In 2014 the Louisville instrumental group Watter broke onto the scene with the highly regarded 7 track "This World" LP on Jeremy DeVine's Temporary Residence record label. The 3 piece band consisting of Multi-instrumentalist Zak Riles (of Grails), drummer Britt Walford (of Evergreen, Breeders), and Tyler Trotter embody an indie rock supergroup; emboldened by their 2015 conceptual album with Bonnie "prince" Billy, The Devil Is People, under the name Bonnie Stillwatter.
Watter's place in Louisville music history will be solidified when their 2nd LP, History Of The Future is released on October 20th (also on Temporary Residence).
At its core History builds on the lightly woven soundscape laid out on This World but is more dynamic sonically; borrowing from many genres including math rock, jazz, dream pop, electronic, and classical among others. "History" also takes on qualities of a film score; as if David Lynch and John Carpenter made a soundtrack backed by The Drift and produced by Johnny Jewel (Symmetry, Chromatics).
The first 3 tracks are heavily influenced by Carpenter, especially the opener Telos, and mirror the soundtracks to Halloween or Assault On Precinct 13 with driving deep bass tones and ominous synthesizers before the album reaches a melodic center and settles into the calm Watter tones found on This World.
The list of guest appearances on History are a venerable Who's Who of Louisville legends, including Dom Cipola (Phantom Family Halo), Todd Cook (Jaye Jayle), Nathan Salsburg, and Rachel Grimes (Rachel's). Grimes influence is especially present on the last track, Final Sunrise, an uplifting piano driven track that would be right at home on one of Grimes' solo efforts.
Overall, History Of The Future takes the listener on a sonic tour of the instrumentalist playbook, incorporating audio clips, live instrumentation, and a plethora of synthesized emotions. History is a must have for fans of Louisville's early 1990s experimental heyday and will no doubt find it's place on many End-of-the-Year critics lists.
Local record label Louisville Is For Lovers, now in it's 15th year, is currently taking submissions for the Louisville Is For Lovers 2017 Valentine's Compilation. Started by John King, the first Valentine's compilation was released in 2001, and the label has since released 11 valentine's comps and over 20 other releases including music by My Morning Jacket, Bonnie 'prince' Billy, White Reaper, and hundreds of other Louisville artists.
September 23 & 24th will be the triumphant return of Ryan Davis' Cropped Out Music Fest at Turner's Club. This year's line up is the best to date rivaling any other Music Fest in the region, with weekend passes being only about 1/2 the price of other fests. The line up includes regional and national acts such as Bill Callahan (Smog), Bonnie 'prince' Billy, Kool Keith, Cearal Gylphs, Giving Up, Insect Policy, Pleasure Boys, Beat Awfuls, Dry Summers, & Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments.
To kick off Louisville Is For Lovers 15th Anniversary year they have just released (on Jan. 1st 2016) a compilation album of Live recordings from Louisville Is For Lovers events and artists over the last 15 years including Bonnie 'prince' Billy, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), The Deloreans, The Mack, Phantom Family Halo and many more; over an hour of previously unreleased recordings for only $7 here.
Gayngs 'Relayted' 2010
One of the most imaginative ensemble albums ever created, the 22 member Gayngs recorded 'Relayted' of the course of a year, and at the sexy 69 BPM, to incredible success, and has yet to release a follow up.
The Deloreans "American Craze" 2011
The Dynamite blast of the Deloreans 2nd LP mixes 1930s sentiment with equal parts Lounge Axe and B-52s stylized pop delivered with polished talent. A must have for any fan of post-90s Louisville rock.
The Fervor "Arise Great Warrior" 2011
Released within a month of American Craze, The Fervor's 'Arise' is a brutal and heartbreaking exploration through the choppy waters of love, that only a husband and wife group can deliver. Ben and Natalie Felker front The Fervor, with Ben's slick guitar, and Natalie's undeniably honest look into Love and Loss, through expert vocals and smooth keys.
Death Grips "Exmilitary" 2012
The brilliantly executed 1st full length album by art-rap's damaged duo M.C. Ride & Zach Hill is an excellent example of the anatomy of a madman's dream. It will cause you to question your entire life, and possibly reality it's self.
DMX "The Weigh In" 2012
In 2012 DMX released 2 hard hitting LPs, the first ‘The Weigh In’ for free (in current hip-hop mixed tape style) as a prelude to ‘Undisputed’. I think both albums are well worth any DMX fan's collection, but I keep finding myself going back to the Weigh In, as it is more gritty and with unabashed inflections that read like a prison diary that DMX was so good at in his early albums such as ‘It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot.’ It is also a free album so nothing is stopping you.
