While I’d give basically anything Will Oldam puts out a 10/10, Pitchfork has reviewed Bonny Billy & The Picket Line’s “Funtown Comedown” and gave it a respectable, 7.2.
01 Ohio River Boat Song
02 May It Always Be
03 Hemlocks and Primroses
04 The Glory Goes / Wolf Among Wolves
05 We All Us Three Will Ride
06 Easy Does It
07 Lay and Love
08 Rider
09 Rambling Fever
10 You Want That Picture
11 Idle Hands Are the Devil’s Playthings
One of our favorite local artists and possibly the most talent person alive, Cheyenne Mize, finally has an official music MySpace page. Go add her as a friend and add all of her shows to your calendar because you really shouldn’t miss a single one. She has six songs posted and we can only hope for more.
Cheyenne fiddles around in a variety of musicks, literally and figuratively. You might see her on stage these days with Arnett Hollow, Ben Sollee, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, or Thomas A. Minor & the Picket Line. You can hear her on recordings of the above mentioned groups, as well as with Wax Fang, The Fervor, Century of Aeroplanes, The Big Time Band, Trophy Wives and hopefully an album of her own in the near future…
Drag City has released a taste of Bonny Billy’s new album with The Picket Line. It is one of my favorite songs off of I See a Darkness, “Death to Everyone.” They played it in Lexington at the Old Tarr Distillery (now Buster’s) and it may have been the highlight of the show. It is a spiced up version of the original and, if you haven’t heard it, I think you’ll like it. Unfortunately, it won’t be on the actual release. It was recorded for it, but didn’t make the final cut. Not sure why. Here is a list of the songs that will be on the album:
Funtime Comedown:
01 Ohio River Boat Song
02 May It Always Be
03 Hemlocks and Primroses
04 The Glory Goes / Wolf Among Wolves
05 We All Us Three Will Ride
06 Easy Does It
07 Lay and Love
08 Rider
09 Rambling Fever
10 You Want That Picture
11 Idle Hands Are the Devil’s Playthings
Bonnie “Prince” Billy has announced a new live LP (with digital download) through Drag City with The Picket Linecalled Funtown Comedown. I could not be more excited for this album. The album comes out November 17th December 15th, but you can PRE-ORDER HERE. (Thanks to Dan Lubbers for the heads-up.)
From Drag City:
LIVE (in the studio) is the Bonny one with next-generation bluegrass band known as The Picket Line. They’re the official dance band of Funtown, a metaphysical little community in the woods outside Louisville. Bonny and the boys (and girl) run through a set of BPB classics, some Palace songs and a few classic country covers. VINYL ONLY! (And download exclusively on the new-and-retro-improved www.dragcity.com!)
Abut the pressing…
Vinyl LP pressing. 2009 intimate live recording by Will Oldham (AKA Bonnie Prince Billy) and young Bluegrass band The Picket Line. In the wilds of greater outer Louisville Kentucky, there is a place called Funtown. You won’t find it on any map, and you might just lose yourself in the woods out there trying to pin it down to the ground as well. Yet, Funtown is a place, as much as it is a place of mind. It was in this place, in a clearing and on the shores of a pond, that Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy and The Picket Line combined forces to play his music and their music and other people’s music for a community of people to hear and watch and swing and step to. Live in front of friends and family is the way of Funtown. It was as fun as it sounds and more, in ways which have mostly been channeled down to the two sides of a groove and presented to you here, wrapped twice in full-color sleeves.
I’m always excited when I get CDs from local bands, but I was particularly excited when I opened a package on Friday with the new album from Thomas A. Minor & The Picket Line. I’ve seen The Picket Line back Bonnie Billy at Funtown and at the Old Tarr Distillery and I’ve seen Cheyenne Mize with Bonnie Billy in Bloomington, with Ben Sollee at the NuLu Fest and with Arnett Hollow. I’m kicking myself for missing their CD release show, but as soon as they pop up again, I will be there. While they are amazing in their other projects, combining for this album created something very special.
The seven song collection is fantastic from start to finish. As soon as the disc started playing, they grabbed me with “Ain’t No Doubt About It” which may be my favorite song on the album. After a long day at work, I was relaxed immediately. You can listen to it below and if it doesn’t wet your whistle, I don’t know what will. Perhaps it is being from Kentucky, but there is something to be said about the effect of warm, drawl-filled vocals floating over the sounds of a soft violin and mandolin, the heavy pic of a banjo and the steady strumming of a bass. Songs like “The River Rose” and “Magnolia” soften the concrete and brick around you take you someplace else (perhaps Funtown). The album is short and sweet leaving you asking for more… or you can just play it over and over again like I have all weekend. They say they are not good enough to be a bluegrass band, but that couldn’t be far enough from the truth. They definitely have the gift of making beautiful music.
