FOLK/Artists Wylie & the Wild West

Editor’s Note: The following piece is one in a series of short stories profiling many of the performers in the 65th National Folk Festival Aug. 22-24 in Bangor.

We’ve all heard him before: He’s the yodeler at the end of the Yahoo.com commercials, and he’s coming to this year’s National Folk Festival.

Along with the three other members of his group, Wylie Gustafson will bring a style of music that he describes as “a blend of cowboy music, traditional country and western swing.”

Wylie & the Wild West has been around for the last 14 years, but has gone through several member changes in that time.

Guitarist Ray Doyle of Santa Monica, Calif., has been performing with singer-guitarist Gustafson since they met at The Palomino Club in Hollywood 12 years ago. Scott Wilburn (steel guitar and fiddle) and Dave Reynolds (drums) joined the group within the last five years.

“My father was an amateur cowboy folk singer and he always sang to us kids when we were little,” Gustafson said. “A lot of the songs I’m doing today are songs that my dad handed down to me.”

Gustafson, a horse and cattle rancher who lives in Washington state, was raised on a ranch in Montana. He first began performing at the age of 16, more than 25 years ago. Since Wylie and the Wild West was formed, the group has made more than 40 appearances at The Grand Ole Opry and performed nationwide. They’ve never played in Maine, however, or at a National Folk Festival before.

“We’ve been doing a few folk festivals over the last few years and it’s just been great for us because the folks seem to appreciate what we do,” Gustafson said. “It’s been nice that they’ve let us represent our style of music.”

Those attending this year’s festival can expect to hear a style of music that they haven’t heard in a while, Gustafson said. Western music has been around since the 1930s and ’40s, but hasn’t been on the airwaves much recently. Wylie & the Wild West is trying to revitalize that genre with its upbeat performances that almost always seem to get the audience on its feet.

“We take pride in presenting an exciting, energy-filled show,” Gustafson said. With a new CD due out sometime this winter, the group has taken Western music in a new direction with a contemporary sound.

– By Aimee Dolloff of the NEWS Staff

Wylie & the Wild West will perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, and noon Saturday, Aug. 23, on the Railroad Stage. They will play again at 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, on the Heritage Stage.