William Tyler - "Cadillac Desert" at Grimey's, 3/19/2013

Willy T. drops in at Grimey's to share some tunes from his new full-length, Impossible Truth, with a packed house of friends. Here's "Cadillac Desert," a meditation on self-mythologizing. Music starts at 0:58. He brought along three guitars, so I posted clips in which he used each one; dig the glossy shimmer from the Danelectro 12-string! Tyler is a jaw-dropping solo guitarist, contributor to a slew of great bands like Lambchop and Silver Jews, a venue co-owner and label head, and an all-around nice guy. He also has an uncanny ability to talk about big things in his songs, without using a single word. As he explained in a feature interview with The Nashville Scene's Edd Hurt, the record's themes include the power that we assign to nostalgia, how "The Tyranny of Nostalgia" can have apocalyptic consequences, and the redeeming power of love - all presented in characteristic bemused, self-effacing fashion.