At age 44, Wes Collins and his wife Anita made a pact to become writers: she started writing fiction and Wes penned his first song. A few years later, they were both multi-award-winners in their fields. Collins more than makes up for lost time with songs so dense with ideas that a first listen only scratches the surface. Come for a haunting melody and some intricate fingerpicking and stay for the wit and deep literary intelligence. There is always more to find in a Wes Collins song.
Wes has played shows from coast to coast including: The Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville, TN; The Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, TX; the Cary Theater in Cary, NC (opening for Dave Olney); and many more. He is a winner of the prestigious Grassy Hills New Folk Competition and a North Carolina Arts Council Songwriting Fellowship, and has been featured as a finalist in The Telluride Troubadour Contest in Telluride, CO; The Songwriter's Serenade Competition in Moravia, TX; and The Wildflower Performing Songwriter Contest in Dallas, TX.
Welcome to The Ether is Collins' second record. It was produced by Chris Rosser at the top of a mountain during a historic snowstorm and features guest performances by Jaimee Harris, Danny Gotham, and FJ Ventre. Welcome to The Ether finds Wes at his best: timidly falling in love in “Pelican”, coming to terms with a loved one’s disability in “Stethoscope”, or cavorting with ghosts in “Everyone Dances”. The record ends with his perennial set-closer “I Love You Guys”, as much an ode to drunken buffoonery as it is a song of gratitude to the listener.
“He credits many other singer/songwriters in his musical tent as inspiration, including Neil Finn, Gillian Welch, Bruce Cockburn and Patty Griffin, but Collins is well on his way to establishing his own voice as one we should value."
- North Carolina Arts Council
“One of the best songwriters in the Triangle’s vital Americana quadrant.”
- David Menconi
2019 Telluride Troubadour Finalist
2019 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist
2018 Wildflower Performing Songwriter Competition Finalist
2017 Songwriter Serenade 2nd Place Winner
2015 Kerrville Grassy Hill New Folk Winner
2013 Kerrville Grassy Hill New Folk Finalist
2012 North Carolina Songwriter Co-op Song Contest 1st Place Winner
Links:
EPK: https://wescollins.com/press-kit
Website: www.wescollins.com
Music: https://wescollins.com/music
Videos: https://wescollins.com/video
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wescollinsmusic
Contact info:
wes@wescollins.com
Phone: 919-260-0079
