Going to see a Willie Nile concert in 2013 is a no-risk proposition. If you walk away unsatisfied, the man of the hour himself has offered to refund the cost of your ticket. That was the guarantee which was issued to me during an interview with Nile recently. Later that same night at the Winchester Music Hall, the gig had come and gone and I’d call it a success and then some, because not only was it a killer show, I certainly didn’t see anybody asking Nile to open his wallet.

Earlier that day, we sat down backstage at the club to chat about American Ride, Nile’s new album which has received high praise from many, including a guy named Bono and yes, we’re speaking about that Bono.

The rebirth of Nile as a successful indie artist is quite the story. Frustrated by the music business, Nile walked away twice, returning to recording action in the late 90s with the album Beautiful Wreck of the World. He found that there was still an audience interested to hear the material lurking in his songbook. Since then, Nile has remained active turning out four additional studio albums and touring the world, working to leave an imprint in every zip code and territory that has a stage.

American Ride is the latest chapter and Nile is justifiably proud of the album. But he’s already looking further down the road and plotting his next musical moves. There are many miles to travel and concert stages yet to be visited before that happens however. In our time of conversation, he lets us in on a few things.

We’ll let you in on something as well: Pick up a copy of American Ride and discover one of this year’s finest albums which might fly under the radar of some, but it will be on yours and it’s nearly guaranteed that you’ll find yourself similarly spreading the word so that others don’t miss the ride.

The Matt N’ Jeff Radio Hour, Episode 24: Willie Nile 

[youtube width=”602″ height=”350″ video_id=”hT3MFnOxNZo”]

Visit Willie Nile at his official website for more information about American Ride and upcoming tour dates!