Willem McCormick
Encyclopedia
Willem McCormick is a Los Angeles
based singer-songwriter
originally from New Orleans, Louisiana
. Having several regional hits since the late 1990s, McCormick's songs are often about life's trouble, girls, and life's everyday girl troubles. Guitar World
magazine described McCormick as knowing a thing or two about writing a killer song hook.
, Louisiana
, McCormick, at the age of nine years old had an interest in bluegrass music and showed an interest in learning the banjo. Upon realizing there would be no banjo teacher available McCormick's mother would enroll him in guitar classes at Kenny Hebert's Music. Upon getting his hands on an electric guitar his music preference of choice became rock. As a teenager he played in a few garage bands and listened to Led Zeppelin
, Metallica
, and other guitar based hard rock bands but when he began writing his own songs later on his music came across with a more melodic approach.
He first live original performances were at The Point After in downtown Houma. Because of a slight case of nerves local open mic host Ron Maynard suggested he wear sunglasses to perform. With that suggestion the tunes poured out and within a year Willem McCormick had recorded his first album "Ten Good Reasons" at Mike Loupe's home studio. After the record was produced by McCormick and Barry Bowen it was released and well received as one of the top 100 releases of Louisiana artist in 1995. McCormick appeared regularly on the radio show " Z Morning Zoo" on the Z100 radio station.
Willem McCormick played locally on the New Orleans scene at such popular venues as Muddy Waters, Tipitina's
and Jimmy's while earnestly self promoting the band both independently and with the help of co-promoter Bowen.
During this time Willem McCormick also started promoting a series af concerts south of New Orleans in Houma called Rock-a-thon. He booked and promoted bands from New Orleans, Baton Rouge and even New York
and Los Angeles
. His band would sometimes play a set during the festival.
who was working at Daniel Lanois
' Kingsway Studio in the French Quarter
. Bowen got the new demos of McCormick's songs to Shoemaker who had just committed to working on Sheryl Crow's second album. Sheryl Crow's record was reportedly finished a few days early because of Shoemakers commitment to a studio date with McCormick. Sheryl Crow
reportedly remarked, "Who is this Willem McCormick, what label is he on ?"
The album was almost picked up by three major labels, Atlantic, RCA/BMG, and MCA. Dinosaur Entertainment a division of BMG/RCA Records was to release the "Ouch!" album but the company went bankrupt after over pressing rockabilly legend Carl Perkin's last album. "Ouch!" was still released nationally and internationally through Big Easy Distribution which was at the time the worlds largest distributor of Louisiana music.
The record received favorable reviews in Guitar World
magazine, Tribe, [Offbeat] magazine and McCormick toured regularly with close friend Jay Nelson on bass guitar and a revolving door of drummers. Entertainment lawyer Jeff Lacque showed an enthusiastic interest in the group calling McCormick a "genius freakin' songwriter" and not only helped book and manage the project for a while but even played gigs as drummer on occasion. The song Last Night received regular airplay WCKW.
Willem McCormick has played with some of the best musicians in the business including Allman Brothers/Jimmy Page
drummer Kerry Brown and Neil Young
drummer Karl Himmel. Recent projects include live performances and recordings with renowned pedal steel guitarist Dave Easly.
and Tennessee
. McCormick and Emerson moved to Mandeville, Louisiana. During this time they played under the name Willem McCormick Band featuring Dakota Emerson as well as simply Willem & Dakota."
in New Orleans. There he met actress Angelina Jolie
who he had previously painted a few pictures of. Soon after he painted of large portrait for her with her dressed in white wearing a single strand of Mardi Gras
beads with a red pepper at the end. The painting titled "Chili Pepper Girl", hung in the front window of an art gallery on Royal Street in the French Quarter
for a few months and then McCormick removed it before moving to California. New works include custom paintings in oil and acrylic as well as book covers and illustrations for novels such as The Tales of Mitch.
at the end of 2008 to be involved in a more rock oriented music scene. Willem & Dakota have recorded music videos for songs such as "My Charlatan" and "Pictures Of You" in various California
cities such as Los Angeles
, Silverlake, Hollywood, and Palos Verdes
, California. Live concerts in the Los Angeles area have recently included shows with such major acts as The Meat Puppets
, The John Corbett Band, and Wayne "the Train" Hancock at L.A. and Hollywood venues such as The Mint, The Brixton, and The Viper Room.
Willem McCormick has also recorded over ten albums with comedy/rock group Cabel T-B.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
based singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
originally from New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Having several regional hits since the late 1990s, McCormick's songs are often about life's trouble, girls, and life's everyday girl troubles. Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine described McCormick as knowing a thing or two about writing a killer song hook.
Early start
Living an hour south of New Orleans in HoumaHouma
Houma can refer to:*Houma, Louisiana, city in the United States*Houma, Shanxi, city in China*Houma Tribe, a Native American group*Houma, a proper name*Houma, meaning cape, the name of some capes in Tonga and villages near them such as:...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, McCormick, at the age of nine years old had an interest in bluegrass music and showed an interest in learning the banjo. Upon realizing there would be no banjo teacher available McCormick's mother would enroll him in guitar classes at Kenny Hebert's Music. Upon getting his hands on an electric guitar his music preference of choice became rock. As a teenager he played in a few garage bands and listened to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, and other guitar based hard rock bands but when he began writing his own songs later on his music came across with a more melodic approach.
