Bill Bass Keeping It Real

Here’s a nice clip from the Arcata Playhouse in Arcata, CA – a great two-night stop on our recent tour.  We’re so happy to have Scott White back with the band!  Enjoy this double bass bonanza into Gale In My Sail!

Thank You Cali

Well that was fun!

The Bills just had a ball, from Humboldt to Ventura counties and all points in between.  Thanks again to Dick Brundle, Red House Records, the promoters and radio hosts (Sedge Thompson, we swear Chris will never desert you on stage again!) and, of course, all the great lovers of music that came to the shows.  Together we all shook it, Bills style.

And the band managed to keep the Mexican food and the gambling under control!

Blue Lake Casino! Cancun superior Mexican - Berkeley!

Marc will be back in California next May with his Trio, so keep your eyes open for that.  And The Bills are busy booking for next Fall again, hoping to hit some great venues and festivals in October, 2014.  Tell all your favourite festival directors that the band is ready to roots and rock.

Until next time!  We’ll see a bunch of you in November in Western Canada, February in the US Midwest and May/June in the UK!

California Here We Come

Lookout folks!  The Bills are converging on Winters, CA at the fabled Palms Playhouse this Friday, Sept 20th, to kick off an action-packed ten day tour of the Golden State, celebrating the 2013 release of our new album, Yes Please on Red House Records.  Festivals, theatres, great clubs and live radio appearances, you can find all the info on the Shows page.

Drop us a line on Facebook and give us some hints about great eatin’ spots or places for your favourite pint or glass of red.  We’ll be carving up the state’s highways and biways, through the Sierra Nevada, up and down the coast, and all around San Francisco Bay!

Hope to see you all at a show.

Huge thanks to our pals at Red House and to Dick Brundle, the Sultan of Soquel, for helping make it all happen!

 

 

The Bills Hit Their Summer Stride

Hey folks.  Look for The Bills at the fabulous Mission Folk Fest (BC), Summerfolk in Owen Sound, ON, Harvest Sun in Kelwood, MB and even an appearance in the home country, Butchart Gardens in August!

Followed by a triumphant end-of-summer return to Northern Californian, where the band will spend ten days between September 20 and 30, playing here there an everywhere (see the schedule).

We look forward to seeing you all out there.  You can also come out and roots/rock (even swing if you feel so inclined) during the Fall, Winter and Spring tours from BC to Alberta to Minnesota to the UK and beyond!  Keep in touch!

And here’s a nice new review of Yes Please from the UK’s R2 magazine:

Bills R2 Magazine UK review July2013

Thank You Ontario and Quebec!

It was great to see you all again – what a great 7-date tour!  From the hot sun to the world-class hospitality to the rockin’ audiences, we had a great time.  There were highlight moments from every show, including reconnecting with old friends and fans, belting out a cappella arrangements from various corners of the venues, ripping solos by the always inventive boys in the band, and some gorgeous piano moments at a few of the venues.  Not to mention some serious countryside jogging, Boomer’s magical vintage toy store in Waterford, amazing coffee shop finds and a great bike ride in Montreal for Rich and Chris!

See you all again soon – BC, Ontario and Manitoba, look out this summer!  Then we’re coming south, USA – California beware.

 

Red House to release Yes Please in US

RedHouse logoST. PAUL, MN — Red House Records is pleased to announce that they will be releasing The Bills‘ new album Yes Please in the US on April 23, 2013. Independently released in their native Canada last fall, the powerhouse roots band is looking forward to releasing their second album with the Grammy-winning label.

“The Bills are deeply excited to be working with Red House on the new release,” says singer/guitarist Chris Frye. “Their roster of fantastic artists is one that we are extremely proud to be a part of.”

Known the world over for their exquisite songcraft, instrumental virtuosity and dynamic live performances, The Bills feature an all-star line-up of talent from Canada’s west coast including Chris Frye (guitar, lead vocals), Marc Atkinson (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Adrian Dolan (fiddle, accordion, piano, vocals), Richard Moody (violin, viola, vocals) and Scott White (upright bass). All busy musicians, The Bills had been working on other musical projects until they recently reunited to record Yes Please, the follow-up to their Juno Award nominated album Let Em Run (released on Red House in April, 2005).

For radio and interview inquiries, please contact Beth Friend at Red House at (651) 644-4161.

Folk Alliance International

The Bills’ Showcase Schedule for Saturday, February 23

9:45 PM
Performance Alley, Red House Records Showcase
Mountbatten B

12:00 Midnight, Room 1029
12×12 / Hearth / Quicksilver Showcase

1:00 AM, Room 1271
Bodie House / Music Road Records showcase

 

The Bills in 2013

Happy New Year folks!

Look for The Bills in your neighbourhood over the coming months.  Planning tours of Ontario (May and August), BC/Alberta (November), California (confirmed for September) and the US Midwest (early 2014).  Throw in some fun-filled showcase music conferences (Folk Alliance Feb. 20 – 24 in Toronto and Pacific Contact in Vancouver, April 5-7) and you’ve got the makings of a great year.

Look out for more info on 2013 summer festivals, and consider this a secret tip that we’ll have an announcement soon on the official 2013 release of Yes Please in the U.S. on a fantastic label down there!

See you soon!

The Bills  (check us out on YouTube: www.youtube.com/thebillsplaymusic)

The Bills do Christmas – Vision TV Dec 14!

Look out folks, we’ve taken a traditional Christmas tune and Bill-i-fied it for national television. On Friday, December 14, 8 PM Pacific, 11 PM Eastern, on Vision TV in Canada (check your local cable listings), watch for the Bills’ and other artists’ renditions of holiday classics. The show (or portions thereof) will also be available after it airs at www.visiontv.ca or on their YouTube channel. The actual program is called God’s Greatest Hits. Don’t worry, though, the song we chose generally avoids monotheistic tendencies, save for one line. We think you’ll like what you hear and see!