SONS OF BILL




One Town AwayCD 13,90
One Town Away2-LP+CD (Personal Vinyl Edition) 24,90
A Far Cry From FreedomCD 12,90


Trotz des Killerdebütalbums A Far Cry From Freedom von 2006 gehören SONS OF BILL nicht gerade zu der Art von Band, an die man nach über drei Jahren noch sehnsüchtig zurückdenkt - zu schnelllebig ist die Zeit dafür. Jetzt allerdings, da das neue Teil im Player steckt, werden alle Erinnerungen an das unglaublich starke Erstwerk wieder zum Leben erweckt, als wäre es von gestern. Was für eine traumhafte Synthese von classic 70s Country Rock und 90s No Depression/Guitar Rock vom Feinsten.

Aber die drei Wilson-Brüder/Bill's Söhne, James (Guitars, Vocals, 9 Songs), Sam (Guitars, Lap Steel, Harmonica, Vocals, 2 Songs) und Abe (Keyboards, Vocals, 1 Song) legen zusammen mit Bassist Seth Green und dem neuen Drummer Brian Caputo noch richtig was drauf. Sie haben sich für One Town Away nämlich nach Kalifornien unter die Fittiche von Luxusproduzent Jim Scott (Whiskeytown, Wilco, Tom Petty, Neal Casal, BoDeans) begeben, der ihnen seinen bewährten Analog-Gitarrensound verschrieben und die tollen Lead & Harmony Vocals der Wilsons extra herausgeputzt hat. Zusätzlich zum ohnehin schon göttlichen Saiten-Dreiklang hören wir auf 4 Tracks sogar noch die Pedal bzw. Lap Steel von Greg Leisz! Ein kosmischer Sound, in dem Gram Parsons und Reckless Kelly, Todd Thibaud und die Gin Blossoms (at their very best), Dirt Band und Wrinkle Neck Mules, Kevin Welch und Son Volt auf völlig unangestrengte Weise zusammentreffen. Es sind aber letztlich diese nachhaltig beeindruckenden Kompositionen (Baureihe "ein Hit jagt den nächsten") der Wilsons, die bis zum Schluss, bis zum passend betitelten Track 12 ungebrochene Singer/Songwriter-Qualität bieten: 'The Song Is All That Remains'. Wohl wahr!
It starts with the music. A sound that's all too familiar, yet somehow resists an easy definition. Too edgy for Nashville, but too earnest for New York. Drawing comparisons to artists ranging from George Jones to the Gin Blossoms - Gram Parsons to Guns and Roses - SONS OF BILL have been called "equal parts raucous and reflective." A sound which is revolutionary only in its simplicity.

It starts with the music because it started with the music. Bill Wilson's three eldest sons grew up listening to him fingerpick old country tunes around the house. They learned to sing harmony at family holidays and inherited old guitars with their hand-me-down jeans. The past two decades sent James, Sam and Abe in disparate musical directions: teenage heavy metal fests, old-time barn dances, college bars and New York City jazz clubs. But in 2005 the brothers all returned - one from a cattle ranch in Nevada, one from an apartment in Brooklyn, one from Grad school in Maryland - and for the first time in their lives they began to make music together. With the addition of long-time friends Seth Green and Brian Caputo, Bill's sons became SONS OF BILL.

With a live show known to evolve from acoustic ballads into sweaty stage-dives, SONS OF BILL has gained a loyal fan base from Florida to NYC, sharing the stage with acts ranging from Robert Randolph to Robert Earl Keen. After selling their self-released debut album A Far Cry from Freedom by the thousands, SOB flew to California in late 2008 to record a much anticipated follow up. Tracked live in just 10 days with legendary producer Jim Scott (Wilco, Tom Petty, Whiskeytown) One Town Away is as honest and straightforward as records get. 12 songs about the struggles and hopes of human life, played by five guys from central Virginia, raised on traditional country music with an unabashed love for Rock n' Roll.