November 23, 2005
Hey now!
Thanks for dropping by.
This is the quickest update I’ve done in awhile but that’s only because I knew time would get away from me once the holidays hit. With Thanksgiving almost here, time becomes even more of a precious commodity. Once the shopping starts and the full onslaught of consumerism takes over.. it’s hard to find the time to do anything you enjoy doing (like listen to music!) with a clear conscious. And let’s not forget.. CD’s make great stocking stuffers. There’s MY bid for crass consumerism.
So.. to start with.. I’d like to make an apology to those who came to see me at The Bluebird on November the 11th. I had to make a last minute change and ask my pal, Don Henry, to fill my spot for the songwriters in the round with P.F.Sloan, Gary Nicholson and Russell Smith that night. I got a call from my old friend, Rusty Young and he asked me to fill in some dates for recuperating Paul Cotton on a few Poco live dates and I was happy to oblige. Before I go on, I hear Paul is doing well and will be back with the band soon. My last date with them is this coming weekend in Pennsylvania.
Having played a lot of the Poco material over the years with Rusty doing songwriters nights or Sky Kings gigs, I knew a lot of the songs already but there was still a lot to go over. Also, subbing for one of the principal members is a no-win situation because you can’t BE someone else folks are expecting to see. Having said that, I had a blast filling in and I got to sing and play on chestnuts like “Good Feelin’ to Know” and “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” that anyone who’s a Poco fan would love to play. It was an honor to be asked to do it. Here’s a photo from the Chicago show. I’m on the left, trying to remember the chords.
This show in Champion, PA. on November 26th will be Poco, Pure Prarie League and Firefall. I recently found out that a song that Craig Fuller and I wrote years back , ‘Meant To Be”, will be included on the brand new Pure Prarie League album. Can’t wait to hear that.
Another plug I made last time around (scroll down for past updates) was for another Long Players gig on December 16th. We’ve had to cancel that but most of the Long Players will be taking part in the annual John Lennon Tribute on December 9th as scheduled. We’re planning on celebrating more classic albums this coming year.
I totally left off the info from our last Long Players gig on September 25th when we celebrated the third Tom Petty LP. Here’s a list of the artists who took part.. the encore made up of other Petty songs was as long as the album set.
The Long Players Perform
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“Damn the Torpedoes” September 25th, 2005
1. Refugee (Radney Foster)
2. Here Comes My Girl (Neilson Hubbard)
3. Even The Losers (Pat Buchanan)
4. Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid) (Dave Coleman)
5. Century City (Don Dixon )
6. Don't Do Me Like That (Matthew Ryan)
7. You Tell Me (Daniel Tashian)
8. What Are You Doin' In My Life? (Bill Lloyd /Steve Allen)
9. Louisiana Rain (Chuck Mead)
During the encore, we had singers like Jesse Alexander and Wendy Newcomer come up and do other Petty songs like “The Wild One, Forever” and “American Girl”. They, like everyone, did a fantastic job and the joy we get from doing these shows is obvious.
There’s a possibility of The Long Players doing a Nick Lowe album after the first of the year in conjunction with the “Lowe Profile” cd tribute that just came out. I wrote about that cd in the last update.. both that one and the dB’s tribute, “ Stand-In’s For Decibels” are out now. Please scroll down for more details.
I’m still very excited about Tricia Yearwood’s recording of “Trying To Love You” that I wrote with Beth Nielsen Chapman. It’s the current single. Please give it a listen. I’m very proud of the song and her version is just great. Tricia was nice to name check Beth and I when she played Carnegie Hall during CMA week and she’s performed the song now on Leno, Letterman and Martha Stewart. It’s on her new album, “Jasper County”.. available everywhere.
A couple of updates back I mentioned looking forward to doing a one on one interview with Duane Eddy. That did happen and I got to yak and even play a little with Duane in a career overview presentation for Leadership Music. Here’s a photo from that day. I’m holding one of Chet Atkin’s Gretch guitars from The Country Music Hall of Fame.
This kind of thing doesn’t happen everyday. I’d gotten to meet and record with Duane back in the Foster and Lloyd days and we even made a record together.. but this was a particularly special day.
The reason I got to play one of Chet’s guitars because I’m now working at the Hall of Fame in their archives as a Stringed Instrument Curator. It was an amazing opportunity that came my way and I’m really enjoying the work and appreciating the time I get to spend with their amazing collection. It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped writing songs and I’m already planning my next record. It’s just something I couldn’t pass up and I’m really loving it.
I guess that’s about it for now..
Here’s wishing everyone a happy holiday season for you and yours.. thanks for checking in here.
Bill
October 23, 2005
Hi and thanks for dropping by
The sauna that is Nashville in the summertime is over so we’ve now got that three-month holiday ahead of us. The very second that last Halloween Trick or Treater crashes from sugar overdose, Santa’s elves move in and set up shop. Loudon Wainwright has a great song called “Suddenly it’s Christmas” that covers that topic.. but let’s move on.
