Interviews
Interview with David Michael Curry (2019)
Willard Grant Conspiracy viola player David Michael Curry talks to John Clarkson about its tenth and final album 'Untethered' which was completed after the death of its front man Robert Fisher during its recording.
Interview (2013)
John Clarkson speaks to Willard Grant Conspiracy front man Robert Fisher and viola player David Michael Curry about their extraordinary new album 'Ghost Republic', which takes a lot of its inspiration from a ghost town in Fisher's native California
Interview (2009)
At a show in Edinburgh, Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy speaks to John Clarkson about the split reaction to his band's last album, 'Pilgrim Road', and their just released eighth album 'Paper Covers Stone', which features both reworked old songs and also new material
Interview (2008)
The Willard Grant Conspiracy's latest album, 'Pilgrim Road', has found singer Robert Fisher's collective working with Scottish composer and orchestral arranger Malcolm Lindsay. He speaks to John Clarkson about the collaboration and the new album
Interview with Robert Fisher (2006)
The Willard Grant Conspiracy have just released their sixth studio album 'Let It Roll', which has elements of both psychedelia and punk. Frontman Robert Fisher talks to John Clarkson about its making and recording.
Interview with Robert Fisher (2003)
The last three years have been times of particular turbulence for the Willard Grant Conspiracy. Back for a third interview with Pennyblackmusic, frontman Robert Fisher talks to John Clarkson about them and the band's new album, 'Regard the End'
Interview Part 2 (2000)
PB : Who will be going on the European tour with the band ?
RF : I wanted to bring a full band this time, so we are going out with seven members. All of the opening acts will be playing with us a
Robert Fisher Interview (2000)
On April 19th Robert Fisher, singer with Boston band The Willard Grant Conspiracy, was in London to promote the group's's new album, 'Mojave', and gave an interview to Pennyblackmusic.
Interview Part 1 (2000)
First formed in 1996,The Willard Grant Conspiracy are often bracketed and tagged as a alternative county act. While like other groups and musicians working in the genre they use roots-based instruments such as mandolins, banjos, strings, accordions and h
Live
Garage, London, 18/9/2009
In an evening fraught with difficulties and distractions, Ben Howarth at the Garage in London watches Robert Fisher's Willard Grant Conspiracy, against the odds and a heavily reduced stage time, play a riveting and forceful set
Majestic Theater, Detroit, 24/9/2009
Carl Bookstein at the Majestic Theater in Detroit watches much acclaimed alt. country band Son Volt play a poetically lyrical and passionately explosive set
Bloomsbury Theatre, London, 18/5/2008
At the Bloomsbury Theatre in London, Ben Howarth watches a twelve-piece, multi-national version of Robert Fisher's ever revolving collective the Willard Grant Conspiracy, out on the road to promote their new 'Pilgrim Road' album, play a spellbinding set
Luminaire, London, 9/11/2007
Anthony Strutt finds the Willard Grant Conspiracy on superb form as they both play a heartfelt and very human set at the Luminaire in London
Dingwalls,, London, 9/5/2006
The Willard Grant Conspiracy recently toured Europe to promote their new album 'Let It Roll' with frontman Robert Fisher's fellow Californian Steve Wynn as a support act. Anthony Strutt watches both bands play passionate sets at Dingwall's in London
Edinburgh Village, 11/7/2002
WGC frontman Robert Fisher ; Steve Wynn and Silos vocalist Walter Salas-Humara recently got together to tour Britain and Ireland. John Clarkson revels in "a rare chance to catch three remarkable songwriters at their most intimate and stripped down"
Features
Ten Songs That Made Me Love... (2017)
In 'Ten Songs That Made Me Love...' John Clarkson pays tribute to Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy, who died at the age of 59 in February and who we interviewed many times and headlined our Bands Nights on four occasions
Reviews
Untethered (2019)
Evocative tenth album from Willard Grant Conspiracy which features the last recordings of its front man Robert Fisher who died in early 2017
Paper Covers Stone (2009)
Magnificent montage of reworkings of already classic material and instantly essential new songs on enthralling eighth studio album from the Willard Grant Conspiracy
Regard The End (2003)
Spectacular long awaited fifth album from the American alt. rock ensemble, the Willard Grant Conspiracy, which, despite being largely about death, proves to be against-the-odds curiously life affirming
Everything's Fine (2001)
The Willard Grant Conspiracy have never been interested in making the same album twice. From the near psychedelia of their 1996 debut album '3 a.m. Sunday at Fortune Otto's' to the brooding, thrashed
Mojave (2001)
The Willard Grant Conspiracy's third and latest album, 'Mojave', has just been released. Evocative and emotively charged, it is a lyrical and compelling 'new country' mood piece with a timeless, float
Related
Interviews
Interview with Paul Austin Part 1
In the first part of a two part interview, both parts which we are running consecutively, guitarist Paul Austin talks to John Clarkson about the reformation of his band The Transmissionary Six after a decade-long absence, and their new album, 'Often Sometimes Rarely Never'.
