Meet Kira Annalise and Willie Heath Neal of The Waymores

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kira Annalise and Willie Heath Neal of The Waymores and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kira and Willie, what do you want people to remember about you?
We want our songs to make someone feel something. Maybe feel better about whatever they’re going through. If it’s a sad song that we wrote, we want the listener to be able to say “they’re sadder than me and they got through it.” If it’s a fun song we wrote, we want the audience to be having fun. We think our live shows have a good mix of fun moments and touching moments. We’ve laughed with so many of our fans and we’ve commiserated with some of them, too! What you see on stage and hear in the recordings is authentic and we want to be known for that. We’ve lived, in one way or another, every song that we record and mostly every song that we perform. We’ve had the very rare experience of creating bonds with so many people through the channel of music and we will forever be connected to each and every one of them. Being remembered for something like authenticity and relatability doesn’t seem like a lot, but to us, it’s all that matters.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We play country music in HonkyTonk bars and we love it. Any success we have in what we do comes from two things: Hard work and good fans. None of this has been easy but it’s been more than worth it. I think a common misconception is that we’re only working when we’re on stage but anyone that knows us personally will tell you that we never stop. We’ve been driving down the highway while Willie’s hands are on the wheel and Kira has the laptop in her lap either booking shows or talking with promoters. It’s constant work and that’s not a bad thing. We’ve had several things go wrong on the road, like that one time in Abilene TX where a guy tried to rob us and Willie had to chase him off with a knife, or the time in Paducah KY where a snow storm hit and we wound up putting our car through a tree… two days before we got on a plane for our Europe tour. They’re all tough in the moment but they make for great stories later. Most rough moments in life are just that. Moments that pass and make for good stories later on. The stage time is the fun part. That’s where we get to shine. We have really incredible fans, too. They’re unbelievably supportive and most of them have become life long friends that will always be a part of our story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d probably hang in a LOT. When we’re not on the road we’re mostly homebodies. That being said, there are a few spots that we’d have to hit. Dixie Tavern in Marietta GA was where we got our start. We had a residency there for 5 or 6 years and they allowed us to hone our craft on their stage. We’ll forever be grateful so we’d take the “best friend” there. We’d probably send out an email to our musician friends to see who’s playing where and end up hitting some Atlanta venues like The Earl and Star Bar (if it comes back)! Other than that, our Roadie lives across the street and has a full bar in his house and like 8 dogs at any given moment, so we’d probably be there a good bit! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For me, Kira, it’s Willie. I had never heard country music until I met Willie. I saw him on stage one night, 100 years ago, in a dive bar and it changed my life forever. I learned to play guitar and write music through him. Then I immediately fell in love with him and my world changed. Not only did I find this amazing partner, I had found what I was meant to do. What I felt “at home” doing. Now that we’re playing and touring together, it’s like a lot of the daydreams I had back then are coming true. For Willie: It used to be my heroes like Waylon and Hank but that has changed through the years. Those guys inspired me to play music but Kira inspires me to continue. There was a time, when I lived in Nashville, that was the loneliest time of my life. This path in music cost me a lot. It cost me my family. Now I have Kira traveling and experiencing this with me and it’s just better now.

Website: www.thewaymores.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewaymores

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewaymores

Other: TIKTOK: @thewaymores

Image Credits
Lindsay Garret and Dave Takis