Thanks for dropping by. The big news for me is that the song I wrote with my longtime friend, Beth Nielsen Chapman, has been picked as Tricia Yearwood’s next single release. The song, “Trying to Love You” is on Tricia’s first album in four years called “Jasper County” and I just got word a week or so ago that it will be the track pitched to radio for her next single. Beth did a wonderful version on her last album, “Look” (and what a guitar solo on that!) but Tricia’s recording, produced by Garth Fundis, took the song to another place. I think her version is wonderful and I’m truly proud to have it “out there” with even more of a chance to be heard and noticed. If you happen to be listening and have an extra minute or two, please feel free to request the track to your local country radio station.
My virtual album, “Horizontal Hold” has been getting hits on both I Tunes and E Music.
t’s a collection of recordings I made that features a music style closer to the twangier side of pop-rock (Foster and Lloyd/ The Sky Kings) than most of my solo stuff. It’s no big departure but please check it out. I’ve included the list of songs and credits in my discography even though this isn’t a regular cd that is being pressed up to sell. It’s a virtual cd being made available online. If you’re NOT an online music buyer, email me for other options.
The Japanese cd compilation called “Slideshow” will be coming out in December. Here’s a list of what it includes. I don’t have any copies yet to sell myself but I’ll post here when I do.
1. dial nine
2. sweet virginia (alternate mix)
3. i went electric
4. back to even
5. the man who knew too much
6. turn me on dead man (alternate mix)
7. for the longest time
8. cool and gone
9. don't kid yourself
10. this very second
11. in a perfect world (alternate mix)
12. feeling the elephant
13. lisa anne
14. dr. robert's second opinion
15. ring around the moon
I did put some alternate mixes on there for fun. I love the cover art conceived and designed by my friend and web-guy, Michael Slawter. Scroll down to the last update for a peek.
I’ve mentioned here before that there is a Nick Lowe tribute coming out this next month. Radney Foster and I teamed up to sing this one together and it’s the first time we’ve sung in a studio together for fifteen years! We did a version of Nick’s “Without Love”. There’s a sample of the audio on Not Lame’s site where they’re taking pre-orders. Roots-popmesiter, Walter Clevenger, put this fine tribute together. Here’s a graphic and that link:
http://www.notlame.com/Pre-Orders/V/A/Page_1/CDLOWE6.html
A tribute to one of my favorite bands, The dB’s, will also be coming out soon.
I recorded “Neverland” for the compilation. I’m also on there playing with pals, Jamie Hoover, Robert Crenshaw and Don Dixon as The Hanging Chads doing “Think Too Hard”.
Here’s the graphic and a link to find out more;
http://www.paisleypop.com/news.htm
My longtime friend, Jerker Emanuelson, has another one of his compilations out on his SOUND ASLEEP label in Sweden coming out soon. The cd is called “Between Goodlettsville and Murfreesboro” and features an all-Nashville lineup. The track I donated is a Beatle-esque tune called “ Mr. Lucky”. There are also several recordings from my home studio on this compilation that feature co-written songs that I produced with Greg Trooper and Joy Lynn White as well as an Amy Rigby track recorded at my place. Here’s a link to Sound Asleep:
http://www.soundasleeprecords.com/index1.htm
While I’m promoting all these records, I need to mention that my old friend from New Grass Revival (and my band mate from The Sky Kings), John Cowan, has a new record out with his band, The John Cowan Band.
It includes a song we wrote together called “Only the Night”. It’s a live album recorded at Telluride and, judging by the crowd response (think Frampton! ), it’s an exciting document of this band. The cd is called “ 8745 Feet” and here’s a link to John’s webpage:
Okay, one more plug. I got such a kick out of being designated bass player on half of Glenn Tilbrook’s last record, “Trans-Atlantic Ping-Pong”.
http://www.compassrecords.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=197
My God, I’ve gone link crazy!
At any rate, I recently played bass on a few tracks by a young girl named Lindsay who goes by the name of Cake Bake Betty. Her album “Songs About Teeth” on the Infinity Cat label is making some noise and for good reason. She’s great. I’ve not heard such an arresting songstress since I first heard Kate Bush or Tory Amos.. but I like CBB better. Here’s a link to find out more:
http://www.infinitycat.com/home.html
Upcoming gigs for me include playing a Songwriters in the Round at The Bluebird Café later this week with pals Swan Dive ( Bill DeMain and Molly Felder), Don Henry and Jason White. That’s on Thursday night the 27th.
The next Bluebird night after that will be Friday, November the 11th. I’m really looking forward to this one too. Other writers on the bill that night are P.F. Sloan who wrote lots of 60’s classics (Secret Agent Man, Eve of Destruction, You Baby, A Must to Avoid and many others) as well as Russell Smith from The Amazing Rhythm Aces (Third Rate Romance) and Gary Nicholson (Squeeze Me In).
