William H. Travis
If it were set to a melancholy scene, the music of singer-songwriter William H. Travis would seduce your attention midway through an indie movie and have you Shazamming the TV set for more. His 2013 album Port and 2016 EP Long Ways Down are infused with plaintive melodies and a gently gravelly voice that’s perfect for a rainy day in the soundtrack of your life.
Travis originates from Nazareth, where he and middle-school friends started a band called Wailing Waters. They delighted audiences with covers specializing in ‘60s–‘70s rock like The Who and The Beatles along with original songs. But Travis’s musical career was carried into new territory as the formative years passed.
His own music has a thoughtful, folky feel with earnest lyrics, playful rhymes and earthy vocals more akin to Dylan than The Doors, and possibly inspired by the literary romps of an English degree. “My mom wanted me to go to school for music,” Travis says, challenging the common wisdom that parents are allergic to majors in the arts. “But a music degree really limits your options, mainly to teaching.” Ironically, he teaches guitar, bass and piano at The Lesson Center, where his genial encouragement cultivates talent without the pressure some kids may feel to turbo-practice their way to prodigy status.
Performing regularly around the Valley and in Philadelphia, Travis can be spotted wielding his guitar at venues like Porter’s Pub and SteelStacks, and he has new songs in the works to be released as an EP this summer. Acknowledging the risk to singer-songwriters of humorless navel-gazing, Travis peppers his set list with dad jokes to lighten the mood. Check out his Facebook for future gigs.
