Willi Carlisle

Willi Carlisle at xBk Live

Some songs tell you about people nobody else bothers to notice. Willi Carlisle writes folk music populated by oddball characters and rooted in subjects most songwriters skip: water rights, queerness, class consciousness, and the lives lived outside the mainstream. This is music that trusts you to care about difficult themes and unfamiliar stories. If you've been looking for songs with something to say beyond the predictable, this is the night to listen.

Carlisle's fourth studio album, Winged Victory, is a self-produced release steeped in the American folk tradition. He's an Arkansas-based musician who carries forward the lineage of folk music that addresses social and political realities, not just nostalgia. Hearing Carlisle perform at xBk Live in Des Moines on Friday, January 22, 2027, at 8:00 PM means hearing them the way they were meant to be experienced: a chance to give the stories your attention beyond a recording.

Folk music works best when it makes you think and feel at the same time. Carlisle delivers both without apology. If you appreciate songwriting that trusts your intelligence and doesn't soften the edges, this is your evening.

Bring someone who values music with purpose. Make room in your week for songs that matter. Explore tickets for Willi Carlisle at xBk Live.