The Long Players will take on another classic album on December 16th at The Mercy Lounge.. it looks like we’re leaning towards Elvis Costello’s “My Aim Is True”. More details to follow.
One of the reasons that The Long Players exist is the annual John Lennon tribute show every December called No Handguns that raises money for the Brady Organization in Washington DC. We’ll be doing that on December 9th at The Mercy Lounge.
Well, that about covers it for now. Drop by anytime.
Bill
September 24, 2005
Hey now.. thank you for dropping by. It’s been a great summer.. thanks also to those who have kept in touch and been out to see any of the live shows over the last couple of months.
Before I tell you what’s been happening (and what’s on the way), I want to plug a couple of records.. if that’s what you want to call them these days. That’s what I call them.
If you’re an online music listener and buyer, I have a newly available virtual album up at places like EMusic
http://www.emusic.com/album/10861/10861907.html
and itunes
http://www.apple.com/itunes/music/
The album is called “Horizontal Hold” (named after one of the songs included) and it’s a 14 –song collection of recordings I made that fit more in the “country-rock / hillbilly pop/ rootsy-jangle” style of Foster and Lloyd or The Sky Kings than the rest of my records. It’s NOT a total departure from the other records but it’s a little closer to the music I’ve made for Nashville . Check it out! If that description makes you pause, I hope you’ll at least give the samples a listen. There are still plenty of hooky tunes that rock.. it’s just a little twangier and rootsier than most of my solo stuff. If you’re not an online music buyer and want this album, please just email me and I can send you more info about it or you can purchase by check or money order using the info on my “ Bill For Sale” page.
All of my solo albums have now been made available online through Redeye.
I mentioned earlier in the year that a Japanese company will be putting out a retrospective disc using 15 selected tracks from all of my albums. The collection will be called “Slideshow”.
That’s still happening and is due out in December on the Wizzard in Vinyl label in Japan . Here’s the cover designed by my friend and webmesiter, Michael Slawter .
So what HAS been happening? Last time I updated here it was early August. The trip to Sundance , Utah in that second week of August was fabulous and the songwriter shows with Radney Foster, Pam Rose and Mary Ann Kennedy all went just great. Along with the shows we all enjoyed the majestic scenery, the hiking, the great people.. an amazing experience. Here’s a photo of the smiling foursome.
Photo credit to Cindy Hoelzle
I’ve mentioned (more than once) in earlier updates that “Trying To Love You” (a song that Beth Nielsen Chapman and I wrote) has also been recorded by Tricia Yearwood. In Bill board’s Country Album chart THIS week the album entered at #1. I’ll finally exhale and take that as a good sign.
On August 26 th, The Long Players did our first “estrogenated” lineup as we celebrated the debut album by The Pretenders. Punk tempos aside, it all went by too quickly! Great fun and all the ladies rocked with a vengeance. Here’s a list of who played as well as a couple of photos from that night.
THE PRETENDERS FRIDAY, AUGUST 26
THE MERCY LOUNGE 9:30pm , Cover $15
THE LONG PLAYERS:
Steve Allen -guitar, Steve Ebe-drums,
Bill Lloyd -guitar, Garry Tallent-bass
VERY SPECIAL GUESTS:
1. Precious (Sherry Rich)
2. Phone Call (Kristin Whittlesey)
3. Up The Neck (Carmella Ramsey)
4. Tattooed Love Boys (Kat Martin)
5. Space Invader (instrumental)
6. Wait (Pru Clearwater)
7. Stop Your Sobbing (Wendy Newcomer)
8. Kid (Kim Davis)
9. Private Life (Siobahn Kennedy)
10. Brass In Pocket (Joy Lynn White)
11. Lovers of Today (Kim Richey)
12. Mystery Achievement (Britt Savage)
Joy Lynn White - Photo credit to Steve Murdock
Kim Richey - Photo credit to Steve Murdock
Britt Savage - Photo credit to Steve Murdock
Some of the women you might know from their own recording careers and some are more “local” stars.. but, believe me, they all rocked that night. Encores included “Middle of the Road”, “My City Was Gone” and “Back On the Chain Gang”. The charity was Magdeline House.
The Long Players ALSO did one of our album tributes down in Florence , Alabama on September 17 th. The annual Trail Of Tears motorcycle ride was happening and we did music from the EASY RIDER soundtrack. Folks like Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie), Chuck Mead (BR549), Jonell Mosser and Chris James (The Lost Sideshow) joined us for a great time revisiting those tunes.
It was such a gas to play those Steppenwolf songs from Easy Rider live, especially after a few of us in the Long Players had only played with John Kay from Steppenwolf two nights earlier in Nashville .
