♪ Well, the money's gone ♪ ♪ The well's run dry ♪ ♪ Hard times have come again ♪ Man: Coming up on "Studio 3 LIVE"... ♪ My old horse, she just won't die ♪ ♪ Her ribs are showing through the skin ♪ ♪ But I am not feeling any pain ♪ [ Vocalizes ] Like, I can't be sad all the time.

I need to, like, change and evolve and so I can sing the song and kind of have a distance from it.

But then when someone has a story like that, it makes me rethink of it in a new way and be sad, but in a good way, like, and commiserate with that person and maybe have a little hug or something and be like, you know, we'll make it, you'll make it.

And I love those moments because that's what we all need.

That's what art is.

That's what music is for.

What is any of this for?

Like, if not for healing... to get through hard times, you know?

So I really like hearing those stories, but it often does hold up a mirror to a song.

♪ I am not feeling any pain ♪ Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

Good evening, and welcome to "Studio 3 LIVE."

I'm your host, Mickey Davis.

Tonight, we're joined by roots-folk musician William Elliott Whitmore.

Born and raised on the same farm he still calls home in Lee County, Iowa, Will has developed audiences across the world with his haunting, emotionally charged music, often delivered with only a guitar, a bass drum, and his voice.

Raised with one foot in folk music and the other in the hardcore scene of Iowa City, Will got his start opening for punk-rock acts with just a banjo in hand, and in his decades of touring, has created his own brand of roots music with a punk-rock, DIY ethos.

Please help me welcome to the stage William Elliott Whitmore.

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Banjo strumming ] ♪ Well, the song of the blackbird is mighty clear ♪ ♪ On a morning such as this ♪ ♪ And all those useless pains and fears ♪ ♪ These things that I won't miss ♪ ♪ Mm-mm-mm ♪ ♪ The morning glories and the Queen Anne's Lace ♪ ♪ All baptized by the wind ♪ ♪ These inspirations are my saving grace ♪ ♪ These times we're living in, oh ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Make a hard man humble ♪ ♪ Make a proud woman hide ♪ ♪ Her eyes from the light of day ♪ ♪ And all the crops have withered and died ♪ ♪ And the soil is blowing away, oh ♪ ♪ And the ground's so dry ♪ ♪ The river's on its hands and knees ♪ ♪ And I hear that tune ♪ ♪ In the breeze ♪ ♪ The crow is calling, and I hear him well ♪ Up in the red bud tree ♪ ♪ And any stories that you've lived to tell ♪ ♪ Pass 'em down to me ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And whisper the truth ♪ ♪ Into your children's ears ♪ ♪ Let them know, let them understand ♪ ♪ Let them hear ♪ ♪ The song of the blackbird is mighty loud ♪ ♪ Through the evening mist ♪ ♪ The moon is up, and it looks so proud ♪ ♪ To be looking down on a night ♪ ♪ A night like this ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Will, thanks so much for joining us here at "Studio 3 LIVE."

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

How did you kind of get started in music?

I'm happy to be here.

This is really a cool setup.

This is real impressive.

It's kind of humbling to be sitting here doing this.

So I'm glad to be here.

But yeah, I started playing music at a pretty young age.

I always liked singing and I always liked writing, and I always liked writing little poems and stories and things like that.

And even as a kid, I really liked to sing, and then later, got into playing guitar and banjo and things, like, as a teenager.

And so writing and singing and playing kind of all came together at that time when I was in my teens, maybe like 14 or 15.

And it kind of just all blossomed from there.

My family -- music's always been important in our family.

My mom played the piano, and my dad played the guitar.

In fact, I inherited his old guitar, an old Sears and Roebuck acoustic and, um...

So it just kind of went from there, and yeah, I've never looked back.