He first live original performances were at The Point After in downtown Houma. Because of a slight case of nerves local open mic host Ron Maynard suggested he wear sunglasses to perform. With that suggestion the tunes poured out and within a year Willem McCormick had recorded his first album "Ten Good Reasons" at Mike Loupe's home studio. After the record was produced by McCormick and Barry Bowen it was released and well received as one of the top 100 releases of Louisiana artist in 1995. McCormick appeared regularly on the radio show " Z Morning Zoo" on the Z100 radio station.
Willem McCormick played locally on the New Orleans scene at such popular venues as Muddy Waters, Tipitina's
Tipitina's
Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977. The name was inspired by a well-known song by Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death...
and Jimmy's while earnestly self promoting the band both independently and with the help of co-promoter Bowen.
During this time Willem McCormick also started promoting a series af concerts south of New Orleans in Houma called Rock-a-thon. He booked and promoted bands from New Orleans, Baton Rouge and even New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. His band would sometimes play a set during the festival.
Branching out
Local businessman and music enthusiast Tommy Lyons had taken an interest in McCormick's music upon hearing his "Ten Good Reasons" effort and had assisted him in getting new material recorded. He also helped get a well defined studio band in place to record and play live. McCormick had recently seen an article in Spin magazine on recording engineer and producer Trina ShoemakerTrina Shoemaker
Trina Shoemaker is a mixer, record producer and sound engineer responsible for producing/engineering and/or mixing records for popular bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Something for Kate, Nanci Griffith and many more....
who was working at Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
' Kingsway Studio in the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
. Bowen got the new demos of McCormick's songs to Shoemaker who had just committed to working on Sheryl Crow's second album. Sheryl Crow's record was reportedly finished a few days early because of Shoemakers commitment to a studio date with McCormick. Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
reportedly remarked, "Who is this Willem McCormick, what label is he on ?"
The album was almost picked up by three major labels, Atlantic, RCA/BMG, and MCA. Dinosaur Entertainment a division of BMG/RCA Records was to release the "Ouch!" album but the company went bankrupt after over pressing rockabilly legend Carl Perkin's last album. "Ouch!" was still released nationally and internationally through Big Easy Distribution which was at the time the worlds largest distributor of Louisiana music.
The record received favorable reviews in Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine, Tribe, [Offbeat] magazine and McCormick toured regularly with close friend Jay Nelson on bass guitar and a revolving door of drummers. Entertainment lawyer Jeff Lacque showed an enthusiastic interest in the group calling McCormick a "genius freakin' songwriter" and not only helped book and manage the project for a while but even played gigs as drummer on occasion. The song Last Night received regular airplay WCKW.
Willem McCormick has played with some of the best musicians in the business including Allman Brothers/Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
drummer Kerry Brown and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
drummer Karl Himmel. Recent projects include live performances and recordings with renowned pedal steel guitarist Dave Easly.
TV performances, soundtracks and commercials
One of McCormick's tunes was used in a commercial for Mountain Due and he has also scored independent movie soundtracks. The independent film A separate Identity features his keyboard and piano music. His band has played live on such television shows as the [WWL] Morning Show, Louisiana Jukebox, etc. Some music performances have aired on a variety of stations.Willem!
After the initial buzz of "Ouch!" McCormick eventually settled in with drummer Jamie Pittman whom he met at Offbeat magazine, Jim Ankar on bass, who he met through a friend and Dakota Emerson who knew him from his music playing in Houma. The four collaborated using McCormick's songwriting and guitar ability along with Pittman and Ankars strong rhythm section and Emersons backing vocals and guitar. They released the next album under the band name Willem! The album was called "Time To Find The Guggenheimer" and featured much edgier guitars and a more overall modern rock sound. The album featured McCormick on lead vocals on much of the tunes but Dakota Emersons efforts received an equal amount of acclaim. This lineup remained for years until they played their final show with this lineup at the Gretna Heritage Festival in 2004. Pittman and Ankar moved to MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. McCormick and Emerson moved to Mandeville, Louisiana. During this time they played under the name Willem McCormick Band featuring Dakota Emerson as well as simply Willem & Dakota."
Other Willem McCormick and Dakota Emerson projects
They also backed New Orleans' based Matt Holt band, a country group and Lamarque Street, a guitar rock band from Mandeville, La.Artwork
McCormick has also devoted a considerable amount of time to artwork, having sold Oil and acrylic paintings in the French QuarterFrench Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
in New Orleans. There he met actress Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
who he had previously painted a few pictures of. Soon after he painted of large portrait for her with her dressed in white wearing a single strand of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
beads with a red pepper at the end. The painting titled "Chili Pepper Girl", hung in the front window of an art gallery on Royal Street in the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
for a few months and then McCormick removed it before moving to California. New works include custom paintings in oil and acrylic as well as book covers and illustrations for novels such as The Tales of Mitch.
The Golden State
Willem McCormick relocated to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at the end of 2008 to be involved in a more rock oriented music scene. Willem & Dakota have recorded music videos for songs such as "My Charlatan" and "Pictures Of You" in various California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
cities such as Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Silverlake, Hollywood, and Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes is a name often used to refer to a group of coastal cities in the Palos Verdes Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S...
, California. Live concerts in the Los Angeles area have recently included shows with such major acts as The Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
, The John Corbett Band, and Wayne "the Train" Hancock at L.A. and Hollywood venues such as The Mint, The Brixton, and The Viper Room.
Discography
- Ten Good Reasons - 1995
- Ouch! - 1996
- Live - 1998
- Time to Find the Guggenheimer - 2003
- "Favorite Waste Of Time" (with Lamarque Street) - 2007
- "Live At The Viper Room!" - 2011
Willem McCormick has also recorded over ten albums with comedy/rock group Cabel T-B.