BILLYBLUES: Reviews

BILLYBLUES BLENDS PAST, PRESENT

Few things are more American than the humble rambling of an acoustic guitar accompanied by the metallic whistle of a harmonica. Their casual disregard for any sense of elegance strips the accoutrements away and exposesa the root of all great music--melodic irony. As Mark Lucas has said in reference to the roots-inspired band named BILLYBLUES: "Dark humor accompanied by a three-part harmony."

Like many bands that play in the vein of American roots music, BILLYBLUES molds the conventional into the singular by fusing tradition with progression. The band isn't a slave to the fingerpicking past, but it does pay homage to the icons of American folk music with its rustic reverberations. BILLYBLUES borrows what it likes, plays what it feels, and pretty much does whatever it wants.

Formed ten years ago when Centre College professor Mark Lucas and New York transplant Colin Raitiere started playing guitar together, BILLYBLUES has undergone an evolution that added Mike Norris, David White, and a substantial fan base. Norris--who also happens to be Centre College's director of communications--had a chance conversation with Lucas in the faculty club that resulted in his becoming a member of the band. As a harmonica player, Norris helped flesh out the trio's folk-influenced sensibility.

"He didn't have just a harmonica--he had a suitcase full of harmonicas," Lucas laughed. The apparent hyperbole of this statement quickly dissipates when one hears Norris's range on an album like "Third Shot." Harmonica equipped, the band started down a road that would produce some of its best material.

Raitiere then picked up the mandolin, which added a further dimension to BILLYBLUES' sound. His self-taught skills have created a unique playing style that Lucas calls "barbaric, idiosyncratic blues mandolin." Raitiere's ad hoc acquisition of this folk standard has given the band an organic stamp that adds to its roots credentials.

A few years, a mandolin, and a suitcase full of harmonicas later, David White--a professional drummer who has played with Jerry Lee lewis--injected the band with a strong dose of rhythm-section energy that marked a stylistic departure for the band. Since White started playing with BILLYBLUES, the band has moved in a more raucous direction.

"It's been roots rock since Dave started drumming. It's louder now. We draw inspiration from early rock, blues, and rhythm and blues," Lucas said.

While BILLYBLUES was perfecting its lineup and repertoire, it also began to gain a following beyond Kentucky. According to Norris, the internet has been particularly helpful in getting the music out to people who otherwise would not be able to hear the band. A video of "Every Kind of Fool" was recently added to YouTube, which Norris believes has provided "one of the breakthroughs" the band has had.

"If you do a Google search, there are an enormous number of hits," Norris said. "We've been reviewed in England, Germany, Belgium, and one of the former Soviet countries. I've even seen a site in Japanese."

Although BILLYBLUES has come a long way in the past ten years, there are still certain stylistic threads that have stayed constant over time, which give the band a stable but unique sound.

"The thing that characterizes BILLYBLUES is the three-part harmonies. There are always carefully constructed harmonies in everything we do," Raitiere said.

With one of Lucas's songs featured in "American Songwriter," a single-song option taken by Buddy Cannon--a producer who has worked with Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton--on one of Norris's tunes, and a performance scheduled for Third and Lindsley's in Nashville, BILLYBLUES is building the reputation that it deserves. For further information on concert dates, band history, and merchandise, visit www.billyblues.org.

Billy Bop Reviews article on BLIND DATE:
The music is a poppy kind of blues, mixed with authentic rockabilly and folk–blues influences. Tracks like “Junk in the Trunk”, “Dirty Man” or “Lead Me Not” explain exactly what this means. The band produces a nice clean sound, which is musically very appealing.... Next to their clean sound is the fact that all members share the vocal parts, often creating close harmonies. This and the brass from Mike’s harps are exactly the things to look out for when talking about Billyblues.

Opener “Junk in the Trunk” is a classic rockabilly tune and a great way to open the album. Great shake, rattle & roll if you ask me! With "Every Kind of Fool” the band brings you a tune that musically comes close to Robert Cray!

On “Man of Few Words” we can hear the band doing a classic 12 bar blues. Nice performance indeed and certainly done with a feeling that seeks out to the original blues artists. Closing track “Drifting and Drinking” is a standout track. Lyrics like “I met a woman / Just what you want a woman to be. / When that woman Tried to make a family man of me,/ I left that woman / In Kingsport, Tennessee. / Drifting and drinking, / the road’s the place to be. Drifting and drinking, / whiskey’s cheap, the road is free.” are definitely worth your time, after all who wants to be a family man? The combination of the lyrics & and the delta-like slide guitar are quite the thing!

