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Estatísticas
Biografia
Callahan’s early musical endeavours were defined by his lo-fi, experimental approach using substandard instruments and poor quality recording equipment, given it was all he had. His string of early releases, all under the moniker, including his debut album “Sewn to the Sky” (1990) are distinctively instrumental albums, featuring discordant and dissonant sounds that often went without much melodic structure.
After the release of his debut, Callahan signed to Drag City, where he had access to professional recording equipment and a cache of musical instruments that helped highlight the musician’s talent and creativity. He then went on to release 12 albums under the Smog pseudonym, worked with esteemed producers such as Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise’s John McEntire and collaborated with then partner Cynthia Dall. His later albums under the Smog name are distinct from his earlier work in that it returns to simpler instrumentation but retains the strong and interesting songwriting fans had come to expect.
In 2007 Callahan released his debut album under his own name entitled “Woke on a Whaleheart” and featured a similar musical aspect to Smog’s later albums whilst combining rich textures of soul and gospel genres. It’s follow-up, 2009’s “Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle” included luscious string and brass arrangements by Brian Beattie and around the same time Callahan contributed songs to four tribute albums for Judee Sill, Kath Bloom, Chris Knox and Merge Records.
In 2010 the musician released the live album “Rough Travel for a Rare Thing” and in the same year his debut novel “Letters to Emma Bowlcut”, also released via Drag City, which was a 79-page novelette comprised of a multitude of letters to and from a woman he met at a party. Callahan has subsequently released the albums “Apocalypse” in 2011, “Dream River” in 2013 and “Have Fun with God” in 2014 and achieved a cultish and esoteric following of supporters.
Avaliações ao vivo
I really don't want to write a review like this because I think Bill Callahan is a great songwriter but his show was so bad. It felt so cheap and shoddy. He played solo with just an electric guitar, one or two pedals, and a hihat. To simulate a "rhythm" section, he would just stomp one foot near a floor mic to mimic a bass drum and hit the hihat with the other foot. But he was often offbeat which led to him having a very jittery, stop-and-start performance. And even when he was on beat, the rhythm basically was just boom crash boom crash boom crash boom crash which got incredibly tedious really fast.
The hihat was also inordinately loud relative to the vocals and guitar so every time he played it, every other sound was totally eaten up for a second or so.
I have enjoyed experimental approaches to rhythm when done with nuance in the right context, but this felt like something thrown together at the last minute. If he had really wanted a rhythm section, he should have brought a real drummer with him. Or at least he should have programmed a simple drum machine.
Overall, it felt like a listening Bill Callahan with a hyperactive 3 year old banging some drums in the background. It's a shame because other videos I have seen on YouTube from Bill Callahan clearly shows much much much better performances. I have no idea why no one else told him to lose the stupid hihat.
wolkenhimmel
Bill Callahan is a singer-songwriter from Maryland in the U.S., though his genre can be a little hard to describe. Some potential genres include lo-fi, underground rock, and alternative country, but the bottom line is that his sound and performance is pretty unique. He does not seem to be the kind of musician to have huge shows, but rather performs in more intimate setups where he can really put the focus on the music and nothing else.
His attire and background are really nothing special, and by all appearances he really is a pretty average guy. However, the music changes all of that and his singing is something that it seems almost anyone can truly appreciate.He definitely seems to feed off of the crowd’s enthusiasm and puts on a good show, but there is not much of anything flashy to his performance. In some setups he plays with small ensembles, but he is obviously the star of every show and the others simply serve as background players.
While his albums and recordings are definitely great, there is a lot more to his live shows. Between the general benefits of live performance, like hearing the songs differently each time, and the emotion he shows while playing, it is definitely a great opportunity for any fan of his music.
Bill never let's you down, even if he dislikes encores. He puts his show together with what seems to be a carefully selected handfull of his countless songs. Being a non-populist he make sure his stage appearances are quality from beginning to end, whether as a duo or, like this European tour, with a band. And travelling with him as a support warm-up, a clever and mysterious trio from Dallas, who reappears at the end of Bill's show. For people like me who has been listening to BC for quite a time, he never disappoints us, but it looked like the whole Rockefeller crowd thouroughly enjoyed themselves. And so did BC and his band.
k.skaar-1
Great set. Great venue. Bill Callahan and his band were a delight to listen to and watch. His songs mean a lot to a lot of people. And you could tell the band enjoyed playing them for us. They all delivered a stellar performance. We loved it!
Katzenbaer
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