Bonnie "prince" Billy S/T 2013
One of the best albums entirely recorded, produced, and released by one man; and of of Will Oldham's most personal and heartbreaking works to date.
Frankie Cosmos "I'm Sorry I'm Hi Let's Go" 2013
Musician Greta Kline (AKA Frankie Cosmos) captures those awkward teen years in a musical diary as only the daughter of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates could.
Howell Dawdy "Mixtape" 2014
From the alter-ego of Lydia Burrell (which is the alter-ego of Alex Smith) this paranoid Art-Rapper is connecting the dots and exposing international (and inter-personal) conspiracy theories so we don't have to.
Scott H. Biram "Nothin' But Blood" 2014
Texas blues One Man Band, Scott H. Biram's Nothin' But Blood album plays like a schizophrenic jukebox jumping from head on collisions like "Alcohol Blues" with lines like "You don't love me Mamma like you say you do, You can't be my woman sucking and fucking some other motherfucker too" straight into quiet and endearing tracks like "Never Coming Home" with lines that will break your heart like "woke up thinking my soul had flown, I thought I'd died somewhere in the night. Yes I'm still just drifting on, got nowhere to do it right." It's full on honesty meets expert blues and country picking.
Dr. Dre "Compton" 2015
Who says Dre has lost touch? this 3rd solo release (in as many decades) has just as much fire power and creativity as anything Dre has ever worked on.
Leon Bridges "Coming Home" 2015
Born Todd Bridges, and transformed into the time machine that is Leon Bridges, this record will take you into the past as well as the future.
Printed Pop:
Life by Keith Richards (2010) this massive and energetic autobiography by Rolling Stones founder Keith Richards is an honest and open portrayal of Life as a living god.
With Amusement for All: A History of American Popular Culture since 1830 by Leroy Ashby (2012/updated edition) is the first comprehensive look into the history of pop culture (and also confirmed my suspicions that Pop culture was indeed born right here in the Derby City). It's a must for anyone who has ever framed a movie poster, album cover, or comic book for proud display or safe keeping.
Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor (2013) is an amazingly detailed and thought out history of Hip Hop with it's origins in Bronx, NY. Not only has Ed Piskor painstakingly drawn out this history in Graphic novel format, but has also put all of it up to view free online. I got mine in paperback format from Phantagraphics. Hip Hop Family Tree vol.1 & 2 made it onto the New York Times Best Seller list of 2013 and is a must for anyone who enjoys the mythology of rock music and it's gods.
Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group By Ian Svenonius (2013) This book came out in 2013, and promptly changed my life. It comes from a man whose work in The Make Up changed my life, and life path, back in the 1990s. Supernatural Strategies is a sweeping look into the social significance of Rock music in society, and is truly genius. this is no surprise coming from the man who has brought us The Nation of Ulysses, Make Up, the music podcast Soft Focus, and his first book The Psychic Soviet. I buy this book everytime I see it just so I can hand it off to someone and maybe change their life too. It should be required reading for anyone who has made the choice between making music or keeping a job, or buying records versus saving rent money.
Film:
Stones In Exile Directed by Stephen Kijak(2010) The amazing and at times unbelievable story of the making of The Rolling Stones Exile On Main Street. Follows The Stones from their UK exodus, French explosion, and brief L.A. refuge while wrapping up recording for this magnum opus of an album.
The Sheik Directed by Igal Hecht (2014) The true story of Khosrow Vaziri's flight from Iran under threat of assassination to U.S. Olympic medallist, to hated WWF character The Iron Sheik, to -finally- beloved American icon.
To bring a little Christmas cheer and bolster support for Louisville Is For Lovers 15 year Anniversary Crowd Funding Campaign, we are previewing "Sea of Love" by Remote Observer from the feb. 2016 Valentine's Comp! The Feb.5th release has over 30 Louisville bands with all exclusive tracks! Donate now to their Crowd-Funder to ensure this comp sees the light of day; Any amount is better than no amount, and donations of $5 or more will come with an exclusive LIVE album download featuring Bonnie 'prince' Billy, Jim James, and more! donations of $15 and more will get both the Live album and new 2016 comp downloads. You can pre-order the 2016 comp on vinyl as well! Pre-orders available until Dec.20th here!