The happy sound of Billyblues might be in big contrast to what most people expect of a good blues album, but it certainly does remind us that blues doesn’t have to be sad or blue anymore! The genre developed and went many directions!

Mr Blue Boogie

Daydreamers review of THIRD SHOT:
Billyblues continue to impress with their third album.

An awe-inspiring collection of varied blues songs, the running order is insignificant in this case as each song demonstrates a pioneering and vital new side to the band. Closing the album on Farther On Down The Road is a nice touch as this is one of the strongest songs on the album and definitely leaves the listener wanting to hear more.


Third Shot redefines the saying ‘old traditions die hard’ as Billyblues seamlessly blend Delta and Piedmont blues together in a way which is both highly original yet firmly within the boundary of traditional blues, in their words “the best way to honor a tradition is to contribute to it.” Their versatile and skilled approach makes their music much more accessible to the extent that people who haven’t got a blues CD in their collection will instantly recognise that Third Shot is a remarkable album.

However, it is the connoisseurs of blues who will appreciate the excitable harmonica on Hair Of The Dog or the upbeat mandolin on Gravel This Road. Third Shot is a textured album with a sincere layer beneath its smiling veneer.

Standout tracks include such witty and satirical songs as She Loves Everybody, with Norris’ whimsical vocals and Lucas’ incomparable slide guitar which is performed in a light hearted manner which mocks at every turn--just take the line ‘you can’t say she’s cheap cos she’s practically free’ as an example of many standout lines on the song.

The equilibrium between the solemn blues and the more witty artifices is part of what makes this album instantly memorable. A lot of the lyrics are easily etched in your mind, whether it be the sobering chorus from High Winds And Hailstones or the jocular annotations scattered throughout Coming Down The Backside. Billyblues’ aptitude alongside their firm understanding of what makes good blues, contribute significantly to the accessibility of Third Shot.

Whilst Billyblues unassumingly demonstrate their ability to create original material, they also acknowledge their influences and ability to put their own stamp on existing songs with the spectacular cover of John Lee Hooker’s Dimples. Whilst the original was a remarkable song, there is a sense that Billyblues have ‘done it justice’ with Norris’ detailed harmonica contributions and an exceptional vocal performance from Raitiere. The band clearly set themselves a hard task by attempting to cover this song and surely couldn’t have been easy to achieve the almost enigmatic sound and lasting atmosphere that this song creates, yet Billyblues come out smiling, demonstrating that whilst they’ve got the ability to write moving songs, they also can pull off convincing covers.

In short, Third Shot is a remarkable collection of songs which beautifully demonstrate a band who have genuinely honed their skills by producing songs which contain the wit, intelligence and age-old blues charm which will set Billyblues aside from the competition.

Stand-out track
Hair of the Dog is a classic opener, instantly winning the listener over with Lucas’ crafty bass guitar tier in conjunction with Norris’ harmonica offerings.

Songwriting
Bluer Than You Think exemplifies their outstanding song writing capabilities with some first class guitar laced with Lucas’ bass giving the song an audacious and confident tone. This is also a perfect illustration of how a good song can become a standout track due to the arrangement. The unspoiled sound is aided by the musical vision of the track.

The lyrics are notably sharp and considered, perhaps the most notable are the heart rending vocals on Gravel This Road where Norris sings “she grew a little distant, then the first thing you know / she was as gone as the roses under three feet of snow.”

Water, Wood and Corn raises the standard in the lyrics department, the song is an tribute to Lucas’ songwriting ability and displays some of the highest quality lyrics on the album: “we cooked some ‘shine to turn a dollar / with a car parts still back in the holler / bouquet of brake drum and gasoline / a carburetor finish backnotes of axlegrease.” This is just a snapshot of the quality of the lyrics waiting for the listener to discover.

Vocals
Perhaps the most impressive vocal structure to the album is that the vocal responsibilities are shared between all three members. This highlights the multi-talented element to the band. Blown Away is just one of many possible examples where all band members have a contributing part, although Lucas takes the limelight with lead vocals, both Norris and Raitiere contribute in a manner that turns the song into a manifesto of their vocal capabilities.

The vocals on Blown Away are particularly impressive as they add to the rhythm of the song, partly down to exceptional songwriting but mainly down to the finished performance which really emphasises the rhyming beat, for example “the lightning starts to crack and a chill runs down my back / and then my mind begins to come unwound / a siren starts blowing in my heart that’s going going going gone with a freight train sound.”