[ "Diggin' My Grave" plays ] ♪ I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ And my road to hell ♪ ♪ Is surely paved ♪ ♪ With all the love ♪ ♪ That I never gave ♪ ♪ I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ And the hole is made, mm ♪ ♪ With a pick and a spade ♪ ♪ And all the debts never repaid ♪ ♪ Oh, how I wish ♪ ♪ That I could have stayed ♪ ♪ But the hole is made ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, the hole is made ♪ ♪ And the hole is shallow ♪ ♪ Where I must lay ♪ ♪ The hole is shallow ♪ ♪ But that's okay ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'll have peace ♪ ♪ On my final day ♪ ♪ Down in this shallow hole ♪ ♪ Where I must lay ♪ ♪ This July ground ♪ ♪ Is mighty hard ♪ ♪ This July ground ♪ ♪ Is mighty hard ♪ ♪ My back is broken ♪ ♪ My hands are scarred ♪ ♪ This July ground ♪ ♪ This July ground is mighty hard ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, I wish ♪ ♪ That I had not sinned ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, I wish ♪ ♪ That I had not sinned ♪ ♪ Then I could be with you again ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, I wish ♪ ♪ Oh, I wish that I had not sinned ♪ ♪ And the hole is shallow ♪ ♪ Where I must lay ♪ ♪ The hole is shallow ♪ ♪ But that's okay ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'll have peace ♪ ♪ On my final day ♪ ♪ Down in this shallow hole ♪ ♪ Where I must lay ♪ ♪ This Iowa dirt, ooh ♪ ♪ Is mighty cold ♪ ♪ This Iowa dirt ♪ ♪ Is mighty cold ♪ ♪ And God will never ♪ ♪ Rest my soul ♪ ♪ Down in this Iowa dirt, so cold ♪ ♪ Well, I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ And my road to hell ♪ ♪ Is surely paved ♪ ♪ With all the love ♪ ♪ That I never gave ♪ ♪ I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ Well, I'm digging my grave ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, I'm digging my own grave ♪ ♪ Mm-mm-mm-mm ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] To some of our viewers tonight, they may be hearing your music for the first time.

This may be their first introduction to William Elliott Whitmore.

How would you describe your music to someone who may be unfamiliar or seeing you for the first time tonight?

That's a good question.

I always call it hillbilly music.

Not to be flippant about it, but that's what I always call it.

But really, if you were gonna pin it down, it's probably folk music.

The great blues artist Big Bill Broonzy always said it's about folks, and so it's folk music.

It's about folks, you know?

And that's what I think it is, really.

Yeah, you know, we've had a couple of artists this season who kind of fit in that folk-music realm, but that's such a malleable term, right?

Yeah, and you could sprinkle in country and blues, and I like a lot of, like, punk-rock music and kind of more... ebullient, kind of more upbeat music, too.

And so I kind of mix that in, as well, and so it all kind of goes together.

But folk would be the big, big, broad term, but you sprinkle in a little country, a little blues, a little punk rock.

Yeah.

And that's what you got.

Here's a new one I'm gonna try out on you guys.

It's called "Break Even."

[ "Break Even" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ I just want to break even ♪ ♪ I just want to break even ♪ ♪ Don't need to get ♪ ♪ Too far ahead ♪ ♪ I spent my life ♪ ♪ So far behind ♪ ♪ I want to break even ♪ ♪ Before I die ♪ ♪ Had $100 put away ♪ ♪ Set aside for a rainy day ♪ ♪ The storm did come ♪ ♪ The rain leaked in ♪ ♪ I spent $150 ♪ ♪ To get it fixed again ♪ ♪ I take two steps forward and three steps back ♪ ♪ I just can't seem to stay on track ♪ ♪ I get a little ahead and then way behind ♪ ♪ I want to break even ♪ ♪ Before I die ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Had 13 chickens out in the pen ♪ ♪ A coyote came and left me 10 ♪ ♪ I lost seven more to the flu ♪ ♪ One had a heart attack, and now I'm down to two ♪ ♪ I take three steps forward and four steps back ♪ ♪ I just can't seem to stay on track ♪ ♪ I get a little ahead and then way behind ♪ ♪ I want to break even ♪ ♪ Before I die ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I was playing cards a while back ♪ ♪ I had a good hand, or so I thought ♪ ♪ We laid them down, and we found 'em out ♪ ♪ I had a flush ♪ ♪ He had a full house ♪ ♪ I take two steps forward and three steps back ♪ ♪ I just can't seem to stay on track ♪ ♪ I get a little ahead and then way behind ♪ ♪ I want to break even ♪ ♪ Before I die ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] I know that, you know, punk rock and, like, the hardcore scene was important to you getting started, you know, when you were in Iowa City, kind of at the early part of your career, playing with punk-rock bands.

playing in that punk scene.

How did that experience and being in a genre of music that's pretty different than kind of what you look like onstage now, how did that inform your music?

How did that inform kind of what you listen to and even how you perform onstage?

Yeah, I kind of came in through the side door of the music scene... in that I didn't really come up playing in, like, coffeehouses and things like that that you would normally associate... with folk, country singer-songwriter type music.

I kind of came in a different way, and that was through the punk scene, the hardcore scene.