The triumphant return of Louisville Is For Lovers massively popular Valentine's comp (annually from 2001-2010) is set to be released on Feb.5th (with showcase at Zanzabar Louisville on Feb.12th) and the 15th anniversary edition of this series is loaded with some of the city's finest bands: Adventure, Brother Wolves, Cereal Gylphs, Crush (with Tory Fisher & Cheyenne Mize), The Cut Family Foundation, CZAR, The Deloreans, Eyeball (former The Mack frontman Jeff Shelton), The Fervor, The Gallery Singers, Gritty Pearl, The Hot Wires, Houses In Motion, J. Brent Stewart, Jaye Jayle, Regan Layman (of Black Birds of Paradise), Daphne Luster, Lydia Burrell, Maximón, Pleasure Boys, Plastic Bubble, Quiet Hollers, Remote Observer, Sandpaper Dolls, Second Story Man, Super Rowboat (Carrie Neumeyer of Julie of the Wolves), Tender Mercy, Twin Limb, Twin Pigeon, White Reaper, & The Winger Brothers. Louisville is for Lovers has also announced plans to digitize and remaster all 10 previous editions of the Valentine's series and release one a month during 2016. All of this doesn't come cheap so they are asking for donations to help with the project via a crowdfunding campaign. Included in the campaign are options to pre-order the 2016 comp (digital and vinyl), as well as getting a download of never before released live recordings of Louisville Is For Lovers songs by artists such as Bonnie 'prince' Billy and Jim James of My Morning Jacket for a donation of just $5. for such a good cause as well as getting great albums this feels more like getting great music for a great price than mere charity:
On Dec. 6 at the new Fulkner gallery at 1512 Portland ave will be MUSIC MAKES A CITY featuring Teddy Abrams (Louisville Orchestra/Abrams Chamber Orchestra), Tiny Elephant, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, and 1200 (who has a new album, find it here), as well as others. 7 pm FREE
In late 2013, for the 20th Anniversary of Will Oldham's debut Palace Brothers album THERE IS NO-ONE WHAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU, the Louisville is for Lovers label released a covers album titled THERE IS NO ONE: A Louisville Is For Lovers Tribute to Palace Brothers with covers by Louisville bands such as Wax Fang, Cheyenne Mize, The Deloreans and even Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Originally only available on Vinyl and Cassette, this week album has become available digitally. Both vinyl ($15) and digital ($5) copies are available on Louisvilleisforlovers.com or directly here:
It's the second 'Record Store Day' of the year, and despite it feeling a little pimped out at this point, audiophiles like us aren't complaining too much. there is an avalanche of record store day releases this time around, most of which are reissues and box sets, with some honest to goodness must haves thrown in..
of the box sets the Cheap Trick & Harry Nilsson collections look good, of the reissues finally the Steve Albini mix of Nirvana's In Utero will be available, and there are some reissue 7"s out there too (Sly & The Family Stone and The Standells stand out). For my money, the Scott H. Biram gospel 7" seems like a sure bet, read our review here, and for local releases you should be able to grab the THERE IS NO ONE: Louisville Is For Lovers Tribute to Palace Brothers on vinyl and cassette and the Gubbey Records 46 track compilation Head Cleaner on double cassette.
THERE IS NO ONE vinyl explosion
Tomorrow night at New Vintage The Bottom Sop is playing at the Gubbey Records release show, I know nothing about them, but I cannot stop listening to their track from Head Cleaner. can't wait to hear more from this band.. I'll see you out there!
Today is the day THERE IS NO ONE:Louisville Is for Lovers Tribute to Palace Brothers hits the shelves,
featuring: The Gallery Singers at the Electric Church of the Tambourine -
Plastic Bubble - Brick Pitino - Cheyenne Mize -Wax Fang - The Deloreans -Glen Dentinger, Joe Manning And Rachel Grime
-Ben Mundane-Tender Mercy - Lydia Burrell -Black birds of paradise - Second
Story Man – Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Natalie Bajandas.