Musicianship
Billyblues use their instruments to full effect; to layer the songs and create an atmosphere. There is never a sense that any instrument is used unnecessarily or too much; the harmonica in particular strengthens the album, just take Norris’ characteristic harmonica sound on the show-stopping Dream Home For Sale which perfectly balances the track.

Whilst skilled guitar performances are to be expected from a professional and established blues band such as Billyblues, the listener cannot take the guitar on this album for granted, just take Norris’ guitar performance on Water, Wood and Corn which dominates the expanding forefront of the dazzling track.

Arrangement / use of instruments
The choice of instruments is reflective of the genre with a healthy level of slide guitar, mandolin and harmonica. Perhaps the most impressive aspect to the arrangement of the album is the stylish use of each instrument, there is never a feeling that a sound or instrument is over-stated.

Perhaps the most effective technique on the album is the slide guitar on She Loves Everybody, which slides down the fretboard along with the hopes of Norris’ narrative perspective. The minimalist guitar blend gives the song a refined edge and adds a definite feather to Lucas’ musical bow; his guitar playing is exemplary throughout but the slide on this track is taken to a new level.

Production
An exceptionally proficient finish to this album, in particular, harmonica can be particularly tricky to capture on a studio album with a full band, but they masterfully overcome this obstacle. There is a definite feeling that Billyblues and their studio team have the recording process down to a fine art; in fact this album doesn’t sound like a third album, the togetherness and eminence of recording is equal to that of a 10th studio album.

Sleeve / inlay design
The artwork is particularly successful in keeping the identity of the band, the shot glasses and the roses play on the traditional blues connotations which in turn signifies their roots in the more traditional side of the genre. However, the tipped glasses and spilt drink signify their ability to write fundamental material outside the traditional periphery.

YouTube Comment String on "Every Kind of Fool" Video:

mjam88
The Billybluesman always rings twice.

pasqualedawg
If you ever change your name you could be The Swaggarts. In those black suits you like like preachers gone bad. Loved the video!

he11camino
Like I said before, Raymond Chandler if he'd had a band. Thought the first version was good but this one's better. Somebody's passing out wolf tickets again.

AWdirt
Ace bossa nova drumming. Cool mando riff on chorus. Concert shots look like a reception tent in the middle of nothing. Weird noir effect.

Daak045
Great video. Really enjoyed it

gloopy21
This is one of my favorite songs, and a great music video too!

jmcrawford44
I loved the look, the feel, the tone, and the overall sound. I can't wait to share this with my friends. You guys are amazing!
The rolling credits at the end are a bit fuzzy/small for my aging eyes...

KathyfromKY
These guys are awesome. They do a great live show ~ lots of heart, humor and talent. They also really connect with their audience. I love their music ~ and I have 4 HUGE crushes on these dolls!

corndog909
"Never prayed much. Kneeling bags my nylons." Nice. Especially love the chain of fools sequence in the bridge. Poor old John Garfield. Chumpmeat for one evil dame after another.

Daak045
Great job guys. I loved the video and the music

twilamontgomery
Excellent Video! I love watching these guys perform!

amsTsi
From the Highlands of Louisville, "Good job, my friends...I enjoyed the selection and the accompanying video. Keep up the good work. DK

jcortZ1
no t no a no ride no bling no booty shakin no drum machine no hair gel got you pants pulled up not one skank in a slutty dress whats up with that? its just music

bereablue
Great video guys. Great job Mike. Your Dad would proud.

bereablue
I listened and I enjoyed it very much. Wish u all grest success

mjam88
Checked your vlog. Nice crazy jumble. Lonnie's teeth (more people should know him). Tom Waits and those ostriches. Esp liked that Wanda Jackson nugget.

ronniejohnson44
Great video and music. These have a distinctive sound and can really play!

tsg9524
so good. love the video.

wendyleigh22
Great video. You guys are tight. So glad my friend Jean turned me on to you. I listen to you all the time. Keep it coming.

kaylagumbo
The video is missing a verse from the Blind Date version. "She needs a favor. Dont think she's bad . . . ."

AWdirt
"The cops always like to solve murders done with my gun." A Glock, right? So where'd you do your time, Billybluesman?