But, really, like any kind of weird music scene that was happening in Iowa City in the late '90s -- I moved there fresh off the farm, and to me, Iowa City felt like the big city.

You know, it was like the college is there, and there's all sorts of different types of folks.

And it was really eye-opening and really cool and all sorts of different bands and music and everything.

And so you would just go out to shows and hear and see a bunch of interesting things, and so when it was time for me to start really playing shows, I mean, I would be on bills with punk-rock bands, heavy-metal bands, weird art-rock bands that would strap duct tape all around their naked bodies and perform like that, you know, or paint themselves up and really, like, artistic and different-type things.

And so I would just be right on the bill with stuff like that, so it all just kind of mixed in.

And the scene wasn't that big, so we just all played together, you know.

And so it informed the way I play in that I knew if I was gonna be by myself, I had to sort of emote more.

You know, if you're trying to sing over a loud club, people talking, getting drunk and whatever, you know, I kind of had to be a presence and sing louder and stomp louder and play louder.

And so it developed in that way, too, like that.

That's still stuck in my head of even when it's a quiet room and everyone's listening, I still play as if it's, like, some punk-rock place, you know, where they're about to throw bottles at me or something.

So coming up in that way informed how I play, definitely, like, in a more aggressive style sometimes, and only in recent years have I learned to sort of, like, bring it back down.

And, you know, people are listening now.

I don't need to scream over a crowd now, you know.

Beautiful studio here at PBS.

Beautiful place to be.

Watched a lot of PBS in my life.

So it's a trip to be here.

I thought I was maybe gonna get to meet Big Bird, but... [ Laughter ] They kept saying that wasn't possible.

I don't know why.

They were cagey about it, and I think Big Bird just needs his space, you know?

It's fine.

Maybe next time.

But I'm glad to be here, and I'm glad you all are here.

And that means a lot to me, so I appreciate it.

[ "Hell or High Water" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ Smoke 'em if you got 'em ♪ ♪ Drink your glasses to the bottom ♪ ♪ And toast me on another year ♪ ♪ Another year of hope, another year of holding on ♪ ♪ For you drinkers by day who are bastards by dawn ♪ ♪ I hope I will see you soon ♪ ♪ And I'll be home come hell or high water ♪ ♪ And I know I will see you soon ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Gather 'round friends and neighbors ♪ ♪ Who make your living by labor ♪ ♪ And share with me this little time ♪ ♪ This little time that we have left ♪ ♪ To have a drink and catch our breath ♪ ♪ It might just be what saves our lives ♪ ♪ And I hope I will see you soon ♪ ♪ And I'll be home come hell or high water ♪ ♪ And I know I will see you soon ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Smoke 'em if you got 'em ♪ ♪ Drink your glasses to the bottom ♪ ♪ And listen to the howling dogs ♪ ♪ And, oh, how it pleases me to be in such company ♪ ♪ I'm so glad that our paths have crossed ♪ ♪ And I hope I will see you soon ♪ ♪ And I'll be home come hell or high water ♪ ♪ And I know I will see you soon ♪ ♪ Oh, and I'll be home come hell or high water ♪ ♪ I know I will see you soon ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] You talk a lot about family.

You talk about being kind of rooted in the place you are.

In previous interviews, you talked about how, you know, the death of your parents was really kind of a catalyst for you in songwriting, and kind of fast-forward to today, you have a daughter, you have a family on that same plot of land where your parents raised you.

You know, Will Whitmore of now, of being a father with a young child -- I have one, as well, and, you know, I know that changes your perspective in a lot of things.

When you listen back to music that you wrote early in your career, when you were kind of in a different place in life, when you weren't yet a father, is your relationship with those lyrics different?

Do you kind of look at that with a different lens, given where you are in your life now?

That's a really good question.

It's something I think about a lot because when you play shows and you play a lot of shows like I do, I'm always playing those old songs.

I don't abandon my old stuff.

I play all my old songs, and so in a way, I'm living with that stuff all the time.

And I think about -- I think about things like that, like the me then, the me 25 years ago that wrote some of that stuff... because of death and loss and things like that, processing it through those songs, really, the songs helped me, like, get through it and process it and make sense of it, and now I'm able to have a healthy enough distance from that person... that... it is a new perspective.

But as you say, being a dad now, I can think about, "Oh, when my dad was my age, I was this old and he was saying these things to me that I'm now saying to my daughter."

I mean, it's the most trite thing in the world.

Like, we all go through it, and something clicks and you go, "Oh, that's why they told me this when I was a kid.

