http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...iendid=72766411


I just love his guitar twang. Just wanted to share as he is supposed to come out with a new CD.

VERY nice! Thanks for posting that link, and please keep us posted as to when the cd is released.

You are welcome. They keep changing songs on his myspace and every one has been great. He has style all his own. I'll let you know when he mentions the CD coming out.

Thanks for that info. I've bookmarked his myspace, so will keep my eye's peeled.

Do you know if you download them, is it possible to get them into Itunes?

Heya Shadow.

Cheers for that link mate.It's great to hear that "twang" again.
I agree with ya there.I will be keeping an eye on this from now on.

You're welcome! This is posted on Jimmy's myspace website. Sounds like this CD could be coming out anytime. I was unable to download anything (

Monday, June 18, 2007


Ok, it's the middle of June. Where's this record, anyway?
Current mood: Rode hard and put up wet.
Category: Rode hard and put up wet. Music

I have been getting some inquiries about how the record is coming, when it will be released, etc. so it's time for an update.....

Mixing and getting 'finished up' has taken a lot longer than I anticipated. Come to think of it, everything has taken longer than anticipated. I thought I could be finished by the end of Febuary.

The Good News: The album is basically done and mixed.

Mixixng is a very crucial and difficult step- great songs and recordings are easily botched with a mix that's just 'slightly' off. I feel pretty good about where it stands at the moment, but I'm going to take a couple of weeks off from listening to it, to try to gain some objectivity, and then see if I can start fresh and improve what I have. If not, I feel it's pretty darn close to what I want.

The Bad News: Release Date Uncertain.

I posted earlier that I planned to release it on my own and it could be out soon after it was 'finished'. After doing the resarch and talking to a lot of people, I decided I would rather be an 'artist' than a record company.

I think it's better for me to be concerned about playing, writing, and recording than manufacturing and trying to get the distributor to pay me so I can manufacture more, etc. Music is where my passion is. Business, not so much.

So this morning, I sent out some packages to some record companies that have expressed some interest in this project.

I can't say much more about that at the moment, but depsite my pessimistic nature about this kind of stuff, it does look somewhat promising that something could develop (soon).


But I'm REALLY desperate to delete those old demos that were on my page.


So I'm going to post some of the new stuff, one song at a time, and change it on a fairly regular basis, to give my friends a taste of what I've been doing.

If you drop by here every once in a while you'll hear some new stuff. I hope you like some of it...


Once again, thanks for all of the words of encouragement and support...it really means a lot more than you know and it's kept me working on it at times when I felt like giving up.

So thanks again. All y'all.


Peace Love and Twang -

Jimmy Calvin W.

hey two new songs on Myspace again. And I think we have a cool album cover. Probably won't be long now. Every song, so far, very cool.

Thanks for the update! Am really loving the twang - all very 'men on horses'!!

No downloads possible - so I have those 2 on repeat all day.

Really liked yesterday's as well.

Yeah me too. I love Hershel and think he rocks, but I do miss the Wilsey twang - from the earlier CDs. I like every song that has played on Jim's Myspace site so far and can't wait to buy the CD. I know, I wanted to download the music too, but was unable to.

Am loving them all - but have to say, am very taken with "The Rattler" .... it's VERY "Twin Peaky"/Wild At Heartish"!!! (if that makes sense!?!)

I totally think the Rattler is the coolest too. I hate it when he doesn't have that on the playlist. I could listen to that song over and over. San Bernadino is cool too, and Insomnia. I can't wait for that CD. I love the western/as you said, Wild at heart style.

Jimmy got a record contract: See his message below. They are talking an October release for his Cd.



from Myspace:


Tuesday, July 17, 2007


I signed a record contract today....

It's been in the works nearly since my last blog post but it looks as if the paperwork is done....

Lakeshore Records- it's part of the film company, and the biggest soundtrack label going right now. They release soundtrack albums for all of the movie studios. The CD will be available around the world as well as be on the major download services throughout the world. If I'm lucky, you might even hear a song in a movie or tv show.