September 15th was the 7th Annual Freedom Sings show at The Bluebird Café in Nashville . Sponsored by The First Amendment Center and benefiting the NARAS MUSIC CARES program, we celebrate all American’s right to free speech by performing songs that have been banned outright or contain references to free speech issues.
Every year has some of the same people and every year has amazing surprises. Last year we had both Bobby Hebb (Sunny) and Mark Volman from The Turtles as first-time performers. THIS year we had a last-minute call from J.D Souther who wanted to be on the bill. This year also marked the return of Steppenwolf’s John Kay and my old partner, Radney Foster who both participated the very first year back in ‘99. Here’s the whole list of who dun’ what;
Ashley Cleveland : Street Fightin’ Man
Danny Flowers : Choice of Colors
Don Henry : Abraham, Martin and John / Beautiful Fool
Santayana Harris & Kameka Word from TSU : Ballad of Birmingham
Marshall Chapman : Blowin’ In the Wind
J.D. Souther : Jewel of the Nile
John Kay : Snow Blind Friend & Ice Age
Gary Nicholson : More Love
Radney Foster : Godspeed
Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd : In the Ghetto
Shonka Dukereh : What’s Goin’ On
Tommy Womack : I Am Woman & I Miss Ronald Reagan
Peter Cooper : Sunday Morning Coming Down & Strom Thurmond
Jason White : Louisiana 1927
The Early Evening (George and Dave Daeger) : The Cost of Living & Imagine
Mark Germino : Freedom Takeaway
George Hamilton V : Bigger Stick & Light My Fire
Jonell Mosser : Annie Had A Baby & Respect
Walter Egan : White Rabbit & Whole Lotta’ Shakin’Goin’On
Bill Lloyd : Back in the USSR
The house band was the same as last years: John Deaderick , Garry Tallent (both LP’ers) , Criag Krampf , Danny Flowers and myself. Ken Paulson who is the editor for USA Today, the former executive director of The First Amendment Center and creator of Freedom Sings came back and joined Gene Policinski in hosting the event. We always get a high on these nights that is different than the regular afterglow of a good gig.. the resonance of playing music that changed lives reminds us all how music matters.
Coming up..
This coming Monday night I’m playing a short set with old pals Byron House and Marc Owens backing me for a benefit at The Mercy Lounge for The Red Cross. It’s another Katrina Aid Concert.. which there just can’t be too many of. I’ve not played many gigs doing my solo stuff as of late that’s not acoustic oriented.. so this will be good loud fun for me. I’ll do songs from all my solo albums.. electric guitar, bass and drums. Others on the bill include Robert Reynolds from The Mavericks, Chuck Mead from BR549, Strays Don’t Sleep, Thad Cockrell, Paul Birch, David Mead, Jason White, Bobby Bare Jr. and The Features and others. It’s only $20 and a good cause and lots of music.
The Long Players Damn The Torpedoes on September 25 th, taking on that third Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album.
Guest singers include Radney Foster, Matthew Ryan, Don Dixon , Chuck Mead (BR549), Daniel Tashian, Neilson Hubbard, Pat Buchanan, Dave Coleman and others. Come jangle on with us.
I’m the guest songwriter for The Bluebird’s Sunday night showcase on October 2 nd. I also play The Bluebird on October 27 th with Swan Dive and Don Henry. I’m not sure if the “other” writer will be Amy Rigby or Jason White. Either way, we win.
Freedom Sings hits the road again for a few dates this fall including another visit to the USA Today offices in DC and another trip to Vermilion, South Dakota.
I’m VERY much looking forward to October 14 th when I get to interview and play some guitar with Duane Eddy for the Leadership Music group here in Nashville . Duane was kind enough to appear on an instrumental called “Woah” that Foster and Lloyd recorded in 1990 on our third record.. which also was nominated for a Grammy. This interview and performance will be really fun. Unfortunately.. it won’t be open to the public.
I think that’s about it.. sincere thanks for the interest and support.
Bill
August 9, 2005
Hello and thanks for dropping by.
Months pass before I realize that I’ve not updated this page.. typical musician brain at work.
So, what’s been keeping me busy besides real life stuff like parenthood, mortgage payments and complaining about politics and the weather? The usual stuff for me.. more songwriting.. sessions.. gigs, . etc.. I’ll get back to that in more detail in a minute..
Coming up soon is a trip to Sundance, Utah where the famous film festival is held. I’ll be playing out there with Radney Foster, Pam Rose and Mary Ann Kennedy. We’ll be playing both together (doing the duo thing) and separately (songs SINCE the early 90’s!). Looking very much forward to that. See the CONCERTS listing for info on all upcoming shows.
I have another songwriter in the round shows on August 18th with Swan Dive, Don Henry and Jason White as well as another Long Players gig on August 26th. We’re doing The Pretenders debut album. I can promise that it will be a rockin’ night.
