Meet Americana/country, blues-rock trio, Will and the Won’ts, composed of singer/guitarist, Will Risbourg, singer/drummer, Andrew Bilotti, and singer/bassist, Gui Bodi. After meeting at the Musician’s Institute in Lost Angeles in 2010, the three officially became a trio in January of 2014. For Will and the Won’ts, music is “the most thorough, direct, and concise method of communication that people have come up with.” Read more about Will and the Won’ts from Gadfly Online’s interview with Will Risbourg and be sure to check out their new single, “Wake Up Clean,” here!
Gadfly Online: Can you provide us with some background? Where are you from? What made you pursue a career in music?
Will Risbourg: I am from Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’ve been playing music since I was ten years old, and it’s really the only thing that makes sense for me to do. I was on track to go to college and get a Bachelor’s degree in one thing or another, but it didn’t really feel like moving forward with whom I was. Going to Musician’s Institute fell into place at the last minute, and I jumped at the opportunity. Our drummer Andrew is from Erie, Pennsylvania, and our bass player Gui is from Sao Palo, Brazil. They’re not here at the moment, so I can’t give you specifics on their personal motivations, but I can tell you that they are along the same lines.
GO: How would you characterize your music? Do you fit into a stock genre or create a fusion of genres?
WR: I really don’t worry too much about that. We just do our best to make the songs speak in the most effective way possible.
GO: Who would you cite as your musical influence?
WR: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jack White, The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Avett Brothers, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Joe West
GO: What project are you promoting right now? How does this fit into your overall career arc?
WR: We are promoting our first single, “Wake Up Clean.” We did an album about a year and a half ago that didn’t end up getting released, so we are going to begin work on our first official full-length record early next year.
GO: What do you hope to communicate to listeners through your music? What does music mean to you?
WR: Well, that all depends on the song. Every song has something to say, but I don’t have any kind of over-reaching agendas or messages for the world.
To me, music is the most thorough, direct, and concise method of communication that people have come up with. If you’re good at it, you can get something across to someone in a powerful way in only a few minutes without any need for a lengthy discussion. Honest music cuts through a lot of the BS associated with day-to-day human interaction.
GO: What can we expect from you in the future?
WR: More music 🙂
For more information about Will and the Wont’s, visit their
