Alternative Country from Westingway

Jon Wheeler is the self-taught artist behind the Westingway moniker, an alternative country project that approaches songwriting with a steady persistence, sitting down regularly to see what might surface. Sometimes the songs arrive quickly, sometimes they don’t arrive at all, but the routine never changes and over time, that patience has shaped an impressive catalogue of Americana and alternative country rock music.

The sonic vision behind Westingway stretches across generations of alternative and roots-leaning musicians, with artists such as Wilco, R.E.M., Grant Lee Phillips, The Record Company, Neil Young, Chris Stapleton, Counting Crows and the many incarnations of Jack White all playing a role in the sound he’s gradually been building. Jon doesn’t usually start with a clear theme in mind, in fact, he often admits he doesn’t fully understand what a song is about until long after it’s finished.

His outlook on making music is similarly straightforward; the way he sees it, the most important thing is simply getting started. It doesn’t matter when someone begins their creative journey or how they arrive there, what matters is being on the road at all and putting in the work to move forward. That mindset has carried him through the early stages of Westingway, which first came into view in July 2024 with the debut single “Fox In The Hen House,” followed up with a string of tracks including a collaboration with Helena Mace on “Horses.”

Now the project arrives at its seventh single, “I Get That All The Time,” a dusty country rock jam that rolls with stomping rhythm and smokey instrumentation capped by Jon’s expressive vocal performance. Thematically, the song plays out like bank-robbery tale with a loose “Bonnie & Clyde” spirit running through it, while the origins of the idea are suitably casual, according to Jon, the spark may have come from a documentary he half remembers watching before falling asleep on the sofa one night.

“Realistically the final result kind of came from a number of places. Yes, the TV, but also I’d been writing and recording a light hearted crime song with a friend of mine, (which will hopefully be out later this year), and I’d found it really refreshing to write a ‘story’ song, rather than just something that expressed what I was feeling at the time – which makes a nice change for me,” he explains.

Brought in by the steady pulse of kick, the lightly gritty twang of guitar and fuzzy feedback tones are met by the marching taps of cymbal, forming a hypnotic sound that simmers down as Jon’s rich voice glides in. Spinning transportive, storytelling lyricism, the track builds with memorable melodic leads lifted by smooth female backing vocals performed by Kate Harding to craft a grooving country rock outing.

Flowing with low slung guitar riff work and picture painting songwriting, with “I Get That All The Time,” Westingway serves up a timeless musical experience that’s engaging and original from start to finish. It’s an epic display of Jon Wheeler’s songwriting flair and performance talent and we can’t wait to see what he’s got in store next on his compelling musical adventure.

Listen to I Get That All The Time below

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