Now I'm telling my daughter this."

Yeah.

And it's extra poignant because we're in the same place.

We're in the same woods where my dad said, "This is a walnut tree.

This is a hackberry tree."

You know, he was a nature lover.

So we would go on walks in the woods, and he would tell me about the different trees and flowers and animals.

And now I'm doing that with my daughter, and I want her to get a love of the land and a love of nature, knowing where our place is in nature and how to be respectful of this earth and things like that.

These lessons that were taught to me... it's extra poignant now, and so it's crazy to look back at your -- It's crazy for anyone to look back at your, like, 20-year-old self and go, "Man, I'm glad I'm not that guy anymore.

I wouldn't trade places with that guy for anything," but without that guy, I wouldn't be where I am now, you know?

So we're all reflecting on stuff like that all the time, I would think, but I am a lot for sure because of the songs.

I'm constantly singing them every night, and so they take on new meanings and new subtleties and things that... that are interesting to think about.

So yeah, it's always kind of changing, and I wonder what it'll be like in 20 more years.

And...it's pretty cool to think about, so yeah.

[ Applause ] [ "Don't Need It" plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Ooh, hand me that hammer ♪ ♪ Hand me that saw ♪ ♪ But don't hand me down that walking cane ♪ ♪ I don't need it at all ♪ ♪ I don't need it at all ♪ ♪ Whoa, not at all ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I'm gonna build me a home ♪ ♪ I'm gonna build it with my hands ♪ ♪ I'm gonna keep the rain off my head ♪ ♪ Gonna keep the mosquitoes from getting fed ♪ ♪ I don't need 'em at all ♪ ♪ Oh, not at all ♪ ♪ I don't need 'em at all ♪ ♪ Oh, not at all ♪ ♪ I don't need 'em at all ♪ ♪ Oh, not at all ♪ ♪ Mm ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, the river, she's a giver ♪ ♪ And the river, she takes away ♪ ♪ I'm gonna row my boat to the other shore ♪ ♪ I won't think about my troubles anymore ♪ ♪ I don't need 'em at all ♪ ♪ Oh, not at all ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, I should have been a steamboat man ♪ ♪ Push it on down to Louisiana ♪ ♪ But here I am, working in the field ♪ ♪ If the heat don't get you, the sunburn will ♪ ♪ I don't need it at all ♪ ♪ No, not at all ♪ ♪ I don't need it at all ♪ ♪ Oh, not at all ♪ ♪ I don't need it at all ♪ ♪ Oh, not at all ♪ ♪ I don't need it at all ♪ ♪ Not at all ♪ ♪ Mm ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] So, you just released a new album.

Can you talk a little bit about that album that just came out?

Yeah.

I just released a new album.

It's called "Silently, the Mind Breaks," and I'm really proud of it.

I think it's some of the best stuff I've ever written, but it's a lot to do with... everyday people being pushed... to a place they didn't know they could survive and they do survive.

Has a lot to do with that, and, you know, we almost reach those breaking points and then we don't break, you know, and I'm interested in that area... where we think we can't take any more, and we do and we survive.

I'm interested in that, and so a lot of these songs have to do with that.

And that's some stuff I'm really proud of.

Oh, this next one here, this is another new one... off a new record.

This song's called "Has to Be That Way."

Never really played it live before, so we'll see how this goes.

[ "Has to Be That Way" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ Death is not my friend ♪ ♪ But we've always kept in touch ♪ ♪ We both know about the end ♪ ♪ But we don't talk about it much ♪ ♪ And that's alright ♪ ♪ Yeah, that's alright ♪ ♪ I'm not searching for salvation ♪ ♪ I'm just looking for a place to crash ♪ ♪ And when I find a little peace of mind ♪ ♪ I know it just won't last ♪ ♪ That's alright ♪ ♪ That's the way it is ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪ Yes, it does ♪ ♪♪ ♪ 10 billion years from now, the sun is gonna burn out ♪ ♪ Everything's gotta go sometime ♪ ♪ And there's nothing I can do about it ♪ ♪ And that's alright ♪ ♪ Yeah, that's alright ♪ ♪ Because the creek runs to the river ♪ ♪ And the river runs to the sea ♪ ♪ Everything's running somewhere ♪ ♪ Trying to find someplace to be ♪ ♪ And that's alright ♪ ♪ That's the way it is ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪ We ain't here for long ♪ ♪ And we can't really stay ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, the days are getting darker ♪ ♪ And the nights become so black ♪ ♪ As the light completely fades away ♪ ♪ Well, there ain't no coming back ♪ ♪ And that's alright ♪ ♪ Yeah, that's alright ♪ ♪ 'Cause I don't believe in much ♪ ♪ But I do believe in you ♪ ♪ We'll do the best with what we got ♪ ♪ And that's all that we can do ♪ ♪ And that's alright ♪ ♪ That's the way it is ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪ But we ain't here for long ♪ ♪ And we can't really stay ♪ ♪ I know it just has to be that way ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Tell me about your favorite song to perform live.

