We’ve got some great shows on the horizon to tell you about, but first and foremost we’re excited to announce that Sons of Bill has broken ground on a third full length record. After spending much of the summer working on new material, we spent the first week of December at Sound of Music Recording Studios in Richmond, Virginia beginning to lay down some tracks. Mr David Lowery (whose extensive resume includes fronting the bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven; as well producing a pile of bands including Counting Crows and Lucero) is at the helm for this one and let me tell you, he brought his A-game. The man had a new Apple gadget to tinker with and a new skinny tie to show off for almost every day in the studio. Now that’s how you produce a record!
All kidding aside, we had a great first week with David and the Sound of Music crew and we’re looking forward to getting back in the studio a few more times over the next couple months to finish the thing up. Don’t get too excited, but if everything goes according to plan (we have a plan?) it looks like you may be able to purchase a brand new Sons of Bill album as soon as the Spring of 2011.
Until then, we’ll try to give you a few tastes of some new material to keep your whistle wet with anticipation. To open the bidding we’re releasing a video of a brand new tune called “Santa Ana Winds”, penned by Mr Abe Wilson. Some of you who have been coming to shows over the past few months may remember this tasty jam. We’ve been pulling it out here and there to get the gears oiled and we figured it was time we let you get a proper listen to it. Those of you who have been especially diligent may also have heard this acoustic version of the same song on the WMNF Tampa set that James and Abe played in August. As you can see, we’ve made some revisions. Feel free to share the new stuff with everyone you know on Facebook or Twitter by clicking these links.
There will be plenty more where that came from, but you’ll have to be patient to get any of it. To hold you over, Sons of Bill will be throwing some truly epic holiday parties in the next month or so. First off will be our (semi-)Annual Rock and Roll Christmas Spectacular on December 23rd in Charlottesville. Not only will your favorite SoB’s be doing a full set of old favorites, but a whole host of Charlottesville’s finest (including at least one who actually walked the beat as one of Charlottesville’s Finest a few years back) will be joining us onstage. There is a partial list of guest stars listed on the Jefferson Theater website, but we’ve got more than a few surprises up our sleeves as well.
If you can’t make it to C’ville on the 23rd, we’ll be in Atlanta on December 26th sharing the stage with our good friends Drivin’ N Cryin’ and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, which promises to be a show not miss. New Year’s Eve we’ll be holed up in the IOTA Club & Cafe in Arlington, Va for a full night of music and a complementary champagne toast for all. Then we’ll spend the first 9 hours or so of 2011 driving down I-95 en route to storming the Windjammer for a massive New Years Day (night) blowout in Isle of Palms, SC with our old friends American Aquarium.
We’ll take a day or two off after that one (we’ll need it) before heading out to Colorado for our Sophomore set at MusicFest in Steamboat Springs starting January 6th. If you’re worried that we may have skipped you in our jump across the country to Colorado, don’t worry because we’ll be back soon enough. We’re touring most of the Midwest in late January with Tea Leaf Green and a full schedule of that trek can be found on the Tour Dates page. If you can’t make it any of those, you can at least enjoy this great interview that James did with Americana UK magazine. Just look how excited they are about us and they’re all the way over in England! Hopefully we’ll catch you all some time soon and if not, keep your ears peeled for more new music.
psyched about egg nog,
Sons of Bill
