Dim Watts and the porch folk revelations of "The Nail" (Official Video)

 

"the nail that sticks out / gets hammered down / they tend to be careful and blend in with the crowd..."

"The Nail" by Dim Watts, latest psyche folk rock iteration from veteran Athens, Georgia stalwart songwriter / musician Jim Willingham, begins free and easy with a rambling shuffling cadence and whistles. It feels so uplifting, in fact, that I had a simultaneous desire for Mentos and Greek Yoghurt but then when Willingham's interesting vocal countenance (with the slightest twang) drops in, "the nail that sticks out / gets hammered down / they tend to be careful and blend in with the crowd...". At this moment you can feel a palpable shift in tone, through a lens that sees how the world pushes it thumb down (or hammer) to those who are considered different or who make waves in another wise calm sea. 

I love thoughtful music that spins like a mobile over a baby's cradle, teaching hard lessons with a gentle spirit (subversive maybe to some but gentle) and I feel that here. Sonically, like an amalgam of Neil Young, Frank Black, Violent Femmes and Flaming Lips, the down home Dim Watts draws you in with a rustic, whimsical persona. We want to absorb, we want to sing along like a gospel misfit choir and I say misfit as a complement. 

 "The Nail" is from Dim Watts new LP, 'Eye Two Three' out the 21st of July on Cleft Music.

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://ham-1.bandcamp.com/track/the-nail

https://dimwatts.net/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1gLacxzm0BR2fZq4531RZU


Dim Watts is the latest psyche folk rock project from veteran Athens, GA songwriter, Jim Willingham. 

A long known and well loved gem of Athen's ever fertile music scene, Willingham has steadily released his unique brand of gentle hearted but rough around the edges folk rock for over 20 years. From the mid 2000's into the teens, he fronted Ham1, which included members of Olivia Tremor Control and Patterson Hood's solo band. They toured with and backed well known folk outsiders such as Vic Chesnutt. 

Ham1 morphed into Old Smokey during the teens, focusing predominately on Willingham's knack for succinct instrumentals with memorable melodic hooks. Old Smokey incorporated banjo, wind and bowed instruments and captured the kudzu covered pace of Athens and life in the southeast. 

Dim Watts is a return to Willingham's more straight forward folk rock- showcasing his knack for finding beauty or meaning in the mundane or meek, possessing an ever present emotional sensitivity in his lyrics, with humble and clever musings on being alive in an awkward world. 

Willingham has performed on stages across the southeast and wider U.S. From DIY venues to larger clubs and theaters- his unassuming demeanor paired with funny story telling and observation-through-song always leaves both new and familiar audiences smiling. He was the recipient of the 2020 Vic Chesnutt Songwriting Award and shares similarities to the namesake's songwriting. 

For most of the year, Willingham teaches reading to special needs students but is available for summer, weekend, festival and one-off bookings.

Dim Watts, folk rock, psych folk, indie rock, avant folk, alt folk, porch rock, whimsical, folk, "The Nail", Athens Georgia, new album 'Eye Two Three', Cleft Music,