THERE IS NO ONE: Louisville Is For Lovers
Tribute To Palace Brothers
find it locally at Guest Room, Matt Anthony Record Store, Better Days, Astro Black, and Modern Cult records. mail order by Guest Room at guestroomrecordslouisville@gmail.com
I
think I can safely speak for most people when I say that nine out of ten albums
recorded live by one guy in his house get less than one full listen. Of course,
there are a few exceptions to that standard. “All Hail West Texas” by the
Mountain Goats and “Yip Jump Music” by Daniel Johnston come to my mind when thinking
of valuable albums of the type. It seems to me that the ones that are worth listening
to, in their honest simplicity, go far beyond some of the more complicated
masterpieces one may have in their collection, in terms of connecting with the
listener or presenting a pure and original idea. For example, David Bowie produced and sang
on Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love” single and that’s an amazing tune, but lately
I’ve been spending a little more time with Jason Molina’s cut of “In the Human
World” from the Chunklet single.
All this being said, Bonnie “Prince”
Billy just released a self-titled LP run of 1,000 copies out of his house.
Taking the DIY initiative to its fullest extent, this record was: recorded,
designed, packaged, and delivered to local record stores all by the man himself
(no online/digital option) with no label affiliation or distribution whatsoever
(PR∞), bearing only his P.O. box address on the back and a mastering credit, in
the liner notes, to Timothy Stollenwerk. From what I’ve heard it’s only
available on vinyl and cassette, but The Royal Stable does list a CD release. This
album has all of the musical integrity Oldham’s followers have come to expect
over the last two decades stripped down to its most basic elements. Ten short
songs, a man and his guitar.
“I heard of a source,” opens the album
with a change of heart tale in its own abstract way, announcing “I don’t want
to go to Hell anymore… Anything can end suddenly; still I want some love for
me.” The A side is largely reminiscent of the ballad form, highly melodic and
sentimental extrapolations of loss and redemption. The track “I Will Be Born
Again (Again)” recalls times of betrayal and abandonment with a yearning to
overcome evil wills of others. “Weird has come and life defined, I am dumb I am
not kind and I will be born again again.”
One thing that continuously surprises me
about Bonnie “Prince” Billy is that his command of the craft allows him to say
some of the most vulgar and nonsensical things with the greatest sincerity,
conviction, and image. Just to name one of the many instances that appear on
this self-titled album, in the song “Make it Not an Evil Mark,” the speaker
describes a yearning to trade in evil for good while eluding a dark antagonist.
He claims “you would take colors all away if it was in your power, and cut a
hole to mar you skin and shit on every flower.”
The over-arching theme of the album seems
to be an acceptance of the evil in oneself developed through loss and
heartbreak, while longing for a change of heart or spark of good to spread.
The final song, “Royal Quiet Deluxe,” may be one of the greatest written in
2013. It departs from a lover to find refuge in the hills of West Virginia,
stating “there is no heaven for love, it simply dies… This is the last song of
its kind. Now you can be.”
As I said earlier, this is an incredibly
small release so be sure to get a copy before they sell out!
As nearly as quiet as the music on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's new Self titled LP was the release for this Vinyl & Cassette full length. For this one Will Oldham decided to record and release it all himself, with little release-date fan fare. It's a record store only (no online or download sales) affair with Oldham hand delivering the records to stores. It is almost tragic that this small run album is going to be hard to find, as it is one of his all time best, but this could only add to it's fragile and precious feel; as embodied on the heartbreakingly perfect love song Royal Quiet Deluxe ending the album with the words "this is the last song of it's kind" we can only hope not.
Self Titled
As a way to preserve the nearly lost tradition of looking someone in the eye while buying music, this album is only available at stores, so walk on down to your local record slinger and request a copy.
In support of the upcoming release THERE IS NO ONE (the Palace Brothers tribute album), LOUISVILLE IS FOR LOVERS is asking you to flex your DIRECTING skills and make a video for this track Oh lord Are You In Need performed by Glen Dentinger, Joe Manning, and Rachel Grimes. Send your vid by Nov.10th and the winner will receive a Test Press of THERE IS NO ONE. Send to: louisvilleisforlovers@gmail.com
Louisville Is For Lovers Announced this week a new release in the "Louisville Is for Covers" series, THERE IS NO ONE, a tribute to Louisville native Will Oldham for the 20th anniversary of his first album "THERE IS NO-ONE WHAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU". Artists included in this release are Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Wax Fang, The Deloreans, Cheyenne Mize, Joe Manning, Glen Dentinger, and Rachel Grimes, and others. The album will be on vinyl (500) and cassette tape (100) and available Nov.26th. Visit Louisville Is For Lovers for more info.
Other releases in the Louisville Is For Covers series are TRAFOZSATSFM (David Bowie covers/2009) and Louisville Babylon (Misfits covers/2007).
