worst case of rock neck it's ever had when we're done!

from hundreds, nay, thousands, nay, MILLIONS of midwest bands, the field has been whittled to this:

duggan's pub. doors @ noon . all ages till 9p . $7

willis? 2:00-2:35pm
Chapstik Villains 3:00-3:35pm
Dethmask 4:00-4:35pm
Shatter 5:00-5:35pm
Matic Impulse 6:00-6:35pm
Empty W. Reason 7:00-7:35pm
Bynded 7:55-8:30pm

finalist 1 9:00-9:35pm
finalist 2   9:55-10:30pm
finalist 3   10:55-11:30pm
finalist 4   11:55-12:30am

the top four bands will be announced at the end of the night, but the winners won't be announced til monday nite! (boo). how can you help us? we thought you'd never ax.

JUDGES: 50% their scores are 50%

TICKET: 50% u get 1 w/each bar purchase

as even ungifted mathematicians can see, without your hunger and thirst (for things in addition to rock), we will find ourselves under the heap of bands above us. but show up, hungry and thirsty, and you will join us as we rest upon our haunches atop the heap of exhausted dreams of midwest bands...but we're not sharing the prize money!

hope to see you there!

thanks for a great weekend, KC!

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:45:07 +0000

thanks to our good buddy tim with the groove pilots for being out agent, host and entertainment guide last weekend! if you're in KC, please check em out!

kobi's - you guys are awesome! we can't wait to get back!

kansas city coffee company & the class of 1954 - well, we didn't have any glen miller or ratpack in our hip pocket, but it seemed we all found a way to meet in the middle. congrats on the milestone and thanks for having us!

the zeros - your lights are amazing. we're still seeing spots. thanks for the 80s tootledge.

finally, the chiefs - at least the weather was perfect! thanks to our new friends with the great tailgate. also, thanks to d and the crew for the hang! rarely has there been a finer seating upgrade!