Ira Wolf

Ira Wolf is a new-folk singer from Montana who has found her voice all over the world. She has been on and off the road touring solo since summer 2014. This gives her the opportunity to share her Americana melodies all around the country and dive into nature in her down time. Solo travel has taught Ira to embrace fear and gain confidence. - Gale Straub

Independent folk singer-songwriter Ira Wolf made the move to Nashville from Montana, starting at the very bottom. She was living in her car and juggling odd jobs to save up money before diving into music full-time. She really had to take a risk, one she describes as "the hardest thing she's ever done." In the interview below, Wolf tells us about what drew her to Nashville, the realities of working your way up from nothing in the music industry, and how she's making it all work as an independent artist. - Sonicbids

Originally from Montana, new folk singer/songwriter Ira Wolf moved to Nashville in 2013, and completed her second tour in the fall of 2014. Ira Wolf’s songs are based on her personal experiences. “Fickle Heart” was just released in September.

With infectious fiddle and banjo, “Can’t Say” is catchy and energetic. There is a touch of Irish Folk in here, balanced with very contemporary layered vocals on the moving chorus. The steel guitar lends a nice Country vibe.

“Poison in my Veins” is slower and poignant. Militaristic percussion meshes well with languid bass and moody guitar. The song rises and fills out at about 3:00, with synth in the background. Vocals are smooth, yet incisive.

“Give a Damn Danny” features understated, yet edgy banjo and firm, strident percussion. “You want it all, but you know that ain’t fair/I keep saying don’t you come back around. but you turn on the charm and my guard is down.” Vocals are sincere and personal, with the sudden swell of the chorus adding weight to the song before it closes.

“The Devil and Me” gallops along with choppy, foreboding guitar, sharp fiddle, and steady bass on this eminently danceable song. Percussion emerges and sets the pace, while the guitar evokes shades of the Eagles’ “Desperado” era. Ira’s vocals are wonderfully fatalistic yet defiant. “They told me that I was headed for the devil/I asked them what a life if you’re livin’ like you’re dead?” A bit of echo adds a dark touch. “I was born to be a sinner/I was born to be free/I was born to dance with two left feet.” This is a great song, perhaps my favorite on the album.

“Won’t Talk” is a soft chronicle of a rather complicated relationship. “I won’t talk and you won’t talk/and we’ll just walk away…” The song begins soft and mellow with a furtive air, but suddenly firm percussion and and expertly layered vocals heighten a sense of sincere regret that is not quite enough to change anything. The song will resonate with everyone who has faced conflicting emotions. Vocals are superb, and the subtle backing instruments are the perfect complement.

“In the Dark” is fast paced and flowing, percussion driven with hypnotic steel guitar. Vocals are again superbly layered, with an echo effect that gives the song an enigmatic feel. “There are monsters underneath my bed/keep me up and scared to death“ The “monsters” are ones of doubt and futility that we all face at one time or another.

“Fickle Heart” has a Celtic cadence with clear, precise guitar that is reminiscent of some of the artists on the Windham Hill label but quite a bit stronger. Vocals are simple, yet powerful. Backing guitar has some fine echo, which gives the song an otherworldly kind of vibe. This is the right song to end the Cd.

Ira Wolf takes new folk in a different and quite refreshing direction than most, with pleasing melodies and straightforward lyrics. There is more strength here than is first apparent. The production is excellent, and it is obvious that the vision behind “Fickle Heart” was a solid one. Fans of folk and rock alike will appreciate the clarity and intimacy of “Fickle Heart” as well as Ira Wolf’s fine vocals. - Midnight Calling

Ira Wolf takes the road less traveled ... and the road frequently traveled ... and, pretty much any road she can find.

Including a road to Kenosha.

The singer/songwriter has been driving across the United States for the past month on her “GoWesty Tour.”

She started on the East Coast, heading up to Maine, and has been working her way westward ever since.

When she called us from Cleveland Thursday morning, she sounded like a happy camper. Which might have something to do with her camper.

“I’m traveling in a 1988 restored VW van,” she said. “It’s awesome. The GoWesty company in California refurbishes old vans and makes them run really nice and look really good.”

GoWesty is sponsoring her tour — and spoiling her.

“I have a Buick and a tent,” Wolf said, laughing, but now that she’ll be spending about five months in her camper van, she may have to upgrade. “This is a pretty big step up for me from how I usually travel. I may have to buy one after this tour, because it’s turning into my home.”

Setting up gigs

Wolf spent a few months plotting out her cross-country tour, which she calls “a very long process. I knew I wanted to go west, in relation to the name of the tour, and I wanted to cover as much of the country as I could. So I went as far east as possible and now I’m heading as far west as I possibly can. I’ll pop around the country.”

Once she had a general route in mind, she picked out cities “that I’ve heard good things about, that I’ve been to before, where I have friends or where I had offers to perform. We reached out to different venues and to people who host house concerts.”

Even though she’s on the road now, she’s still busy booking last-minute shows.

Stopping in Kenosha

Wolf is actually making a return visit to Fusion in downtown Kenosha, where she performed last summer.

“My friend Kenneth Murray lives in Kenosha and does some work with Fusion,” she explained. “He contacted me last year and said he’s been following my music. He saw I was playing in Milwaukee and Madison and asked me to come to Kenosha.”

Her first Fusion show “was awesome. It was really fun, with a great listening crowd. That’s very much my style, an attentive crowd. They were super sweet people, and it was a really fun night. So of course I added Fusion to my return list.”

Road warrior

Wolf, 25, travels solo — “just me and my guitar” — and says “I love it. I’m very much an independent type.”

She’s been touring for about two years — with brief stops at her home base in Nashville — and enjoys “just wandering by myself. It’s an incredible way to see the country.”

And what about being lonely?

“I value my alone time,” she said. “And I meet so many friendly people. I enjoy it and can do it by myself — and it’s hard to find someone who wants to go out for essetnially no money and live for five months in a van.”

She’s been to most of the places on her traveling “wish list,” including several national parks and cities including Chicago, Seattle and New York.

“There’s so much to see — it’s insane how beautiful our country is.”

When she hit Michigan on Friday, she said, “it will be the last state I hadn’t visited — beyond Alaska. “ (She went to Hawaii as a kid on a family vacation.)

Her music

Wolf describes her music as folk music, quickly adding, “I know there are about 8 million genres of folk. Mine is a singer/songwriter style, a little bit mellow, with some bluegrass and Americana roots. I do some upbeat songs, too, and may add in one or two cover tunes.”

She has produced two albums — with seven songs each — but has written songs “in the hundreds.”

“My songs are pretty personal, from my experiences. In the beginning, I wrote a lot of breakup songs — sad songs are the easier ones to write, unfortunately — but now my life is so fun that inspiration comes from all over the place,” she said. “I just have to wait until something wakes me up at 3 a.m., and I get up and grab my guitar and start singing.”

On stage

At Fusion Saturday night, audience members will hear “some serious songwriting,” she says. “I really like to dig into lyrics. I also share funny stories from the road. It’s fun to meet people from these towns I’m traveling through.”

And then it’s time to get back on the road ...

If you’d like more information about Wolf — or would like to book her for a house concert — go to www.irawolfmusic.com. - E Snyder