Willi Carlisle – The Universal Bubba Tour
Willi Carlisle, Supporting Talent: Amelia Day
Willi Carlisle brings The Universal Bubba Tour to Pappy & Harriet’s, with Amelia Day opening the night. Carlisle’s set comes in the wake of his fourth studio album, Winged Victory, a self-produced record released via Signature Sounds. Its material extends the characters and themes of 2022’s Peculiar, Missouri and 2024’s Critterland: traditional folk forms, covers including Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing,” and songs that make room for raunch, provocation, absurdity and reflection.
Carlisle is a folksinger whose work, according to the listing, moves between “absurdity, spectacle, and philosophy,” rooted in a conviction that love is bigger than hate and “no-one is expendable.” Winged Victory continues his long-running consideration of collective suffering, the value of small things, and a cast of oddball characters, weirdos and misfits speaking beyond social expectations. Opening artist Amelia Day draws on folk music discovered in the Pacific Northwest, her home state of Washington, alongside 1990s frontwomen. Her EP EGO TRIP, written largely in her adopted hometown of Nashville and recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Washington, pairs alt-rock guitars, pop hooks, keyboards and sharply drawn songs about anger, liberation and healing after a breakup.
Pappy & Harriet’s began as the cantina on a 1940s Western film set, and that history still frames a night here: the venue sits among Pioneertown’s old movie-set facades, with the desert just beyond. It is a restaurant and live-music venue, with shows in indoor and outdoor spaces; the setting and touring acts make the trip feel tied to this particular outpost, rather than just a concert stop. Shows are ticketed, general admission and standing-room only, with ADA seating available at either stage. The restaurant is separate, serves food, and runs a first-come, first-served waitlist, so put your name down early if you want dinner; eating does not secure a show ticket. Check the event details for doors and weather, especially for an outdoor performance.