Freedom Sings continues into it’s SEVENTH (!) year with more private performances at schools and corporate functions in August and September as well as our annual (open to everyone) show at The Bluebird Café on September 15th. That’s always worth a trip to Nashville if you’re not in the neighborhood. Songs that have been banned outright or reference free speech issues will be performed. Those evenings always have several layers of enjoyment.
There are two Long Player shows in September planned.. one is performing the Easy Rider Soundtrack album for the Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride on September 17th in Florence, Alabama and the other is performing Tom Petty’s “Damn the Torpedoes” album on September 30th at the Mercy Lounge here in Nashville. The amount of fun we have with these shows is addictive and it’s a great way for members of Nashville’s music community to be able to hang out, sing and play together.
Back in 1990, I was fortunate enough to be able to do some work with Carl Perkins in the studio. Radney Foster and I had been opening some shows for him and he liked the rockabilly-ish stuff we were doing that was, at the time, getting on country radio. Our booking agent suggested that I would be a good person to do some recording with and that led to several months of getting to spend time at Carl’s place in Jackson, Tennessee working and hanging out. As an unabashed fan, it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in the music biz. We ended up doing some home recorded demos at his place there but later got into the old 16th Avenue Sound to cut a few tracks in earnest. While nothing ever came of the tracks at the time, I’m happy to say that Bear Family Records in Germany have finally released two of the three studio recordings that I produced with Carl. If you’re interested in hearing a great Carl original called “Baby, Bye Bye” and the version of John Hiatt’s “ Memphis in the Meantime” that we cut.. you can FINALLY find it here.
Speaking of “finally”.. the June 2005 issue of the UK magazine MOJO contained a very nice four-star review of my “Back To Even” album.. nearly a year it came out. I’m not complaining! Even better to me was that the reviewer was Will Birch from The Records who drummed in the band but also wrote their hit, “Starry Eyes” as well as Dave Edmund’s “A-1 On the Jukebox”. I considered it high praise from a fellow writer/musician.
In my last update, I mentioned the Tricia Yearwood cut of “Trying to Love You”. While her latest single (“Georgia Rain”) has been out for months, the album is due out in September. Still haven’t heard any more news on the Cheap Trick front so that’s still a question mark but I did hear from my friend, Craig Fuller, the other day that Pure Prairie League is putting our song, “Meant To Be” on their upcoming album.
Also, following up on past reports of songs for various tribute albums..the Nick Lowe tribute album called Lowe Profile is due out 11-8-05. That will include the first Foster and Lloyd studio track since 1990, our version of “Without Love”.
Paisley Pop, the label that released Jamie Hoover’s and my “Paparazzi” cd last year is also putting out a dB’s tribute album. I did a version of “Neverland”for that as well as contributing to a version of “Think Too Hard with Robert Crenshaw, Jamie Hoover and Don Dixon. I’m still unsure of when that one is due out.
Backtracking to May 2005.. what in the hell HAVE I been doing? Throughout the summer months, I’ve continued to write songs. I’ve been writing a good bit by myself with the idea that, before too long, I’ll be recording another one of my own albums. But as per usual, I’ve continued to co-write. Some of the co-writers from these last few months include Kristyn Osborn from the band, shEdaisy, Gary Nicholson, Josh Leo, Craig Carothers and Tommy Womack.
The summer has also been busy with various demo sessions and songwriter shows…most of the shows all local and here in Nashville. It’s almost always a treat to do .. both easy and fun. While I won’t go into detail on each and every gig, I’ve gotten to play alongside some of my favorite people.. Don Henry, Bill DeMain and Molly Felder (Swan Dive), Amy Rigby, Danny Flowers, Marshall Chapman, Fred Knobloch, Robert Ellis Orrall, Michael Peterson, Craig Carothers and others.
There were also a few First Amendment Center / Freedom Sings shows scattered throughout those months including two shows in Washington, D.C.
On July 9th, The Long Players performed The Beatles “Revolver” album for a Nashville-based Beatle-fest called “The Fab Four at TPAC” (Tennessee Performing Arts Center). It was, like the earlier show in the Fall, of 2004, great fun to do those songs with such amazing guest singers and players. Here’s the lineup and a few
photos from that event.
