“…the natural heir to Leonard Cohen” Observer
Building on the lo-fi, sparse aesthetic of his early work as Smog toward the lush instrumentation and masterly command of structure (and beautiful production) evidenced on his latest records, Bill Callahan has released consistently excellent albums for two decades.
He can safely be spoken of as one of America’s great songwriters. His songs have been covered by Gil Scott Heron, Cat Power and the Flaming Lips, and featured in films such as 'High Fidelity'.
“…a slow-burn procession of little gems that feel like they have mysteries buried in their shadowy crags” Boston Globe review of Dream River
Emotive and beautifully arranged, 2009’s “Sometimes I wish we were an Eagle” is a great gateway to Bill. It’s fair to say that the snare sound here is exquisite!
Before starting to release music under his own name in 2007, Bill Callahan recorded as Smog. Sample lyric: “My foolish heart had to go diving… diving, diving into the murk”…
Keep digging! : Stool Pigeon interview – NoRipCord interview – Uncut review with more links – Bill Callahan playlist on Youtube – Last FM – Bill sings Leonard Cohen – Drag City label website
Support comes from Cath and Phil Tyler
“There’s an earthiness and grittiness and a reality about this that I find personally incredibly appealing,
the simplicity of the music is absolutely stunning.” – Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
Cath & Phil Tyler play Anglo-American folk music using guitar, banjo, voice and fiddle. Cath was a member of the band Cordelia’s Dad in the 1990s when she lived in Massachusetts, USA. Phil, from Newcastle upon Tyne has played in various folk, rock and ceilidh bands for many years. Coming together musically through a shared love of traditional narrative song, full voiced sacred harp singing and sparse mountain banjo, they have performed on stages great and small, from the Royal Opera House in London to the Morden Tower in the old city walls of
Newcastle.