Lisa Walker and former Ass Ponys frontman Chuck Cleaver have been co-leading the esteemed Cincinnati rock band Wussy together for well over two decades. Sometimes they go out on tour, just the two of them, under the name Wussy Duo. In that configuration, Walker and Cleaver have shared a new track today, and it’s a beaut. Released ahead of a Wussy Duo tour of ticketed house shows, “I Hear You Calling” is a dreamy, elegant cover of “I Hear You Calling,” the same Bill Fay classic covered by Kevin Morby in 2021.

A statement from Walker:

I first heard this song on BBC Radio 6, played by Gideon Coe I think. And I remember it just devastated me on the spot. It was my first introduction to the music of the great Bill Fay. I played a cover of it for Chuck and Mark on a livestream sometime in 2020, and the secondhand version had a similar effect on them. It later became a live Duo staple for our Undertow shows.

We do the best version we can, but we’re definitely not trying to top the original, which is perfect as is – a really beautiful, mournful work. Lyrically, it’s just stunning – simple and singable, like an old hymn. For me, it shares a hallowed space with songs like Candy Says, Paris 1919, Kentucky Avenue, Nebraska. We recorded this DIY at my home ‘studio’ called Pompatus of Sound (which is a laptop on a rolling kitchen cart), and kept it pretty close to our live version. Chuck and I both play guitar, with Chuck on piano; then I added vocals, some rhythm, a little mellotron/synth. Turned up the delay as always. I hope we do it justice.

Below, hear “I Hear You Calling” and check out Wussy Duo’s tour dates. Tickets are available here.

TOUR DATES:
10/10 – Lexington KY
10/11 – Columbus OH
10/12 – St. Louis MO
10/13 – Rockford IL
10/15 – Evanston IL
10/16 – Berwyn IL
10/17 – Cleveland OH
10/18 – Dayton OH
10/19 – Cincinnati OH

If you’ve never heard the Wussy classic “Airborne,” you should.