THE BEATLES REVOLVER
THE LONG PLAYERS
JULY 9th, 2005
1. Taxman (Steve Allen from 2020 & The Long Players)
2. Eleanor Rigby (Maura O’Connell)
3. I’m Only Sleeping (Jim Photoglo)
4. Love You Too (Marshall Crenshaw)
5. Here, There and Everywhere (Henry Gross)
6. Yellow Submarine (Graham Elvis & Marc Clayton)
7. She Said She Said (Hans Rotenberry from The Shazam)
8. Good Day Sunshine (Robert Reynolds from The Mavericks)
9. And Your Bird Can Sing (Marshall Crenshaw)
10. For No One (Maura O’Connell)
11. Doctor Robert (Bill Lloyd from The Long Players)
12. I Want to Tell You (Joey Molland from Badfinger)
13. Got to Get You Into My Life (Mark Hudson)
14. Tomorrow Never Knows (Walter Egan)
The Long Players are: Steve Allen, John Deaderick, Steve Ebe, Bill Lloyd & Garry Tallent
Assisted by: Jim Hoke, Rich Schell, Kirby Shelstad, Jeff Coffin, Neil Rosengarden, Scott Kinney, Kris Wilkinson, Toni Ferguson & Austin Hoke
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Encores - Group Shot - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
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Marshall Crenshaw - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
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Steve Allen, Garry Tallent, & Steve Ebe - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
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Steve Ebe, Bill Lloyd & Mark Hudson - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
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Walter Egan & Lawrence Juber (Wings) - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
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Jim Photoglo and Joey Molland (Badfinger) - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
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Maura O'Connell - photo by: Peyton Hoge |
Well, there you have it.. that’s about all I have to report for now. There is lots of stuff on the horizon but we’ll get to that when and if it happens! I’m looking forward to getting back to more recording.
Thanks, always, for your interest.
Cheers
Bill
May 4, 2005
Hello and thanks for dropping by.
What's been happening " 'round these here parts"? Let's see..scroll down to the last update that was March 11th. Almost two months.. I told myself I was getting quicker at these..
March 12th was when International Pop Overthrow came to Nashville and I did a solo set at The End on that evening. It was a fun night and full of names to drop. I had both Al Kooper and Walter Egan sitting in during my set. I sat in on a portion of Walter’s set and Al did a new song of his in my set (from his upcoming solo record “Black Coffee”). It was loose and fun. I even put the guitar down and did a song at the piano. Other pals and acquaintances on the bill that night included Will Kimbrough, The Luxury Liners, Mark Johnson. Barry Holdship and the band, Magnaphonic, from Chicago. David Bash, who organizes these shows, always manages to find a good cross-section of local talent and out-of-town bands willing to travel to court a new audience.
I never stop writing songs and this Spring has been no different. In March, I began writing some songs with Kristyn Osborn from the band, SHeDAISY. Tommy Lee James, Pat Buchanan and Billy Livsey were also some of the other co-writers I worked with during March and April.
Anyone who checks in here often enough knows I don’t travel that often as a road musician but there are some definite exceptions. One of them is the work I do with The First Amendment Center and their program, Freedom Sings. We played in Miami in early March, but later in he month got to do a show at the offices of USA TODAY in Washington DC. Since USA TODAY editor, Ken Paulson, created the program back when he was the Executive Director at The First Amendment Center, it gave him a chance to show his staff and colleagues what he had done before he went to work there. It was an amazing time for us all.
The local Nashville venue that I play most consistently is The Bluebird Café. It’s home-base for many a Nashville songwriter and a must-play stop for the singer/songwriter on the road. I was there twice in March, once in April and I have upcoming shows there in June and July (check my concert calendar!). Back in March I did a really fun “songwriter in the round” show with pals, Danny Flowers, Marshall Chapman and Craig Carothers as a fundraiser for the NSAI (Nashville Songwriter’s Association International). They do a lot but one of their most important functions is to lobby to help protect copyright law so those of who create can be paid for our work. I also played bass with my pal, Don Henry, on one of his Bluebird gigs in March. On April 21st, Bill DeMain and Molly Felder of Swan Dive, Amy Rigby, Don Henry and I did another one of our “in the round” shows there and had another love-fest of an evening. We’re back there with that lineup on June the 16th and August the 18th this summer.
After waiting and wondering for over a year if the song that Beth Neilsen Chapman and I wrote (called “Trying to Love You”) had been included on the upcoming Tricia Yearwood album, I can finally say with some certainty that it will. Producer, Garth Fundis, phoned me with the invitation to come and hear it. I was simply floored with her version of it. I love Beth’s version of Trying to Love You..played on Beth’s version..but this track that Tricia has recorded was full of surprises for me and I’m exceedingly proud to have the song on the record. I heard they recorded well over twenty songs and had to then decide what would remain so I’m excited about it all.
While I’m yakking on about song covers, Tom Petersson from Cheap Trick told me that a song he and I had written awhile back had been reworked by the band and it looks like “Dream the Night Away” may be on their next record. Fingers crossed.
I’ve compiled TWO different solo records that will, hopefully, be released before long. One is for a Japanese label that my lawyer has been in touch with and that one will be sort of a “best of”.. For me that means “career retrospective”. With about twenty years of doing this behind me, it was fun to compile a set of songs that hang together that represent what I think is my best stuff. I’ll post the songlist and cover art when the deal is closed. The name of the cd will be “Slideshow”.
