We’ve been spinning the Phosphorescent ode to Willie Nelson, To Willie on the regular. Highly recommended for any fan of the Red Headed Stranger. Especially good news for fans planning on attending dates on the upcoming tour. “Phosphorescent will be performing the album in its entirety. Of course they will be playing selections from the album every night on tour, but wanted to give fans something special to celebrate the release of this album.

Phosphorescent will swing through der Rathskeller on the University of Wisconsin campus for a free show on Saturday, March 7th.

Buy: To Willie
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Myspace: Phosphorescent
MP3: Phosphorescent – “A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise”

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When we named Phosphorescent’s Pride to our list of favorite 2007 releases, it was definitely for the originality of his output. Now, word from the Dead Oceans label is that the Pride follow up will be a collection of Willie Nelson covers, entitled To Willie.

As a huge fan of the Red Headed Stranger, I am pretty excited about its release on February, 3rd. “Houck’s swagger and confidence shines through like never before – on songs like “Reasons to Quit” and “I Gotta Get Drunk” Phosphorescent rumbles with a soulful groove that was a fixture of the live show, but was never touched upon in previous recordings. Recalling the finest moments of the late-’70s work of Waylon Jennings and Nelson himself, Phosphorescent has delivered a glorious hangover of an album. It is so much more than a collection of Willie Nelson cover songs–it is a full-blown new classic.”

Phosphorescent- Reasons to Quit (Willie Nelson Cover)

Click Here To See The To Willie Track List –> (more…)

You’ll have to pass through some visual memories of Willie Nelson before the two artists appear on stage together, Willie taking the first verse. One of my all-time favorite songs, a standard on road trips, a definite when I make my own journey south to the home and final resting place of The King. I saw Paul Simon at Summerfest on my birthday three years ago, got up close, he played everything, it’s emblazoned in my memory for good.