Whether he's making beautiful music with country soul collective The Delines or writing highly successful novels, two of which – The Motel Life and Lean on Pete – have been made into films, Portland, Oregon-based Willy Vlautin is first and foremost a storyteller chronicling life in working class America. Formed in 2012, The Delines' line-up includes three members of Willy's previous outfit, Richmond Fontaine, a much-loved alternative country group active for over 20 years. The Delines.
Picture: Jason Quigley The Delines, who have released five studio albums to date – the most recent of which is 2023's The Night Always Comes – will be performing in Cambridge on 12 June. When we spoke, via Zoom, Willy, 56, was due to fly to the UK the following day for a short solo tour – a mix of conversation and solo musical performance – to tie in with the release of his latest novel, The Horse. "I'm a bit nervous," he admits, "I've been hiding behind The Delines for a few years and I've gotten to like that, but I'm really grateful to get the opportunity to do the gigs.
" On the subject of The Horse – which has been described as his "most personal novel yet", and has also received praise from Irish writer Roddy Doyle – Willy says: "It's the life story of a journeyman, a musician who was based out of the town where I grew up, Reno, Nevada. "It's kind of the life of a casino musician; when I was a kid, casinos still were good gigs for musicians. "I mean they're hard, miserable g.