Interview with Paul Austin Part 2
In the second part of our interview with guitarist Paul Austin, John Clarkson talks to him about songwriting with Robert Fisher from Willard Grant Conspiracy, Chris Eckman from The Walkabouts and Terri Pearson from The Transmissionary Six, and The Transmissionary Six's unusual new videos.
Tom Bridgewater
Interview
Owen Peters talks to Tom Bridgewater, the owner of Europe’s leading Americana label Loose Music, about his label’s lengthy history
Doghouse Roses
Interview
Doghouse Roses is the much acclaimed Glasgow-based folk duo of singer Iona McDonald and guitarist Paul Tasker . Malcolm Carter speaks to Paul Tasker about his band, who have toured with the Willard Grant Conspiracy, and their self-released second album, 'The Broken Key'
Simon J. Alpin
Interview
One of Britain's most prolific session musicians, Simon J. Alpin is also a producer and has worked with both the Willard Grant Conspiracy and Grand Drive. With Alpin's debut solo album, 'On the Wire' just out, John Clarkson speaks to him about the different strands of his career
Pete Weiss
Interview
Producer, engineer and mixer Pete Weiss, back for a third interview with Pennyblackmusic, chats to John Clarkson about his new open concept studio Verdant which is based in New England, and his current three very different groups, the Weisstronauts, Sool and Orange Nichole
Willard Grant Conspiracy
Interview with Robert Fisher
The Willard Grant Conspiracy recently released a remastered 17 track "short history", 'There But for the Grace of God'. Back for a fourth interview with Pennyblackmusic, frontman Robert Fisher talks to John Clarkson about it and the songs on it's making
The Transmissionary Six
Interview with Paul Austin and Terri Moeller
The project of Walkabouts' drummer Terri Moeller and former Willard Grant Conspiracy guitarist Paul Austin, Transmissionary Six are about to release a second album, 'Spooked'.John Clarkson speaks to them about it and their forthcoming first European tour
Transmissionary Six
Interview with Paul Austin
Ex-Willard Grant Conspiracy guitarist , Paul Austin has recently formed a new band Transmissionary Six with Walkabouts' drummer Terri Moeller. In the band's first interview, he talks to John Clarkson about the band's eponymous debut album.
Pete Weiss
Interview
Pete Weiss is one of the most important and influential members of the Boston independent music scene. An established and highly respected record producer, mixer and engineer, he is the co-owner of Zi
Profiles
Profile
Pete Weiss
John Clarkson finds Vermont-based producer and musician Pete Weiss to have moved away from his surrealist humorous past and to be in more serious frame of mind on both his bands, the Weisstronauts and Sool's latest EPs, 'The Wisstronauts in Memphis' and 'A Touch of Sool'
V/A
Orange Blossom 10
John Clarkson finds a three hour double DVD about the 10th Orange Blossom Special, the festival of the German label Glitterhouse, and which featured sets from the Walkabouts, the Great Crusades, Big Bang, Seachange and Robert Fisher of the Willard Grant Conspiracy, totally riveting
Glitterhouse
Interview with Lutz Mastmeyer
The largest indie label in Germany, Glitterhouse includes on its roster the Willard Grant Conspiracy, the Walkabouts,16 Horsepower and Rocket from the Tombs. Second-in-charge Lust Mastmayer chats about its history and recent 20th anniversary celebrations
Features
Willard Grant Conspiracy/Big Hogg
The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, 10/9/2015 and The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, 11/9/2015
We profile our next Pennyblackmusic Bands Nights which will feature the Willard Grant Conspiracy and Big Hogg at the Glad Cafe in Glasgow on Thursday 10th September and the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh on Friday 11th September
Pennyblackmusic Bands Night
Half Moon, London, 3/11/2012
Dominic Simpson looks back on our Pennyblackmusic Bands' Night on November 3rd at the Half Moon in Herne Hill in South London, which saw sets from the Willard Grant Conspiracy, Rotifer, Bromide and NOW
Profile
Pennyblackmusic Bands Night
We profile our next Penny Black Music Bands' Night, which will take place on Saturday November 3rd at the Half Moon in Herne Hill, South London and feature sets from the Willard Grant Conspiracy, Rotifer, Bromide and NOW
Photoscapes
Pennyblackmusic Bands' Night, 29/10/2010
Matt Williams provides previously unseen photographs of the Willard Grant Conspiracy, the Monroe Transfer and Adam Donen at our last Bands' Night in October of last year
Pennyblackmusic Bands Night
London, 29/10/2010
Mark Rowland writes of an enjoyable evening of music at the Pennyblackmusic Bands Night at the Half Moon, Herne Hill, South London which saw sets from the Willard Grant Conspiracy, the Monroe Transfer, Adam Donen and Altai Rockets
Profile
Penny Black Music Bands Night, 29/10/2010
We profile our next Penny Black Music Bands' Night, which will take place on Friday October 29th at the Half Moon in Herne Hill, South London and feature sets from the Willard Grant Conspiracy, the Monroe Transfer, Altai Rockets and Adam Donen