Oh, man, that's a good one because it changes all the time, of course, after you know, decades, like, it -- And as you write new ones, you know, those kind of become your favorites sometimes.

My current favorite -- like, okay, for a long time, it was a song called "Don't Need It"... off a record called "Field Songs."

It's still one of my favorite ones to play called "Don't Need It."

But now I think my favorite song to play is called "Mk Ultra Blues," and it's off a record that came out a few years ago.

And it's kind of one of these... songs in the style of, like Woody Guthrie or something, where it tells a story and I'm almost talking it.

It's, like -- but it tells a whole story.

It's a little history lesson about MKUltra, and I had never heard a song about that.

So I wanted to write one because I'd never heard anyone talk about that in a song.

And so that's kind of my favorite one to play right now.

It's really wordy.

There's just a lot of writing to it, and it's just kind of fun to play.

[ Banjo strumming ] This next one is -- I think it's probably my favorite song to play these days.

I just really like it.

It's off that same record that came out a couple years ago, and this song's called "Mk Ultra Blues."

[ Banjo strums ] It's a little four-minute history lesson.

You didn't know you was gonna learn something tonight.

There'll be no quiz later.

[ "Mk Ultra Blues" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ Well, back in 1953, we were riding high on victory ♪ ♪ But the Cold War was getting colder all the time ♪ ♪ There's many ways to fight a war ♪ ♪ It gets dirty more and more ♪ ♪ The powers that be are thinking outside the lines ♪ ♪ And so the boys down at the CIA ♪ ♪ Were getting curious one day ♪ ♪ Thinking of ways to get a leg up on the Reds ♪ ♪ Through manipulation and experimentation ♪ ♪ They thought they could save the nation ♪ ♪ By taking citizens and messing with their heads ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And so they rounded up some volunteers ♪ ♪ But the volunteers had no i-dear ♪ ♪ They were about to be turned into laboratory rats ♪ ♪ They were unwitting participants ♪ ♪ In the government experiments ♪ ♪ And they wouldn't be the same after that ♪ ♪ They got those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪ Those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I don't know what happens, I guess we'll see ♪ ♪ We'll give these soldiers LSD ♪ ♪ And lock 'em in a room for a spell ♪ ♪ Maybe they'll tell no lies, maybe they'll be hypnotized ♪ ♪ Maybe they'll just think that they're in hell ♪ ♪ But the thing about mind control ♪ ♪ Eventually, it takes its toll ♪ ♪ Can often have the opposite effect ♪ ♪ People don't like to be misled ♪ ♪ Especially if it's by the feds ♪ ♪ It's the type of thing that could make you lose respect ♪ ♪ Well, sometimes subjects came real easy ♪ ♪ In the door come old Ken Kesey ♪ ♪ Ready to see some universal truth ♪ ♪ Oh, he was flying over the cuckoo's nest ♪ ♪ Taking the Kool-Aid acid test ♪ ♪ I believe he was successful in his pursuit ♪ ♪ I don't want those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪ Those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, some people's minds were blown ♪ ♪ Other people's minds were shown ♪ ♪ There's more to this here life than meets the eye ♪ ♪ A peek behind the cosmic veil, visions from beyond the pale ♪ ♪ A doorway to a different kind of life ♪ ♪ And so the drug they couldn't weaponize ♪ ♪ Was a failure in some people's eyes ♪ ♪ But was decidedly successful for some ♪ ♪ And what the CIA could not predict ♪ ♪ Is people trying to get their kicks ♪ ♪ Taking LSD just for fun ♪ ♪♪ ♪ So it's a lesson to the powers that be ♪ ♪ Don't be messing with people's reality ♪ ♪ Making us forget who we are ♪ ♪ Psychological manipulation is hard on a population ♪ ♪ And people can only be pushed so far ♪ ♪ I don't want those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪ Those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪ Oh, those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪ Those MKUltra blues ♪ ♪ Oh, no ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Over your career, you've performed on so many different types of stages in so many different cities across the country, across the world.