The band is…
Thomas A. Minor-Guitfiddle and Vocals
Drumstick-Guitfiddle and Vocals
The String Mizer-Fiddle and Vocals
Pig Iron-Mandolin and Yelling,
Pork Chop-Outta-tune Banjo
Danny- Bassfiddle
or Oscar Lee Riley, Jonathan Kempf, Bradley Reinstedler, Danny Kiley, Bob Dixon and Cheyenne Mize.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy has announced a new live LP (with digital download) through Drag City with The Picket Linecalled Funtown Comedown. I could not be more excited for this album. The album comes out November 17th December 15th, but you can PRE-ORDER HERE. (Thanks to Dan Lubbers for the heads-up.)
From Drag City:
LIVE (in the studio) is the Bonny one with next-generation bluegrass band known as The Picket Line. They’re the official dance band of Funtown, a metaphysical little community in the woods outside Louisville. Bonny and the boys (and girl) run through a set of BPB classics, some Palace songs and a few classic country covers. VINYL ONLY! (And download exclusively on the new-and-retro-improved www.dragcity.com!)
Abut the pressing…
Vinyl LP pressing. 2009 intimate live recording by Will Oldham (AKA Bonnie Prince Billy) and young Bluegrass band The Picket Line. In the wilds of greater outer Louisville Kentucky, there is a place called Funtown. You won’t find it on any map, and you might just lose yourself in the woods out there trying to pin it down to the ground as well. Yet, Funtown is a place, as much as it is a place of mind. It was in this place, in a clearing and on the shores of a pond, that Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy and The Picket Line combined forces to play his music and their music and other people’s music for a community of people to hear and watch and swing and step to. Live in front of friends and family is the way of Funtown. It was as fun as it sounds and more, in ways which have mostly been channeled down to the two sides of a groove and presented to you here, wrapped twice in full-color sleeves.
Thomas A. Minor & the Picket Line have a CD release show this Thursday, October 29th, at Zanzabar. Uncle Monk (Tommy Ramone and Claudia Tienan) is also on the bill (actually headlining). Thomas A. Minor & The Picket Line’s new album is a seven song EP recorded at In Room One Studios. The packaging letter was pressed by Jennifer Parson and “hand-glued by the band.” The band includes Oscar, Brad, Danny, Cheyenne, Jonathan and Bob (if you didn’t know already). You can’t go wrong with this one. Show starts at 9pm. $7 cover. 21+.
About Uncle Monk:
Uncle Monk is an indie-acoustic duo featuring TOMMY RAMONE on vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo and dobro, and CLAUDIA TIENAN on vocals, guitar and bass.
Uncle Monk’s music is rooted in old-time and bluegrass influences. To this mix they have added unique musical textures to create a sound with a new sensibility. “We are working with what feels natural to us.” says Ramone. “We are making use of string-band instrumentation along with alternative rock flavorings. We use mandolins and other stringed instruments to add texture and dimension to the overall sound. We have been drawn towards the classic simplicity of string band music, but at the same time we are deeply involved with the aesthetics of alternative music, and we do our best to use our musical influences to create an original style. There is a similarity between punk & old time music, both are home brewed as opposed to schooled, both have earthy energy, and there is a certain cool in old time music that is found in the best alternative acts.”
The songs of Uncle Monk deal with many aspects of modern existence, joys, sorrows, loves, fears, longings, desolation, revelation and exhilaration. The themes are about small town life, coming to the big city, urban gentrification, interpersonal relationships, spiritual longings, melancholy, and emotional needs.
See our preview of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s new album with The Picket Line HERE.
Bonny Billy and The Picket Line Funtown Comedown
LIVE (in the studio) is the Bonny one with next-generation bluegrass band known as The Picket Line. They’re the official dance band of Funtown, a metaphysical little community in the woods outside Louisville. Bonny and the boys (and girl) run through a set of BPB classics, some Palace songs and a few classic country covers. VINYL ONLY! (And download exclusively on the new-and-retro-improved www.dragcity.com!)
BPB is also releasing a 7″ single with “Stay” performed with Joshua Abrams, Jennifer Hutt, Emmett Kelly, Michael Zerang and “People Living” performed with Emmett Kelly and Cheyenne Mize! It comes out October 20, 2009. You can pre-order it here for just $5 bucks.
If you can’t get enough of Will Oldham a/k/a Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, or you missed his Funtown and Old Tarr Distillery shows, you have another opportunity to see him, but this one will require a bit of a drive (about 2 hours). Oldham will be playing at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre in Bloomington, Indiana on March 12, 2009. This show is the first of his tour and only five days prior to the release of his new album, Beware, so I am hoping that he will give a preview. I’m also pretty excited about the venue. The Buskirk-Chumley Theater is a recently renovated vaudeville and movie house that was built in 1922. If the balcony is open, it holds a little over 600 people. We just bought our tickets, so at least two are gone. Hope to see you there!
Tickets are a reasonable $15 in advance (w/ $1.50 convenience charge), or $20 bucks at the door. You can buy your tickets online HERE.
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