On my radio program, I’m always looking for songs that can lead to a good conversation. Rarely have I met an artist who seems to value that aspect of their own songwriting quite like Coltt Winter Lepley. He writes intelligent folk songs that bestow dignity on blue collar characters and understanding to those suffering. A self-described member of the Woody Guthrie/Pete Seeger camp of songwriting, Lepley wants to create change through his music, though on a different scale. He repeatedly mentioned that he felt his job was to capture some sort of “universal human experience” and ease barriers to conversation.
When Lepley saw a good friend’s mugshot on Facebook for a drug-related offense, he decided to write a heartbreaking song about it. I got the sense that the minute he saw the photo, he began to consider a world without his friend.
“I think it’s a very human reaction to start the process of mourning. You try to protect yourself from those things,” said Lepley. “A number of folks I’ve graduated with have passed away from overdoses. I lost a cousin to fentanyl. I think addiction is super common and we should have a base level empathy for folks.”
The Rust Belt-based singer isn’t overtly political in his writing or public speaking, but he’s certainly active in combating addiction. It’s a problem all across America, but especially common in the depressed factory towns of his region. He carries Narcan and helped organize a conference at his college that drew participation from addicts, doctors, and politicians from both sides of the aisle.
“I don’t know if they finally warmed up to the information or there’s been so many people addicted that you just can’t ignore the problem, but I do think things have shifted,” he said of the elected officials. “They showed up, and that was more than I expected, to be honest.”
Music fits neatly into Lepley’s brand of community building. His songs tell emotional, often personal stories and elicit strong reactions from listeners. Without knowing this, I wound up telling Lepley a bit about the way addiction touched my family.
“If those songs inspire people to talk about things in a comfortable way, I think that’s the coolest thing in the world,” said Lepley.
Another track he said often leads to quality discussions is “Toilet Wizard,” a tribute to his plumber father.
“If a million people hear Toilet Wizard, dozens of blue collar father/children relationships will be healed,” Lepley theorized.
The track celebrates his father’s work ethic and willingness to help a customer in distress no matter when he was called. There are hints that they didn’t always get along, but this song is all love.
“I got to see the trope of what a blue collar worker is,” said Lepley. “You go whether you want to or not. You put your nose down and work hard in spite of all those things. My dad was gone a lot of Christmases working on calls. I think my dad is the epitome of what a modern folk hero could be, with the problematic things too. He didn’t like the song at first, but now he comes to shows when I’m close and he asks for ‘Toilet Wizard.’”
The respect Lepley has for his father and his fellow ‘pisser wizard Merlins’ seems to be growing in an age where AI is replacing white collar jobs and making blue collar employment more secure and respectable. “It’s not so bad being a plumber,” Lepley sings.
“It feels like the respect is catching up in a way that’s important. I’m a big proponent of worker’s rights and the blue collar guys,” said Lepley. “Every worker deserves dignity. Every person deserves dignity.”
Lepley is certainly a student of folk music history. As we discussed the reality of AI, he cited the mythical folk hero John Henry and a song from the 1800s about a shoemaker facing competition from a machine. In certain professions, like his father’s, Lepley believes humans will continue to have a place.
“I think it’s going to be really hard to program a robot to diagnose a furnace and then fix it and deal with the customer on what quite often is their worst day,” said Lepley.
Though only six tracks long, Lepley’s debut EP runs nearly a half hour and features high quality songwriting. “I’ll miss the way your laugh was like fine music/conducted by a songbird driven mad,” Lepley sings on “A Tear Addressed To You,” a standout song about love lost. “Bandito should have the most radio potential and tells a dark outlaw story in a way that’s compelling and fun. “Doves and Pine Boxes” proves he knows how to handle a banjo and “Sunflower Creek” is a moment of relaxation on an otherwise intense collection of songs.
Lepley is truly an artist to watch. The songwriting talent is undeniable, and he genuinely seems driven to participate in music for the right reasons. Throughout our discussion, he consistently came back to the theme of providing a service of sorts to his audience. In this time of division, Lepley celebrates the fact that people in his community are still willing to help each other. He clearly enjoys the fact that his shows are a small part of that.
“I’m certain that there’s a lot of folks from both sides that come to shows, and they get along really well and sing together,” said Lepley. “Let’s retain that unity.”
Above is the full episode as aired on WUSB’s Country Pocket, including both my interview with Coltt Winter Lepley and the songs we discussed, starting with Toilet Wizard, a profane and loving tribute to Lepley’s father. The interview begins with the second video in the playlist. You can hear the show live every Monday at 4pm on WUSB 90.1 FM or check the blog to watch it as a YouTube playlist. Visit http://www.WUSB.fm and https://www.colttwinterlepley.com for more.
Photo by Adam Parshall
Country Pocket 