What has drawn you back to continue to being an Iowa resident?

You know, I know a lot of folks who may have kind of glances with the larger music industry.

It makes sense for them to move to LA or Chicago or New York.

What keeps you grounded and rooted here in Iowa?

The reason I've always stayed in Iowa is because of my family.

It's the place I love to be.

I'm lucky enough where I live on the same farm I grew up on, and I get to -- I get to be there, you know?

And life has led me in all these crazy places, but I'm so lucky to have this acreage, you know, thanks to, like, my folks and my family farm and, like, thanks to them.

It's a place of privilege to be able to, like, have these acres and have this place, so I'm literally grounded.

I'm literally, like, the ground is there, and I'm so...reverent of the earth and nature and where I'm from, like, I just can't imagine living anywhere else.

And yeah, my family and now my wife and daughter, like, we live in the house I grew up in, you know.

And so I'm very grounded by that.

And I just can't imagine being anywhere else, and... for what I do, I'm able to keep my overheads pretty low, so its -- I didn't have to make that move, in other words.

I didn't have to, like, "Okay, to make it, I got to move to LA or New York."

Like, I never had to do that because where I live is cheap and it's centrally located, [Laughs] so, like, you know, I tour in the United States.

I drive around, Iowa's right in the middle.

A couple hours from a lot of places, yeah.

So just from a nuts-and-bolts -- Yeah.

...just from logistically... a logistical standpoint, it makes sense.

But mostly, it's family.

I have the land, and I just love it.

I just love it, and whenever I travel, I love coming home so much.

It's just a special -- a special place, and I've always wanted to kind of sing the praises of it in a way that -- that I don't hear all the time.

There's lots of songs about Texas.

There's lots of songs about Tennessee, lots of songs about California, on and on.

And there's lots of good songs about Iowa, but not as many as I'd like.

So I just wanted to contribute to that and sort of talk about the place I'm proud of, you know, and the nuances of a state like this where there's -- there's a lot more going on here than people would think.

And so I always want to sing the praises of it, too, you know, but I'll always come back here.

I'll always love it.

♪♪ This next one is about a flood.

I live in Lee County, Iowa, and that's the southeastern tip of Iowa, if you can picture that.

And it's where the Mississippi River meets the Des Moines River.

I call it the Fertile Crescent of Iowa.

But it floods, as rivers do, but this one is about the flood of 1993.

And a lot of you won't remember the 1900s.

That's before you were born, but the 1900s was a wild time.

And it was before a lot of you were born, and that's alright.

But let me just tell you, there was a big flood in 1993.

♪♪ This song's about that.

[ "Lee County Flood" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ The summer wind is blowing westward ♪ ♪ Over the field of fresh-mowed hay ♪ ♪ Let's go up to the barn loft ♪ ♪ Lay back and watch the sparrows play ♪ ♪ I can see the evening skies ♪ ♪ From the holes rusted in the tin ♪ ♪ Let's close our eyes and fall asleep ♪ ♪ And listen to the storm roll in ♪ ♪ Oh, it sounded like a thousand horses' hooves ♪ ♪ The sound of the pouring rain on the old tin roof ♪ ♪ And the clouds were as black ♪ ♪ As the smoke from a stack ♪ ♪ From an old coal-burning train ♪ ♪ Lay back and listen to the sound of the pouring rain ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, it ain't rained in weeks ♪ ♪ And now it just won't stop ♪ ♪ And all the rivers and the creeks ♪ ♪ Are getting fuller with every drop ♪ ♪ And if the levee holds its ground ♪ ♪ And keeps that water back ♪ ♪ The Mississippi won't reach ♪ ♪ My little tarpaper shack ♪ ♪ Oh, it sounded like a thousand horses' hooves ♪ ♪ The sound of the pouring rain on the old tin roof ♪ ♪ And the clouds were as black ♪ ♪ As the smoke from a stack ♪ ♪ Of an old coal-burning train ♪ ♪ Lay back and listen to the sound of the pouring rain ♪ ♪ Well, now ♪ ♪ The sun shines on the roof ♪ ♪ And the moonshine's in the cellar ♪ ♪ What a happy feller I am ♪ ♪ Oh, to finally see the sun ♪ ♪ Now that the rain is done ♪ ♪ I'd had about all I could stand ♪ ♪ And I can't tell where my pond begins ♪ ♪ And where my cornfield ends ♪ ♪ And the cattle done floated away ♪ ♪ 'Cause the water's up over the fence ♪ ♪ Oh, the water's up over the fence ♪ ♪ And it sounded like a thousand horses' hooves ♪ ♪ The sound of the pouring rain on the old tin roof ♪ ♪ And the clouds were as black ♪ ♪ As the smoke from a stack ♪ ♪ Of an old coal-burning train ♪ ♪ Lay back and listen to the sound of the pouring rain ♪ ♪ Oh, lay back and listen to the sound of the pouring rain ♪ Yoo-hoo!