Check out their myspace page, it's linked in my top friends.

The CD will be released sometime after the 1st of October, and there will be a lot to do til then- I'm going to rework a few things on the songs and get some better mixes, get my website going, and a zillion other things.

I want to thank Lakeshore and especially Brian McNelis for taking the chance on an extremely unusual record that most labels wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. I think we both feel that this is a great opportunity do something very cool..... I'll do my best to make it work out.


As always, thanks for all of the encouraging messages and comments....stay tuned for updates-

Truly yours- Jimmy W.

That IS great news! I can just hear it ALL in movies right now. Good for him!
Hope I can order a copy out here.
p.s. That radio mash up, although a very cool idea, is driving me nuts. I want the full versions back!!

I agree. I am dying to hear the full songs again too. I just love that last song, Insomnia. Such a romantic 50s type /Wild at Heart song. And The Rattler. Heck, they all sound pretty darn cool. October - not too far away. I can't wait to see his website.

Notice Hershel has added himself to Jimmy's friends!
Wish I was cool enough to have a myspace!

Yeah that was cool of Hershel to do. say he admires the Wilsey, the Strat King and the gorgeous guitar compositions wilsey wrote to chris' songs that Hershel must play (nearly) as well.

Notice that grrrrrrrrr Kenney badblood is the only one who seems to be withholding friendship from expatriated founding member, james calvin wilsey. Kenney seems very angry at the world lately too, using lowlife language on stage and in interviews as well. He needs a LONG REST away from Isaak it seems.

We are SO HAPPY for jimmy's great new album signing and record coming out. For our money
Wilsey was the best guitarist chris ever had or ever will have. Later...[font=Tahoma][color=#000066]

I'm very happy & excited that things are going well for Jimmy. Personally, I prefer Hershel as CI's guitarist. But I still enjoy Jimmy and I'm looking forward to his CD.

Personally, I like both Jimmy and Hershel. They are both different guitarist and both cool. I was surprised to hear your remark about Kenney. I thought he was in a great mood and very nice the last time I seen him. Must have been a bad night for him when you seen him. We all have moods, ya know.

Don't know if you all know this. But one of the guitar players that filled in between Jimmy & Hershel (Spooky G aka Greg Arquin) passed away several years ago. He was in his late 30's and left behind a wife and young child. Sad.....

Excuse my ignorance, but what happened to Jimmy? Why did he leave the band?

From what I heard, Jimmy had some personal problems that weren't approved of by CI.

Who really knows? I heard that he didn't want to travel so much- wanted family- those kind of things.Then there are stories that he had some drinking and/or drug problems. Hard to say... Just glad that he is coming out with a CD soon! He rocks!

He asked to be my friend on Myspace, which I thought was pretty cool. I love his guitar work.

~ Lilo

He answers messages, too. On top of playing a mean guitar.

Wow, Jimmy's Myspace has been updated. The songs sound as if he has worked on them alot. (maybe I imagining? But they have a fuller sound and are AWESOME. This also on his Myspace:

About James Wilsey
James Wilsey is a very influential guitar player- though his name is not well known to some, his sound is known throughout the world. His signature guitar part in Chris Isaak's single 'Wicked Game' helped to propel the record to international platinum status, and his guitar can be heard in countless movie and television soundtracks.

After an extended retirement from music and recording, he is finally releasing his first solo album of original songs.

Originally from Missouri, James moved to California and began playing professionally at age 19 with seminal west coast Punk group, The Avengers.

Soon after, he met Isaak and legendary record producer Erik Jacobsen, and they began to craft a new sound based on Isaak's crooning vocal style and Wilseys' haunting guitar sound. They worked together for the next 12 years, and produced four highly regarded albums, culminating with the hit single 'Wicked Game'.

The simple two-note riff that opens the song crystalizes Wilsey's approach in the span of a couple of seconds- that are instantly identifiable to people around the world.

