Paisley Fields

Alt country artist, active from 2013 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Wilson, known professionally as Paisley Fields, is a queer country music artist based between Brooklyn, NY and Nashville, TN.[1]

Born
Hudson, Iowa
OriginBrooklyn, New York
Genres
Years active2013 (2013) – present
Quick facts Born, Origin ...
Paisley Fields
Born
Hudson, Iowa
OriginBrooklyn, New York
Genres
Years active2013 (2013) – present
Label
  • Don Giovanni Records
Member ofLavender Country
MembersJames Wilson
Websitethepaisleyfields.com
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Background

Wilson grew up in Hudson, Iowa[2] where their grandparents owned a farm.[3] They grew up listening to country music, but resisted performing in the genre until they reconnected with their country roots while living in Japan.[3]

Wilson is queer and non-binary.[4]

Career

Wilson assembled an alt-country band[4] which performed their first show as the Paisley Fields in Brooklyn on New Year's Eve 2013.[3] After the release of their first EP Oh These Urban Fences in 2015, Wilson adopted the name Paisley Fields as a stage name.[4] Their first full-length album Glitter & Sawdust, released in 2018, is an exploration of the duality of the masculine and feminine.[3]

The next two albums Electric Park Ballroom and Limp Wrist were released on Don Giovanni Records.[5] Electric Park Ballroom is named after a dancehall they visited in childhood but the songs center on present-day urban narratives[6] while Limp Wrist focuses on the realities of rural queer life.[7]

In 2019, Paisley Fields toured with queer country pioneers Lavender Country and Lavender Country later guested on Paisley Fields' "Stay Away From My Man."[4] They played keyboards on Lavender Country's 2022 album Blackberry Rose.[1]

"Burn This Statehouse Down," a duet with Mya Byrne protesting Tennessee's anti-trans legislation,[8] was chosen as one of NPR music critic Ann Powers' favorite songs of 2023.[9]

As a songwriter, Wilson has written with Bob the Drag Queen ("Purse First") and Scarlet Envy ("Feeling Is Mutual," "Press On," "Is It Me?").[10]

Style

Paisley Fields combines country, rock, pop, and disco while their lyrics include explicit queer themes,[11] ranging from gay sex ("Ride Me Cowboy")[11] to being outed ("Blackhawk County Line")[7] to referencing Matthew Shepard ("Iowa").[6]

Discography

  • "Burn This Statehouse Down" with Mya Byrne (2023) (Kill Rock Stars)
  • The Field Sessions Live EP (2023) (Don Giovanni Records)
  • Limp Wrist (2022) (Don Giovanni Records)
  • Electric Park Ballroom (2020) (Don Giovanni Records)
  • Glitter & Sawdust (2018)
  • Oh These Urban Fences EP (2015)

References

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