NEWS
Dr. Westchesterson Goes Country!
April 2, 2024
Swamp Yankee Country - a four song country EP will drop on Friday May 3rd on all major streaming platforms! All of that time on the road as tour accountant for Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival Tour provided Dr. Westchesterson with the inspiration to switch gears again. This time The Dr. gets down home with a retro-sounding, old-school country vibe that blends the lo-fi vintage vibes of J.J. Cale with the twangy menace of the OG outlaw country stars such as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and of course...the great Willie Nelson. The Dr. has self-produced the EP playing all instruments with a little help from friends; Rob Davis, Cody Nilsen and Steve "Lightnin'" Lighty.
Dr. Westchesterson is already known as the most famous rapper from Western Massachusetts, the modern-day Yacht Rock genius responsible for the album, "Better Days Ahead" and now...quite possibly with the release of Swamp Yankee Country...The Dr. may soon be the new King of Country.
Ocean Mist- SOLD OUT!
May 1, 2023
Dr. Westchesterson and The Headband capped off a month of April shows with a sold out show at The Ocean Mist in Matunuck, RI. Despite foul weather and an angry sea adding to the drama of the evening, Headbandbandheads old and new braved the elements to witness the final show of the run. And what a run.
After strong shows in Burlington VT, Western Massachusetts and New Haven the band capitalized on the O-Mist crowd's energy; receiving, amplifying and returning it tenfold. The April run of shows mark the first appearance of Cool Cool Cool lead vocalist Sammi Garett who features heavily on Better Days Ahead. The album features drummer Tommy Diehl and guitarist Rob Davis as well so the albums tracks performed checked boxes in terms of their faithfulness to the studio recordings. Along with Marty Moroney on Bass, Sir Ian Kelly on rhythm guitar and Dave Lefkin on B3 and synthesizer The Headband blew through an almost two hour-long set of album tracks and Yacht Rock classics. After a short intermission...
Dr. Westchesterson returned to the stage and unleashed new material off of his upcoming EP, "Don't Look Back" which drops on all major streaming platforms on Friday May 26th. The EP once again features Sammi Garett providing her exceptional vocal skills. The Dr.'s new hybrid "Yacht Rock-Hip Hop" sound recalls 90's era hip hop a la Jay-Z/Biggie as opposed to his earlier Beastie Boys-edged 80's style tracks. Asses shook, bros fist-bumped and the first sell out of Dr. Westchesterson & The Headband's career was in the books.
Dr. Westchesterson & The Headband's next performance will be Fri/Sat July 14-15 at Captain Nick's on Block Island. More shows are being planned for Oct/Nov/Dec 23'.
Reflecting on Summer 2023 with Willie Nelson
October 15, 2023
Dr. Westchesterson spent summer 2023 on tour with one of America's greatest living singer/songwriters, the great Willie Nelson. As Willie's tour accountant The Dr. traversed the country with an amazing roster of artists including Bob Weir, Robert Plant, John Fogerty, The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliffe & The Nightsweats and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in addition to the great Willie Nelson himself.
With the help of his trusty abacus and a near endless supply of "Willie's Reserve" premium grade cannabis products Dr. Westchesterson balanced the books, made new life-long friends and enjoyed a multitude of brand new cultural experiences such as meeting Willie's iconic guitar "Trigger" and the joys of a Buckees truck stop.
Willie Nelson's crew aka "The Family" is almost as legendary as Willie himself and one would be hard pressed to find a kinder, more hospitable group of people. As the tour rolled on Dr. W found himself particularly enjoying his chats with Buddy "Budrock" Prewitt, Willie's lighting director since 1977. Budrock began his touring career in 1972 with David Bowie before joining Lynard Skynard and then Willie. Talk about stories...
The Dr. took quite a shine to ol' Budrock. So much so that along with the Outlaw Crew he produced a hot new track and music video all about the man who makes sure that the enormous American Flag backdrop is hung every morning to exact specifications and dropped with NASA-like precision during the intro to Whiskey River.