The El Dorado album marks Wilsey's first effort as a solo artist. A purely instrumental album, it pays homage to some of his musical influences- Duane Eddy, The Shadows, Billy Strange, James Burton and Link Wray.

El Dorado is more than a mere homage however- it is one of the most original instrumental records in many years. Wilsey's retro-futuristic guitar vision comes to the forefront as it never has before. The ten songs cover many styles but form a cohesive whole- cinematic in scope with a distinctly western flavor. A true solo effort, Wilsey composed, performed, engineered and produced the entire record himself.

James Wilsey currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and young son.

Not happy Jimmy!
Someone on his Myspace mentioned the cd was coming out in Jan 2008 - and not October!!
Anyone else know any details?

The latest on and from Jimmy... (what a personality he has!!)

September 14, 2007 - Friday


What’s Goin’ on....
Current mood: hungry

Thought I would post an update as on what's happening way out west.....

Some of you might have noticed in the 'about me' section, that the CD release date is now listed as January. It's true. By the I was finished with re-mixing and mastering, if we rushed it on to the release schedule, it would have been December. Which is the worst time of year to embark on a new endeavor, with the holidays and everything, so we decided to wait until January.

If you read my previous blogs, I was hoping it would be out last June... I'm more anxious than anyone to get it released. But since I have some more time, there's a lot of stuff to get done...

First, I never planned to have a 'band' or do any live shows. That seems to have changed. I have met a really good bass player and drummer and we will be rehearsing this weekend. I will probably need one or two other people, but I have a really solid core to start with, and it could come together pretty fast.

I'm really looking forward to playing live. I've been getting up at 6 am every day and working out (those who know me know how weird this is...) and getting in shape, but it's probably more of a mental than a physical thing.... I feel like I'm in one of those bad "Rocky" type of scenes.... I even listen to "Eye of The Tiger' on my iPod. (OK. I made the last part up).

I doubt there will be any big tours coming (unfortunately), we'll be playing mostly around California, I expect. But I'm sure there will be some videos posted somewhere.

Speaking of videos, I've also been planning to shoot a 'music video' of one of the songs... which may involve girls, snakes, dive bars, silver guitars, etc. Stay tuned for that one.

I've have a very good friend that is designing my CD cover and some other stuff, he's amazing. So we are getting photos and artwork done. Also, in the near future, there will actually be a web page at jameswilsey.com. I'm hoping to have some semi-tasteful T-shirts and posters and possibly other stuff available, as well as more pictures, videos, and other stuff to read.

I've also played on a couple of recording sessions recently for other artists.... including one for a famous singer who is known being a rebel and yelling.... It was a really cool pair of songs, I hope they will eventually see the light of day. There may be some other interesting sessions in the next few months... I plan on doing more recording sessions in the future, I'm just waiting for the phone to ring. I really enjoy working with singers and other people's projects. I really want to do a hip hop record and a straight up Nashville country record. We'll see (Wilsey?).

Speaking of recording, I've been writing stuff for the next record. Yes. There will be another record after this, and it won't take as long next time, I promise.

Since 'El Dorado' is finished and mastered, my friends at Lakeshore Records will be working on getting some of my songs in movies, so you may be hearing my stuff in a teenage slasher exploitation movie in the near future.

I'm also doing some interviews and stuff for magazines in anticipation of the release. I recently participated in a group photo shoot and interview for Spin magazine. They're doing a big article commemorating the 30th anniversary of punk rock, and got groups of people together in London, New York and Los Angeles, who were in bands in 1977. That will be out in October.

And if that's not enough to keep me busy, I still have my three year old son, Waylon, to chase around the house. He has gone from Batman to Transformers recently... Life is good.


all the bestest-

jimmy W.
Currently listening :

Sounds like Jimmy has a band and a gig in LA! You lucky CA people!

Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Oct 25 2007 9:00P
Molly Malone’s Los Angeles, California

Band Members James Wilsey - Guitars

Chris Neel - Guitars

Bubba Joe - Keyboards

Chris Thomas - Bass

Blake Oswald - Drums

There are some awesome pics of Jimmy in his blogs too.