[ Cheers and applause ] Here's another new one.

It's called "Adaptation and Survival."

[ "Adaptation and Survival" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ Adaptation and survival ♪ ♪ Such a constant symmetry ♪ ♪ Human nature is my friend and my rival ♪ ♪ This time, it's got the best of me ♪ ♪ Well, this might be the first day of my last days ♪ ♪ I might as well get high ♪ ♪ Don't worry, Mama, it's only pain ♪ ♪ It'll work out by and by ♪ ♪ I've been thinking about you ♪ ♪ I've been thinking about you, I hope you're okay ♪ ♪♪ ♪ You had some matches up your sleeve ♪ ♪ I had some trouble in my mind ♪ ♪ Burning bridges like you would not believe ♪ ♪ Scorched earth left behind ♪ ♪ What lies ahead cannot be known ♪ ♪ That's just the way it's got to be ♪ ♪ I'd give up every single treasure that I've ever owned ♪ ♪ Just to have you here with me ♪ ♪ It's been such a long time ♪ ♪ It's been such a long time since I've seen you ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And I won't forget our promises ♪ ♪ That we made so long ago ♪ ♪ These existential apparitions ♪ ♪ They can't find us anymore ♪ ♪ Evolution and redemption ♪ ♪ They're coming straight for my throat ♪ ♪ Well, some things are better left unmentioned ♪ ♪ We got so far to go ♪ ♪ I've been thinking about you ♪ ♪ It's been such a long time since I've seen you ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I've been thinking about you ♪ ♪ I've been thinking about you, I hope you're okay ♪ [ Applause ] Talk to me a little bit about the song "Darkness Comes."

Yeah, the song "Darkness Comes," that's actually one of the ones on the new record that I'm most proud of.

I got to thinking about the vibe of, like... bands like The Handsome Family and Giant Sand... that are from the southwest, and they have this, like, desert sound.

And there's this bands that they just sound like they're in the desert playing, like, spaghetti Western music or something, so the chords came from that.

I was like, "I want to have a song that's like a Giant Sand song, like Howe Gelb and people like that."

And so that was the impetus for the sound of it, but then the... the lyrics, I wanted to tell some stories.

It's like kind of three different vignettes that all have to do with the same story, and it's about -- Yeah, it's about loss.

It's about... people making do with what life has handed them, but making it through anyway and surviving.

And the refrain is, yeah, darkness comes for everyone, so, you know, we're all gonna die.

And that's okay.

And so no matter what you've been through, just survive the best you can.

And the darkness comes for us all, so we'll just try to do the best we can while we're here.

It sounds more glib when I say it out loud, but it's supposed to be a hopeful song.

[ Chuckles ] It's supposed to be hopeful.

So paired with the, like, southwestern spaghetti Western sound with those themes, I just thought that was interesting.

But it's meant to be a hopeful song.

I don't know if it comes across that way, but that was one of my favorite ones on this new album.

[ "Darkness Comes" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ There he was in the back room ♪ ♪ Spitting blood into a can ♪ ♪♪ ♪ All hooked up to those machines ♪ ♪ He gave it all that he had ♪ ♪♪ ♪ He said, "I know I'm just a stranger to you" ♪ ♪ "But I loved you even so" ♪ ♪ "Come here close and let me tell you" ♪ ♪ "Something that you ought to know" ♪ ♪ "I don't know what they told you, son" ♪ ♪ But the darkness comes for everyone ♪ ♪♪ ♪ "There's a light that I can't see" ♪ ♪ "And I hope you do better than me" ♪ ♪ "And I hope you do better than me" ♪ ♪♪ ♪ There she was on the front porch ♪ ♪ All dressed up to go to church ♪ ♪♪ ♪ On the verge of crying tears ♪ ♪ Anyone could see how much she hurts ♪ ♪ She said, "I feel alone on most days" ♪ ♪ "I try hard to keep those feelings in" ♪ ♪ "You don't come around so much anymore" ♪ ♪ "And I'm never sure when I'll see you again" ♪ ♪ "And I don't know what they told you, son" ♪ ♪ But the darkness comes for everyone ♪ ♪♪ ♪ "There's a light that I can't see" ♪ ♪ "And I hope you do better than me" ♪ ♪ "And I hope you do better than me" ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ There we are in a photo ♪ ♪ A complicated memory ♪ ♪ It seems so simple, but it never really was ♪ ♪ We almost look like a family ♪ ♪♪ ♪ "And I don't know what they told you, son" ♪ ♪ But the darkness comes for everyone ♪ ♪♪ ♪ "There's a light that I can't see" ♪ ♪ "And I hope you do better than me" ♪ ♪ "I hope you do better than me" ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] What do you hope people take away from a William Elliott Whitmore show?

