Will Oldham
, a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
(born 24 December 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky), is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Prior to adopting his current moniker, he performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace
name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music (1993-1997).
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BONNIE PRINCE BILLY TICKETS
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Music
Will Oldham is known for his "do-it-yourself punk aesthetic and blunt honesty,"
[1] and his music has been likened to
Americana,
folk,
roots,
country,
punk, and
indie rock, although Oldham is dissatisfied with these labels: "I don't think it's roots music, though it's definitely influenced by Western popular music."
[2] He has been called an "Appalachian post-punk solipsist"
and is notable for his unique voice, which has been described as "a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition."
Will Oldham first performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, and simply Palace. Regarding the name changes during this period (1993-1997), Oldham said:
Beginning in 1998, Oldham has primarily used the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which draws inspiration from several sources:
Oldham has explained that "the primary purpose of the pseudonym is to allow both the audience and the performer to have a relationship with the performed that is valid and unbreakable."
[3]
Discography
- There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You
– Palace Brothers (1993)
- Days in the Wake
– Palace Brothers (1994)
- Viva Last Blues
– Palace Music (1995)
- Arise Therefore
– Palace Music (1996)
- Joya
– Will Oldham (1997)
- I See a Darkness
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (1999)
- Ease Down the Road
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2001)
- Master and Everyone
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2003)
- Sings Greatest Palace Music
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2004)
- Superwolf
– Matt Sweeney & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2005)
- The Brave and the Bold
– Tortoise & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2006)
- The Letting Go
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2006)
- Wai Notes
– Dawn McCarthy and Bonny Billy (2007)
- Wilding in the West
– Bonnie "Prince" Billy (2007)
- Lie Down in the Light
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2008)
- Is It The Sea?
– Bonnie 'Prince' Billy with Harem Scarem and Alex Neilson (2008)
- Beware
- Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (2009)
Response
Much of Will Oldham's music has received considerable critical praise. Some of his albums, such as
There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You
(1993),
[4] Viva Last Blues
(1995),
[5] and
I See a Darkness
(1999),
[6] [7] [8] have appeared on greatest albums lists.
He is mentioned in the lyrics of the
Biffy Clyro song
Saturday Superhouse and is the main character in the song 'Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror' by New York Anti-Folk artist
Jeffrey Lewis.
Johnny Cash recorded a version of "I See a Darkness" on his
American Recordings disc,
American III: Solitary Man
(2000). Oldham provided backing vocals.
Steve Adey also covered "I See a Darkness" on his 2006 LP
All Things Real
.
Mark Kozelek recorded a version of Oldham's "New Partner" on his 2008 disc,
The Finally LP
.
In 2009
Mark Lanegan and
Soulsavers recorded a cover version of "You Will Miss Me When I Burn". The release is a split single, backed with the Lanegan penned "Sunrise" featuring vocals by Oldham.
Film
Will Oldham began his acting career at the age of 17, when he portrayed a teen preacher in
John Sayles's film about an Appalachian mining community,
Matewan
(1987). Oldham moved to Hollywood to pursue acting, and was well received, landing roles in a couple of films. However, he quickly became disillusioned with the film industry and quit in 1989.
[9] He has since had several minor roles in independent films, such as
Julien Donkey-Boy
(1999),
Junebug
(2005), and
The Guatemalan Handshake
(2006). Oldham took a lead role in
Old Joy
, which was featured at
SXSW XX and opened at
New York's Film Forum on September 20, 2006. Will Oldham also played the role of a preacher in the Horse Apples special of Wondershowzen in series 2 of the show.
Filmography
- Matewan
(1987), directed by John Sayles
- Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure
(1989) (TV movie)
- Thousand Pieces of Gold
(1991)
- Elysian Fields
(1993)
- Radiation
(1998)
- Julien Donkey-Boy
(1999) (uncredited role), directed by Harmony Korine
- Slitch
(2003), directed by Dianne Bellino
- Tripping with Caveh
(2004), directed by Caveh Zahedi
- Junebug
(2005)
- The Guatemalan Handshake
(2006)
- Old Joy
(2006)
- ''Wendy and Lucy (2008)
Photography
Will Oldham shot the black-and-white cover photograph for
Slint's critically acclaimed 1991 album
Spiderland. The photo depicts members of the band treading water in the lake of an abandoned quarry.
[10]
Oldham also featured as guest aesthetic designer for the North American literary magazine
Zoetrope All Story (vol 11, no 1) in 2007. In a note contained in the issue, he jokes that it would be "really magnificent to imagine this issue as a cocktail party at which all of the contributors, word and image, are present. add a bowl of keys and some mushroom cookies and i am there. [sic]"
References
- The Wanderer
- Mystery Man: Palace Brother Will Oldham becomes Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
- Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
- The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion
- The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s
- The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion
- The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s
- 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
- Oldham journeys back into acting
- McCarthy, Shannon. "Slint Lyrics and Biography" Musicianguide.com. Retrieved on 25 November 2007.