The other record is a collection of recordings that will be made available online only through download. As a collection, it’s called “Horizontal Hold” named after one of the songs. This collection is a little different that my others as most of the songs and recordings have a much more roosty and country feel. It’s made up of recordings done between 1989 and 1999 and the vibe is much closer to the work I did in Foster and Lloyd and The Sky Kings. I will update here when it becomes available.
Inbetween everything else, I really have been writing songs for another solo album as well as writing for shrinking radio formats :) Back to Even has already been out about a year now. Funnily enough, MOJO magazine in the UK is just now running a review in an upcoming issue. Better late than never! Check out the reviews section here on my site.
The Long Players did the Who’s Next album by The Who on our last show..just last Friday night (April 29th). Here’s what The Nashville Scene had to say in this weeks issue;
The Spin Dispatches from the clubs and the street
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The Long Players, a bunch of Nashville music veterans who get together every few months to reproduce a legendary rock album, might as well hang up their instruments for good right now, because they'll never top last week's performance of Who's Next at Mercy Lounge. Their previous work has been great, but come on, now—Bill Lloyd and Steve Allen can play Bob Dylan and Band records with one hand tied behind each other's back. But who knew they could not only take on The Who's balls-out rock masterpiece, but beat it into submission like a Vin Diesel vs. Mr. Belvedere pay-per-view? Lloyd and Allen were so pumped that an EMT team was on hand in case sedation was required; they'd clearly been waiting their whole lives to play some of these licks onstage. E-Street Band bassist Gary Tallent and drummer Steve Ebe—who is being considered for knighthood for his flawless Keith Moon impersonation—unleashed the necessary rhythmic tornado. Keyboardist John Deaderick excelled at the unenviable task of playing synth parts more deeply ingrained in the public consciousness than The Star Spangled Banner. It's hard to single out guest vocalists, since they were all fabulous, but former Georgia Satellite Dan Baird ("Baba O'Riley"), Pinmonkey drummer Rick Schell ("Bargain") and ace session guitarist Pat Buchanan ("Going Mobile") were ridiculously good. And no superlative exists to describe Shazam frontman Hans Rotenberry's delivery of "Won't Get Fooled Again" (including the most legendary primal scream in rock history), which caused the entire Cannery building to rise several feet off the ground. At least, it seemed that way. The room was giddier than the crowd around a nitrous tank in a Dead show parking lot. Damn, the rest of the year's sure to be a letdown.
Well I hope not (!) ..especially since we’re doing The Beatles Revolver at Tennessee Performing Arts Center on July 9th.
We certainly had fun the other night . Here is the full line up.
1. Baba O'Riley (Dan Baird)
2. Bargain (Rick Schell from Pin Monkey)
3. Love Ain't For Keeping (Brad Jones)
4. My Wife (Tommy Womack)
5. The Song Is Over (Julian Dawson)
6. Getting In Tune (Hans Rotenberry filling in for Sam Powers from Superdrag)
7. Going Mobile (Pat Buchanan)
8. Behind Blue Eyes (Maura O’Connell)
9. Won't Get Fooled Again (Hans Rotenberry from The Shazam)
The Long Players are :
Steve Allen, John Deadeick, Steve Ebe, Bill Lloyd and Garry Tallent
That’s about all I can think of for now.. I’ll update more on these new records soon. If you’re in Nashville or coming to Nashville this summer, please come and see me. Dates are listed on the Concerts page.
Best
Bill
Friday March 11, 2005
Hello and thanks for dropping by.
These two to three month intervals between updates are entirely of my own doing.. Apologies to those who have emailed in the interim. I shall try and do better in the future.
So now it's March, ...uh...Happy New Year!
What's shakin? Let me first recap what's been going on since I last filled
in the gaps.
Radney Foster and I played New Years Eve here in Nashville at The Bluebird Café along with Pam Rose and Mary Ann Kennedy. Both of our old duos, Kennedy Rose and Foster and Lloyd, don't play together too often (as duos or as a foursome) so it was a special night and we all had a great time. Kennedy/Rose were in the studio making their first album right across the hall from where Radney and I first cut tracks for our first album back in 1986 so we've all known each other awhile. The two shows were great fun and it was a real treat to revisit our old songs as well as hear Kennedy Rose do their songs again.
While I'm on the subject of Foster and Lloyd, we've recorded a song together for the first time in a long time that is for a record. It's for a Nick Lowe tribute cd being compiled by a pal of mine out in California named Walter Clevinger. Walter and his band, The Dairy Kings, are in that same vein of rootsy-pop that many of us do and are really good at it. As a longtime Nick fan, I'm glad to take part (there was another one a few years back I didn't know about until it was finished up and in the stores). I recorded a version of "Without Love" playing and singing everything myself...not satisfied I asked my pedal steel pal, Pete Finney ( a Foster and Lloyd band alumni) to overdub on the track and he did a great job. Thinking it still needed something else, I asked Radney if he wanted to put his voice on it and make it a Foster and Lloyd track. He heard it, liked it, and did a great job on a vocal. I sang a new harmony part and mixed. SO.. Long story longer.. That's coming out sometime this year. Here's a link with more info.
