Acoustic country duo and pillars of the Pacific Northwest music scene, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms, are thrilled to announce they have signed with Free Dirt Records. “We’re longtime fans of the many stellar Caleb & Reeb projects,” says Jonathan Een Newton, Free Dirt’s General Manager. “Whether it’s the legendary old-time quartet, Foghorn Stringband, or their hard-driving roots country band, everything they touch seems to turn to gold. They are both forward-thinking, traditionally-minded songwriters who effortlessly weave honky tonk, bluegrass, and more into a mix wholly their own. Just our cup of tea,” he continues. “We couldn’t be happier to welcome them into the Free Dirt family!”
To celebrate, the pair have released a new single, “He’s Gone,” out digitally now. “I woke up one morning singing the first few lines of this song and thought it was a song about a fictitious champion racehorse,” Klauder says of “He’s Gone.” “In the hour that followed and as the morning unfolded in front of a cup of coffee and with the help of my trusty ’39 Martin 0-17 guitar, I realized that I was singing about my oldest and best friend’s father who had just recently passed away. Dr. Perfect, as we called him, was a huge influence on my life, like a second father. The Duffer taught me how to celebrate life, the importance of gathering with friends, and how to look forward and move with grace through this world. I miss you, Duff. Thank you for your inspiration, love, and support over the years.”
Currently based in the lush San Juan Islands of Washington State, by way of Portland, Oregon, Klauder and Willms have carved out a unique niche in the Americana realm. Celebrated for their charismatic performances and deeply-rooted musical style, they blend classic country, bluegrass, old-time, and Cajun influences to offer a refreshing departure from the often sorrowful themes found in traditional music.
“Country music is our soul music,” says Kaluder. “It is the way we can tell stories, express deep emotions, and help others to feel their joys and pains through music.” With an uplifting sound and fierce commitment to authentic storytelling through song, their work showcases their dedication to preserving the raw truth of rural American music, using it to deliver contemporary messages. The result is spellbinding.
The duo’s pared-down style draws from bluegrass instrumentation, supplemented by pedal steel and electric guitar, channeling classic country duos of old. As a vocally-led band, they focus on the art of harmony and often filter their creations through the lens of dance, honoring the traditions of country and honky-tonk music. From their hands and voices to their audiences’ ears, Klauder and Willms craft rhythms that compel listeners to move.
Free Dirt Records, proudly based in the Washington, DC metro area, is an independent record label and services company founded in 2006. For more than a decade, they’ve worked with established legends and have helped to introduce some of the finest contemporary American roots artists including Pokey LaFarge, Willi Carlisle, Rachel Baiman, Mighty Poplar, and Jake Blount. Their releases have been nominated for GRAMMY awards three times (Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge’s Mount Royal in 2017, Che Apalache’s Rearrange My Heart in 2019, Mighty Poplar’s self-titled record in 2023). They believe growth isn’t possible without an understanding of our roots and a clear, ethical sense of purpose, and aim to give artists across many genres and at all levels of success the space to explore the best of the old and the new.
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