John king: You said it. I moved to Berea Ky in 2011.
37: just after the end of the Louisville Is for Lovers Valentine’s series. Was that on purpose?
John king: somewhat. I was really hoping to stay in town and continue doing projects full force. But even after a decade slinging records and putting on events I still couldn’t figure out how to make money. I’ve never been much of a business guy, so I always had to work on the side. After the economic crush of 2008 finding work got tough. At the end I was doing temporary work in warehouses, 7pm-5am. It was rough. So I decided apply for work across the globe and take the first thing that came along.
37: what types of work did you apply for?
John king: I looked for work in my skill set, which there isn’t a whole lot out there, but lots of people wanting the work. I applied for music industry jobs, mostly writing. There was a job producing for a record label in Australia. But they decided in the end that bringing in an American was risky. They said in the past Americans tended to go back home. But they represented a lot of US bands including Louisville bands like My Morning Jacket and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, so that might have helped me from being too homesick.
The first solid YES I was offered was a full scholarship to Berea College. I was also given a job at the Berea College Sound Archives. They have the largest collection of non-commercial traditional music, and I work mostly in that.
37: So in some way you are still working in music?
John king: Oh, yes. It’s actually not so different from what I did with the Valentine’s series. I go through the recordings and pick out a good sampling and create specific collections along with biographies I write and put it on our online library.
37: and how are you adjusting to school life?
It’s tough. I’m a Louisville boy, you know. But I’m starting my 3rd year in the fall so it’s slowly getting easier. I didn’t expect college to completely alter my life, but hoped it would at least give me a few years of gainful employment until I figure out how to pay the bills. The school it’s self is interesting. It’s been around since before the civil war, and has always been free to Kentucky and Appalachian students that show promise but without means to attend to school. But they can only accommodate about 13% of applicants so I’d say my biggest complaint is that they aren’t pulling a DMX and opening up shop all over the country.
37: The Ruff Ryders’ Anthem. Classic.
John King: Yeah, “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” is one of my favorites. “How’s It going Down” is always a great go-to tough guy love song.
37: agreed. What’s that guy up to these days I wonder?
John King: I don’t know. I think since his jail stints he has been performing some. I sorta met him once. In 2004 I was living in Brooklyn and was walking down the street with a friend and he said “look it’s DMX” and there he was standing in the road wearing only a pair of rubber wader overalls. It was interesting. I said ‘Hey DMX!’and He might have nodded back us intentionally.
37: So, what have you been up to this summer?
John King: Good question. I have been in Louisville mostly. It’s really the first time I’ve spent any amount of time here since I left. I was here for a few weeks to get Zombie Attack together last year in between summer school, but this year I opted to do an internship based in Louisville so I could be home for a while.
37: What’s the internship entail?
John King: I am working with Magnolia Photo Booth Co. along with a grant from Berea College to travel across the Southern Appalachian Mountains with my buddy and Magbooth founder Daniel Sanders taking portraits for the College Archives. They have a Volkswagen Westfalia that we sleep in and is also outfitted with a photo booth and printing station. It’s pretty fun and we document it on our travel blog. We have been all over; Asheville NC, Appalachia VA, New River WV, Black Mountain KY, Clinch Mountain Tenn. To name a few..
Hatfield and McCoy fest in WV
37: Seems like fun. And quite amount of work. Anytime for Louisville?
John King: Ha, yes. Since I haven’t been back in so long, I wanted to make good use of my time at home and do as much as possible. We have been cooking up some new exciting releases at Louisville Is for Lovers including a new full length album by Team Totoro in August and a ‘Louisville Is For Covers’ album for the 20th anniversary of the Palace Brothers ‘There Is No-One What Will Take care Of You’ in the fall.
37: That’s quite a lot.
John King: yeah, well I have to make up for lost time. I was hoping to keep more of a presence when I moved to Berea but quickly became overwhelmed with school and an office job. Before I went back to school I never liked when people said school was keeping them too busy for anything else, but now I’m eating crow over that. I totally get it now.
John King: It’s always crazy jumping through all the hoops and getting all the permits and keeping everyone happy.. And finding the funds to pay for it. Louisville Traffic Safety put last year’s total at 15,000. If we grow like we have in the past, then we expect this year to be around 18,000. We are looking for sponsors and have set up a crowd funding campaign through Rocket Hub to help raise funds: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/29156-louisville-zombie-attack-2013
37: Anything else?
