Quality Americana

A bartender clears the counter for the opening of this uniquely-shot video by Michelle Billingsley.

The Michigan native, who’s been compared to Lucinda Williams, Tammy Wynette and Sierra Ferrell by Glide Magazine, released her debut country album The Marrying Kind in 2020 after starting out in the singer-songwriter and folk scene.

“I did the album and kind of transitioned to country,” Billingsley said. “I just started going out to other country shows. I’d been going to folk shows for a while, and I was like ‘this was way more fun.’ I started learning how to two-step. I met a bunch of friends in the country scene. I started dating Wild Earp. All those things kind of happened all at once.” 

We spotted Billingsley on the red carpet at the Ameripolitain Awards in Austin, Texas with Earp, who won a 2023 award for his work in western swing and was on the presenting team this year.

Billingsley and Earp at the Ameripolitain Awards.

Two-stepping in the Windy City

“It’s small but it’s kind of vibrant,” Billingsley said of the country music scene in Chicago, Illinois. “We’re small but mighty.”  

“Neat Whisky” shows our main character making a toast in a red checkered pearl snap as a banjo flies in the background. The video is entirely shot in one take that follows our subject as she reads and interacts with other patrons. 

Billingsley joked that she was writing depressing songs when she penned “Neat Whiskey” for her former folk trio. “It’s kind of like the dark side of being alone, and staring at walls, and having nothing to do but go around in your own mind. I feel like we’re kind of all stuck in little cages of our own making.” 

Billingsley helped shoot several videos for Wild Earp, and they continued their collaboration for “Neat Whiskey.”

“That’s all Earp’s idea,” Billingsley said of the continuous shot. “We shot it at a local bar. The problem was it had to be all in one take, so as soon as someone messed up we had to start all over again.”

“Neat Whiskey” has an upbeat style that follows traditional country themes. It’s an impressive offering that shows a bright future for this rising honkey tonk star. You can catch Billingsley performing in her adopted hometown at Judson & Moore.

More show dates and information on Michelle Billingsley can be found here.

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