Despite his successful career as one of America’s most popular traditional entertainers, Wylie still gets up everyday and tends to the livestock. It grounds him, and is the backbone of his art. For the secret of Wylie’s honest, soulful music isn’t in any musical formulas or flashy gimmicks. Its purity lies in Wylie’s character: earnest and hard-working, but beaming with friendly vigor - and a smile as warm as first sunlight rising over the prairie.

Wylie’s wild blend of western swing, classic country, cowboy, and folk music - served up with a healthy helping of his infectious energy - gets the crowd moving every time. No less authority than Billboard Magazine declared “When Wylie & the Wild West play, folks get up and dance!,” and from festivals to state fairs, bars to barn dances, it rings true. When asked to define his music, Wylie states, “We are a good-time cowboy band. I know that the young urban crowds in Seattle appreciate us as much as the working cowboys do. Our music is not limited to one type of listener.”

Keeping his home base near Dusty, Washington (population 11), Wylie has spread his influence the world over. He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry over 50 times, and also performs at such prestigious venues as the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Prairie Home Companion, the National Folk Festival, Merlefest, the Bumbershoot Festival, The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering; state fairs in Minnesota, Kansas, Ohio, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, California, Washington, and Montana; the Calgary Stampede, Pendelton Round-Up and Houston Rodeo & Livestock Show. He has earned an international reputation not only through his recordings, but also from his appearances at Japan’s Country Gold Festival, three Australian tours, one South American tour, and a seven-week residency at Euro Disney.

That is not the resume of a mediocre performer: Wylie’s dynamic stage presence keeps getting him invited back to venues year after year.

With his latest album, Bucking Horse Moon, and his ever-increasing media profile (with feature spreads in everything from The Seattle Times to Western Horseman), Wylie & the Wild West are bringing their rollicking sound to new audiences the world over. In fact, his voice has already echoed in millions of homes as the prominent yodel in the Yahoo.com advertising campaign.

All of Wylie’s music is dashed off with a hardy dose of trail dust. Wylie is an accomplished cutting horse enthusiast who was the 2005 NCHA Western National Finals Champion. That shiny belt buckle he wears wasn’t bought on e-bay.

For him, his western lifestyle and the recording studio are inseparable. “The connection between my ranch life and my music is extremely close,” he says. “I believe in creating a song that inspires the listener... either lyrically or rhythmically. It is also important that I offer something that takes traditional ideas and bends them into a new direction.”

In this era of prepackaged superstars - of pale imitations of country music being pushed onto the public by faceless media giants - the music of Wylie & the Wild West is a beacon of truth and honest beauty. “In our music and our presence,” explains Gustafson, “we try to be ourselves.” By being himself, Gustafson has become one of the most exciting and endearing acts in contemporary music - country, western, folk or otherwise.

"Obviously Wylie makes phenomenal music," says Chris Tahti, director of the Minnesota State Fair, "but he’s not just a good recording artist, he’s a great performing artist. From his performances here, he’s gained a really solid following. People plan to be here to see him. The best part of his performance is the reactions of people who don’t know who he is - they walk by, and he pulls them into the seats. He’s a magnet," Tahti beams. "Not only does he draw a crowd, he keeps them there."

Oct. 06