Welles On World Cafe

Welles has the look, the voice, the licks, the hooks and the attitude of a real rock star. His classic rock-meets-grunge debut  Red Trees and White Trashes  alternates between being big, chunky, bombastic and driving and also intimate, sensitive, quiet and reserved. There's no shortage of ballads and barn-burners.

Jeh-Sea Welles grew up in rural Arkansas. He started filling up journals of lyrics at an early age and played music in barns — turkey houses, to be specific. He also played football for his school's team, the Ozark Hillbillies.

After graduating from college, Welles moved to Nashville and connected with producer extraordinaire Dave Cobb. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Dave's worked with everyone in Nashville, like Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton. Welles talks about what it was like to make the journey to Nashville and recording the single "Seventeen." He's not afraid to call it like he sees it, even if that means appreciating and experiencing the trials and tribulations of drug use, all so that you might have a better workout. He'll explain, but first let's get started with "Hold Me Like I'm Leaving."

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