Americana Master mesmerises time and time again
Bill Callahan – in AB once (’00) in a previous life, with his band Smog – determines his own rhythm, disregarding the unspoken laws of the music industry. So his latest album ‘Dream River’ already dates from 2013 and he quite simply tours when he feels like it. But one thing is for sure: his pure, sober songwriter craftsmanship gets under your skin every time. Think: classics like ‘Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle’ (’09) or ‘Apocalypse’ (’11). A live album was recently released via Jack Whites Third Man Records and his (superb) songs ‘America!’ and ‘Drover’ were used as soundtrack for the acclaimed Netflix series ‘Wild Wild Country’ about the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
In the press
‘***** - intense, spellbinding singer at his deadpan best.’ (The Guardian)‘A quiet masterpiece.’ (Pitchfork over zijn album ‘Apocalypse’)
Fun fact
Callahan and humour? Yup, surprisingly, they go hand in hand. How can we otherwise explain him inviting stand-up comedian Nigel Williams as warmer-upper for his most recent Belgian visit, in ’17?Serious fact:
This concert is dedicated to Marianne Dekimpe, the booker at the time, with whom AB programmed the very first Callahan concert under his own name. It can be no coincidence that Callahan once covered Cohens ‘So Long Marianne’.
Bill Callahan first set foot on stage in AB almost 20 years ago – in 2000 to be exact – with his band Smog.