I hope people walk away... knowing that they saw something.

You can't say it was boring.

Yeah.

[ Chuckles ] Maybe I didn't do the best.

Maybe I talked too much.

[ Chuckles ] Maybe I had too much fun... but you can't say nothing happened.

[ Laughs ] And you're not gonna walk away bored.

That's what I hope.

I hope they can at least go, "Well, something happened," you know.

Now...ideally, they walk away a little moved.

They, like, "Wow, that really -- that really got to me."

But mostly, I just want people to have fun, forget their troubles for a little while, or if they need to, remember your lost loved ones, remember your troubles, and sometimes, you need to do that.

You need, like, a good cry or whatever, and sometimes, it's that.

I hope you get what you came to get, you know?

But you can't say nothing happened.

Yeah.

[ Laughs ] Well, Will, thanks so much for being here, man.

We're really appreciative of you being part of Season One of "Studio 3 LIVE."

Thank you guys.

This is amazing.

I want to thank the whole crew, and everyone here has been so nice and awesome.

So thank you for having me.

I appreciate it.

[ Applause ] Thank you, thank you.

I'll let this be my last one.

Thanks again for coming out.

This song is called "Black Iowa Dirt."

[ "Black Iowa Dirt" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ I'll put that black Iowa dirt on a biscuit ♪ ♪ I'll put black Iowa dirt in my teeth ♪ ♪ I'll put black Iowa dirt in a big, old bucket ♪ ♪ And carry it around with me ♪ ♪ I took a walk in the corn row this morning ♪ ♪ Last night, it rained an inch or two ♪ ♪ Well, it was getting hard to walk ♪ ♪ So I looked down at my feet ♪ ♪ I got black Iowa dirt on my shoe ♪ ♪ I got that dirt underneath my fingernails ♪ ♪ Got dirt running through my veins ♪ ♪ That black Iowa dirt turns my blood to mud ♪ ♪ Every time it rains ♪ ♪ Lord, every time it rains ♪ ♪♪ ♪ In the east field, I got a little rye patch ♪ ♪ In the north field, I got my corn ♪ ♪ And up on high ground is where I'll be found ♪ ♪ In the house where I was born ♪ ♪ And I've seen black Iowa dirt help a family ♪ ♪ Get by on a wing and a prayer ♪ ♪ I've seen black Iowa dirt explode out the ground ♪ ♪ And go a thousand feet in the air ♪ ♪ I got that dirt underneath my fingernails ♪ ♪ Got dirt running through my veins ♪ ♪ Oh, that black Iowa dirt turns my blood to mud ♪ ♪ Every time it rains ♪ ♪ Lord, every time it rains ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I got a big, old patch of taters ♪ ♪ I got a big, old patch of beans ♪ ♪ I got black Iowa dirt on my new white shirt ♪ ♪ Got black Iowa dirt on my jeans ♪ ♪ Well ♪ ♪ I put that black Iowa dirt on a biscuit ♪ ♪ I'll put black Iowa dirt in my teeth ♪ ♪ And when they go to fill my grave on the hill ♪ ♪ They'll put black Iowa dirt over me ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, black Iowa dirt over me ♪ ♪ Well, I got that dirt underneath my fingernails ♪ ♪ Got dirt running through my veins ♪ ♪ Black Iowa dirt turns my blood to mud ♪ ♪ Every time it rains ♪ ♪ Lord, every time it rains ♪ ♪♪ Thank you, folks.

I appreciate it very much.

My name is William Elliott Whitmore.

Thank you again for coming out.

We'll do this again.

We'll do it again sometime.

♪♪ ♪ I got that dirt underneath my fingernails ♪ ♪ Got dirt running through my veins ♪ ♪ Oh, that black Iowa dirt turns my blood to mud ♪ ♪ Every time it rains ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, every time it rains ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.