John King: I’ll let you know when I remember. Oh, I'll try and post here more often, and we'll be covering Forecastle here too.
The duo, Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney, sometimes referred to as Super Wolf after their 2005 hit album by the same name are preparing their third release on May 2nd in the form of a two song single: must be blind/life in muscle.
when I first heard that Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy) and Dom Cipolla (Phantom Family Halo) were working on a record together, I thought it was such a clash of sound that it might not meld nicely. But the more I thought about it, it seemed odd that it hadn't happened sooner. The two most prolific song writers in Louisville that have been operating and collaborating with other musicians for years had never crossed paths before. And although their sounds are very different from one another, the two do present an other worldly and ethereal quality both vocally and lyrically.
The first 2 tracks from the 'Mindeater' EP are acoustic and lean more in the Bonnie "Prince" Billy world, with departures into Dom's patented tremolo voice and erie keyboard chorus'. And even though they tend to be passing the spotlight back and forth to each other rather than melding together, the formula works, painting a vivid picture of men tortured by their own minds as well as the world around them (a theme both are familiar with). On the second track, 'Roki For Now', Will and Dom proclaim "my eyes were wide, full of sin. knock at the door, I'm a crazy man. I opened it up and you came in."
But it's the last two tracks that make this album a must have. The 3rd track is an explosive 8 minute cover of The Everly Brothers "Wonder If I Care As much" showing the full strength of this alliance with powerful psychedelic guitar and drum solos bleeding into a chorus of them both singing at full tilt that would indeed make the Everlys proud.
The EP ends with "Suddenly The Darkness", an infectiously catchy folk tale that takes us back to the Palace years. With warnings about sin and retribution and a chorus that will climb in your head and refuse to let go, you will be humming this song for weeks guaranteed: "when darkness comes your way, you know to stay away. you have got break your self free, it's the only way to be. you have to stay in the light, and say goodbye to the night.. Suddenly the darkness is coming for you!"
'The Mindeater' EP will be avialable in an edition of 1000 colored vinyl. If you are a fan of either of these artists, grab it fast.
Yet another understated project by the Louisville's own Will Oldham a.k.a. Bonnie "Prince" Billy", The Babblers premeired in Chattanoga earlier this week. The group is doing a small run of shows up the east coast as the openers for Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
The project is certainly departure from Billy's recent work. The group covers songs from Kevin Coyne and Dagmar Kraus' 1979 album Babble. Billy shares vocal responsibilities with Chicago singer Angel Olsen. Billy said in an interview with Chattarati that the album was more Olsen's idea than his but says there are plans to record either in Little Rock, Arkansas or Chicago soon.
Bonnie Prince Billy 2010 Tour Dates: 12/01 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club 12/02 – Columbia, SC @ The White Mule 12/03 – Charlotte, NC @ The Neighborhood Theatre 12/04 – Durham, NC @ Reynolds Industries Theatre 12/05 – Richmond, VA @ The National 12/08 – New York, NY @ Town Hall
Too bad there's no local date, but there is a curious break between Virginia and New York. Let us know in the comments if any rumors start floating around.
Elsewhere: Check out a remix of a Hot Chip song featuring Bonnie "Prince Billy". There is a video for "I Feel Better" over at Pitchfork.tv
First a word about Bonnie Billy's Performance at last Saturday's Jason Noble Benefit: WOW! Bonnie and the Cairo Gang played the Bomhard completely unplugged which made an intimate event even more so. Bonnie walked around the stage, uninhibited by microphones, singing, yelping, jumping, get on his knees, and leaving the audience hanging on every lyric, every note. It was a magical performance to say the least.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy seems to get better and better with each new release. I love the work he's doing with Emmett Kelly and the Cairo Gang, but like the "Prince" has always done, he presses forward with new releases in new directions.
You can download a new track from him and Matt Sweeny here. The song, Love in the Hot Afternoon, is a cover of 1975 country song by O.G. Gene Watson.
Also, last week Billy premiered a new video for a cover of Graham Nash's Simple Man. The unpredictable Billy chose to do a spanish version of the song entitled, Hombre Sencillo. The song will be on a tribute album to Graham Nash, Be Yourself: A Tribute to Graham Nash's Songs for Beginners, released today on Grass Roots Records.
If that weren't enough Billy also has a new session available for download at Daytrotter. If you haven't registered there yet, do so and look through their impressive archives for some great sessions. Happy listening!