January 2005 continued with more First Amendment Center performances. One was up in Minneapolis..a fine time of year to head north..but was fun and I got to see old friend, Steve Daly, who ran the ESD label back when I had the Set to Pop album out in '94. January was also full of songwriting appointments..some with old friends and some with folks I've not written with before. I started songs with Alex Call (former lead singer in Clover and writer of hits like Jenny Jenny /867-5309), Mike Henderson (Powerful Stuff), Jason White (Red Rag Top) and pop singer, David Mead. David made one of my favorite records of 2004 called Indiana on the Nettwerk label.
February the 5th was the date of the last Long Players gig. If you scroll down through earlier updates you can find more details about who the Long Players are and some of the "live album" dates we've done. Our 2/5/05 show at Nashville's Mercy Lounge proved to be another fantastic night where we got to celebrate the idea of an album we love, bring together musicians and singers from our amazing musical community and then perform that classic album from start to finish. We did Credence Clearwater Revival's "Cosmo's Factory". Here is the lineup we had:
The Long Players :
Steve Allen / guitar, Steve Ebe / drums, Bill Lloyd / guitar & Garry
Tallent / bass
With : Jim Hoke /sax, harp & keys
1. Ramble Tamble : The Long Players
2. Before You Accuse Me : Mike Henderson
3. Travelin' Band : Bob Delevante
4. Ooby Dooby: Rosie Flores
5. Lookin' Out My Back Door : George and Dave Daeger
6. Run Through the Jungle : Steve Forbert
7. Up Around the Bend : Kevin Welch
8. My Baby Left Me : Walter Egan
9. Who'll Stop the Rain : Pat Buchanan
10. I Heard It Through the Grapevine : Gary Nicholson
11. Long As I Can See the Light : Greg Trooper
We also did another set of CCR covers, as many as we could remember anyway..that was a great time too. Our next album will be Who's Next by The Who on April 29th. Please come if you're in Nashville..you wont' regret it.
We always give money to a charity from these Long Players gigs and Red Cross Tsunami Relief is the recipient from the CCR show. Another benefit that came up in February was for my son's school. Lucky for the school, there are loads of songwriter/artist types who have their kids in the Montessori programs and when a benefit is organized.. It's a good one. I didn't organize this one but I did participate in a wonderful evening of music on February 12 at The Bluebird Café with Lari White and Chuck Cannon (who DID organize the event), J.D Souther, Victoria Shaw, Don Henry, Robert Ellis Orrall, Marcus Hummon, Alex Call and Chuck Jones. I've seen, heard and played with all of these fine folks before but it was a first to hear J.D. Souther in a live setting and he was still hitting the high notes..just beautiful.
Songwriting continued in February with other old friends like Tommy Lee James, ex-Wagoneer Monte Warden, Walter Egan and Don Henry.
I also spent a good deal of time in the home studio finishing up a cd for the First Amendment Center. It's title will be "American Banned" and it features many of the songs we play in our Freedom Sings performances. Performers featured on this live cd include Jonell Mosser, Don Henry, Jason White, Joseph Wooten, Shonka Dukureh, Greg Trooper, Craig Krampf and myself.
AND.. I've been compiling a sampler cd of my own recordings for a Japanese label that my lawyer has been talking with. It will feature a cross-section of songs from all of my cds including some "new" alternate mixes never before available. More on this when the release is a little closer.
Early March took me on another Freedom Sings trip to Miami, Florida. Way too short a time spent there.. Got to see Coconut Grove again which is always beautiful and made me think of that great John Sebastian / Lovin' Spoonful song. It's been in my head for weeks. Maybe I should just learn it. Don't remind me of the David Lee Roth version...
I have several gigs this month so please check the CONCERTS page to find out when and where. I'm playing this weekend here in Nashville as part of the International Pop Overthrow showcase...that's already started as I'm typing this. Saturday night includes folks like Will Kimbrough, Walter Egan, Mark Johnson and myself.. A show appealing to an older pop demographic than most of the 3-day extravaganza... Not to say we won't play loud and fast :)
Please keep a lookout for more from my music catalogue finally being made available online. Right now, I think it's easy to find "Back To Even" to download but we're currently working on the older catalogue as well. Of course, those who want the physical cd in their hands can always come to me directly through this site, use the PO box for checks or money orders etc.. I've set up Pay Pal as well. I'm finally catching up to the new millennium...
Thanks for checking in.
Best regards,
Bill