Did anyone read the "Punk Turns 30" article? ("Giving West Coast Punk Its Due")

Features some cool photos of Jimmy Wilsey with very high hair! Hanging out with the Sex Pistols...I don't want to think about what those guys got up to...

****************************
http://punkturns30.blogspot.com/2007/09/gi...nk-its-due.html

I've been telling everyone for years now - and for the last THREE YEARS in public that, hey - PUNK ROCK IS 30!

Thanks to the Sex Pistols, who are up to their old tricks leveraging everything appropriate at hand...the 30th anniversary of the release of Never Mind the Bollocks has the mass media taking notice. Suddenly the phrase punk turns 30 is EVERYWHERE!!! I couldn't have paid for better publicity.

My friend from punk rock days, Jimmy Wilsey then of The Avengers, later a member of Chris Isaak & Silvertone, (Jimmy's was that guitar sound that defined the song "Wicked Game") and now a solo artist with an album coming out at the dawn of the new year took part recently in Spin Magazine's editorial nod of the head to 30 years of punk, and he's summed it all up in his blog on myspace.

The 30th anniversary of the Sex Pistols only album release and of West Coast punk being featured finally in the mainstream is a sweet and long-awaited victory for those of us who lived the life back in the day. Jimmy's blog is a great read, and it brought back so many memories of watching as the Avengers kept metaphorically pulling rabbits out of their hats back in January 1978.

On the final date of the Sex Pistols 1978 tour - their only tour of the USA as the line-up that included the late Sid Vicious, local bands opened the Winterland show. The Nuns and Avengers opened. The two local bands did a phenomenal job on their home turf despite all the pandemonium that accompanied the presence of the Sex Pistols. In my opinion, The Avengers' pride and convicted performance stole the show. That's not saying the Sex Pistols were overshadowed...not at all. You had to be there to understand just how great the Avengers were. Thanks to the advent of YouTube, people who weren't there (and who weren't born yet!) can witness the Pistols' performance: (in body of article)

In fact, the Avengers performed so well in the melee, they caught the attention of The Sex Pistols management's Man in America, Rory Johnston, who helped their career for a while. That's him pictured with them below. (see article)

Over the years, London and New York have always been acknowledged (and rightly so) as THE punk rock cities. Of course, they spawned the Sex Pistols and the Ramones - two bands against which all punk rock is measured. But over those same years, the West Coast's contribution to punk rock culture has been largely ignored. We make plenty of noise about it, and also rightly so! We spawned, in no particular order: The Avengers, Dils, Nuns, Dead Kennedys, Flipper, Germs, Bags, Alley Cats, Weirdos, Minutemen, Pandoras, Screamers, Gun Club, X, Blasters, Mutants, Red Kross, The Last, Go Gos, Fear, F Word, Circle Jerks, Black Randy, 45 Grave, Plugz, Zeroes.... the list is too voluminous to mention everyone, and I'm sure I'm leaving out crucial bands.

I've yet to pick up that issue of Spin - its on the stands right now... its chock full of then and now pictures. I can't vouch for any mainstream media, but I am thankful that they have given the youth of today a starting point to discover punk rock's forgotten but essential outpost here on the West Coast.

If anyone is really interested in West Coast punk rock, I have two words that will take you on your best journey: Target Video.

OH wow.. check out this live sound.. I love that song Insomnia!!!

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...iendid=72766411

Shadow, thanks for posting the link - that was a real gem.

Hurry up January!

I CAN NOT WAIT for the new CD. I just LOVE his stuff...

thanks for posting the link shadow, first time listening to him it was brill, the hubby loves all that kind of music so will give him a blast of it later...you can take all the credit for it, i'm feeling very given today.....

New Line-up:

Chris Neel Deleted (JW's words)

Hello Billy Pittman! (If he tours with Jimmy Vaughan - he's gotta be good! )

Putting in my order in the next week or so.

I'm with David....WTF?