Local blues band Big Willy will perform at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Green Door Blues Bar & Grill, 2005 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing. Big Willy has been performing in the Lansing area for the past four years. The band gets its name from lead guitarist/vocalist, “Big” Willy Rideoutt.
For the sake of clearing up any confusion, Rideoutt made it a point to explain that Big Willy is both a member of the band and the name of the band. Big Willy is comprised of saxophonist “Supersize” Willy Metz, drummer Eric Payne and bassist James Norris.
“We play classic blues rooted in rock and roll that incorporates a lot of different influences,” said Metz.
Rideoutt said Big Willy’s original music and cover selections set them apart from a lot of other local bands playing the bar and night club scene around the city. With the addition of Metz on saxophone, Rideoutt said Big Willy’s music is recognizable to anyone who comes to their shows.
“Our shows are loud, drunk and sweaty — but fun,” Rideoutt said. “They’re also a little lighthearted.”
After playing such a distinctive type of music together in the Lansing community for a few years, Metz said Big Willy has attracted a small group of hardcore fans. Metz attributed the band’s appeal to the easily recognizable personalities of the band members and efforts to hone the showmanship of their shows. Rideoutt said the band’s friendly nature with its fans is what really makes Big Willy shows different.
“Come expecting a very good time with musicians who like to hang out and have a good time with the audience,” Rideoutt said.
If a band can be judged by relationships with fans, Eben Gilkenson and Brian Story, both originally from Lansing, do a lot to recommend Big Willy. Gilkenson and Story live in Bellows Falls, Vt., and when they returned to the area, one of the first things on their agenda was to see a Big Willy show, Gilkenson said.
“They have a good foundation with blues and classic rock,” Story said. “They’re high energy doing something new with a pretty established genre.”
Story also said the variety of music offered at Big Willy shows is a reason he enjoys seeing the band play live. Gilkenson said the definitive twist Big Willy puts on their blues makes the music they play their own.
The Green Door is a familiar venue for the members of Big Willy. All the members play in different bands and The Green Door has offered a stage to them throughout their careers, Rideoutt said. At the peak of his time at The Green Door, Rideoutt took to calling it “his office” and performed there three to four times a month.
Jennifer Costigan, general manager and booking agent for The Green Door, said she has watched Big Willy mature as a musician by offering him a venue for the better part of the last six years. She said she would consider The Green Door home base for Big Willy.
“You can feel the energy coming off the stage whenever he’s up there,” she said.
Big Willy and the rest of the band reciprocated Costigan’s feelings and said they enjoy playing The Green Door whenever they perform.
“The Green Door is like coming home,” Metz said.
The Green Door has no cover charge during the summer and admission to the Big Willy concert is free. The club features live music seven nights a week.