BILLYBLUESMAN
Dear AWdirt: Like the highway sign says, Hard Luck 7, Eddyville 13. A Ruger, bro.

marynewman4
These guys are original and talented [not to mention cute!]. I found a bunch more Billyblues music--check it out!

vickialbiero
Great video and love the song---good job guys

ATBROW00
From Ashley:
I had no idea you all had so much talent! My favorite was the final shot with all the guitars. Good job, Billy Blues!

ronniejohnson44
Billyblues sort of reminds me of the Beatles--rock and blues, but with something distinctive and different. Their CD "Blind Date" is awesome.

OGPariah
Regret like battery acid. And still you'd do it over again. That lyric puts a hurt on.

EAP2cool
Moral: Beware women who chew cherrystones. Cool retro song. Love those leads on the ending.

HARTTh
So nice to find a grownup song out here in video wasteland. This goes in my Smart Music favorites bin with Aimee Mann, John Hiatt, The Jayhawks, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Alejandro Escoveda . . . .

Meanolgrouch
A few short years ago I was elbowing my way through a sale bin with more than a few other music lovers, when lo and behold I discovered the greatest nugget of all. BillyBlues' first CD, "Where the River Meets the Mountain." Trouble was, somebody else already had hold of it. (2B continued)

Meanolgrouch
(continued)...& he looked too big & tough for me to outrun. So I found a bunch of pukey cd's and told the kid he'd be laughed out of town with blues (forgive me, Lord!)& made him think he wanted to trade. Best deal I ever struck. Best blues band I ever heard. TX for video, y'all.

pasqualedawg
Billyblues is an okay name but I still say they should be The Swaggarts. Look at those black suits. Preachers gone B-A-D. My favorite posting in all this love feast is jcortZ a couple of weeks ago. Sounded like a compliment to me.

greystone72
Great job on the video. Love the black & white look and the classic femme fatale images. The song is one of many really good ones on the 'Blind Date' CD.

JumpinJackFlash07
Rock out BillyBlues!
Louisville loves you!

ronniejohnson44
how about Billyblues at Rudyard Kipling's in Louisville?

MelissaKY
Don't forget me if you need a female backup vocalist! :) This is cool stuff guys.

mjam88
"Too late to call your mama" is right. Between grief and nothing we all take grief but sometimes it makes you wonder.

AWdirt
This video sticks in your head. Old school cool with the fine threads, vintage babes, and noir lyric. I really like that slo-mo shot over the last note of the song--all the instruments sweeping back.

HARTTh
Old school cool but they keep it fresh. These guys don't do the usual imitation or self-glorification thing. They've got their own sound ('bastard acoustic"?) with dreadnought and mandolin over drums and electric bass. And listen to the portrait gallery of losers they've created in tunes like this one and "Drifting and Drinking" and "Double G Spinners" and "She's Not Your Girlfriend." Their songs are compressed novels.

oregonjoe44
First rate. Billyblues has infectious music and great lyrics. check out 'Drifting and Drinking' and 'Lead Me Not.' The more I search, the more jewels I find by these guys.
Joe in Oregon

pizzadunn
Billyblues has become one of my favorite groups. I am enjoying all of their CD's. Keep up the great music.

Atrain356
Why isn't this song on the radio? Nice video too. The band look like escapees from some old movie set.

cartlett
Wow! Was expecting a home movie. This is pro. The song was already a favorite off Blind Date (love that "deadwood, doormat" middle part and pinstripes at Eddyville and all the Spanish guitar) but the video adds another dimension.

pasqualedawg
Billyblues is an okay name but I still say they should be The Swaggarts. Look at those black suits. Preachers gone B-A-D. My favorite posting in all this love feast is jcortZ a couple of weeks ago. Sounded like a compliment to me.

IrelandCladdagh
way way WAY COOLIO musical mike :):):)
17 AWEavtions for this song & video :):):)

ahooooooooooosome dude YOU are...YOUr windy city fan, john :):):)

kaylagumbo
song bangs my hammer. chock with urst. *_*

EAP2cool
Maudlin DRUNK!!!

dorisgroundhogday
How to face truth: Pour jigger Stolichnaya over 2 cubes + 1 oz Creme de Menthe. Then listen to this song w/ dark glasses on.

holymolyfoley
Women are much smarter than men. No one has ever heard of a woman who lost her head only because a man had slender legs.

Salomaybe (4 months ago)
Shout out to Kaylagumbo. Song has some urst. Props to Mr. Billyblues. You gotta love a music video that quotes from Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, AND The Big Sleep. But why is the chick walking out into the water?

wendyleigh22
I could listen to this song all day long, and many more that I love. I can not keep still when it's on. I love the comment They look like Preachers gone B.A.D. (laughing)

EAP2cool
If you play the end of this song backwards, you can hear a voice say "I buried Colin."

WandaTuttle
Good ears, EP2cool, but no banana.
What the backwards voice actually says is, "I bake collards," a reference to the casserole said to be the favorite dish of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson.
"Blind Date" is now my favorite CD--check it out for more cool Billyblues tunes.

EAP2cool
Buried, not baked. Listen again, Wanda: You may be right about "collards" but the second word is definitely "buried." FYI, collards are not a casserole.

WandaTuttle
Ok, EAP2cool, I guess it is ,"I buried collards," but when it comes to blues food, you don't know a ham hock from a brussel sprout. Collard casserole was popular with many of the early musicians. It was made with collards, cream. fatback, eggs, salt, and Magnolia Cheese (an early precursor of Velvetta). Some scholars now believe that Robert Johnson was not poisoned, but rather died of collard induced acid reflux.

Meanolgrouch
There's no such thing as EVER wringing all the good from any BillyBlues offering. No matter how many times you indulge, there's always more from each and every cut. It's just too much to wear out. The best noir is like that.

boritaone
Luv the video, music, men. What can I say I am a BillyBluesFan............. Wish I could see every show.

chrisneuIX
What a killer video/song! Do people know how great a drummer David White is? He's been the beating heart of some great music ever since early Metropolitan Blues All-Stars. The mandolin leads on this song really make me smile too. And the singer is feeling something. Listen to him run out of breath with the outrage of it all. There are some wrong women out there.

ronniejohnson44
Heard Billyblues might be playing in Nashville soon...any one know if that's true? Details?

BILLYBLUESMAN
At Third and Lindsley, 818 3rd Avenue South, 9:30 on Apr. 10. 615-259-9891.

WandaTuttle
This video is great! I see new cool things every time I watch. It leaves me wanting more. When are we going to see another Billyblues video?

bootsmcgoots
The California Hotel, Sartre, Raymond Chandler, Santana, Greta Garbo, Double Indemnity, and a dumbass who tides her over with a handshake loan. I love this video.

bigstatnow
Sharp and tight. Even in the backseat cage of a Crown Victoria headed for Eddyville, you carry yourself with style.

ronniejohnson44
just came back to this after seeing it a couple of months ago--I'm even more impressed than the 1st time I saw it. The video and the music are about 3 cuts above. This deserves a wider audience--email the link to your friends.

13benzine
Got the 40s covered too. A fly by noir crew. From Ken-tuck-ee? Why not. Land of Hunter S. Thompson, Cassius Clay, and Simon Gurty.

catawbaridge
This song is all purples and blacks. A moody, melancholy world apart. Hard Luck is closer than 7. Powerful.

It often seems that hearing a band perform live can cause a mere listener to become a true fan. This is quite the case with BILLYBLUES. These three performers exude a distinct feeling of love for their music, humor, and friendship while on stage. For those of you who don't have the great fortune to catch them out and around the Lexington, KY area, never fear. You will still be unable to stop your toe from tapping along with this enjoyable album.


With backgrounds in English and communications, BILLYBLUES has numerous lines of clever lyrics. Their last album made a wonderful allusion to William Faulkner with the song that included the line "there's a pill for every ill except the last one." The follow-up album takes listeners on a jaunt throughout the "worldly" Kentucky, touring many of the "capitals" within the state. "Moods of St. Mildred" includes many thoughtful songs as well, encouraging a reflective state of mind.
The musical melodies are of equal entertainment. The voices of these three blend together beautifully, and their guitars and harmonicas are irresistible. Whether they be joined in joyful glee as on the "Pumpkin Pie" track, or in the more calm and reassuring harmonies of "Hold On," the music is quite enjoyable.


Concertgoers are surely convinced that BILLYBLUES has a good time playing their music, and listeners will have just as good of a time hearing them play it.

"If you're gonna have the blues, you'd better hope you get the kind that makes you this happy. The members of BILLYBLUES take turns at the mic and writing, coordinate fine harmony, and wring sweet notes out of their hollow-body guitars. Lucas' catchy licks on the resonator guitar bring back the vintage sound you've been missing, while his memorable tunes like "Jesus Is My Whiskey" and a tribute to the "El Camino" leave you humming cheerfully. Norris' slick harp playing (check out the solo on my favorite, "Pretty No More") is all the brass the blues needs. Raitiere nods to Reverend Gary Davis and Robert Johnson. Those greats' effect on Colin is evident in his cool Delta vocals."