This was my first time seeing Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Billy) ... Fred turned me onto his music just a couple years ago - and I’ve been enjoying his back catalog ever since… BPB's slow-core folk-punk is intense, and I like that!

To me Will Oldham just a brilliant artist - a poet, a musician, and an actor - and of course, not a celebrity! Seeing him perform live was just amazing. He was like a man possessed by the music; quite authentically dramatic as you would imagine. I’m still buzzing days later!



BPB opened with "Sheep" and performed many favorites in this set, particularly from The Letting Go - an album that should certainly be required listening for those interested in Will Oldham. The current Bonnie 'Prince' Billy band is outstanding and includes Josh Abrams on bass, Emmett Kelly on guitar, Cheyenne Mize on violin and hauntingly beautiful vocals, and Mr. Jim White on drums.

This was also my first show at Turner Hall in Milwaukee - a very cool venue with great acoustics and sight lines- well worth the drive from Madison! After the show, I saw a fan snag Cheyenne's setlist - here's what it looked like:

I'm curious about those dial icons in the left margin...

The night seemed charmed when I was able to buy the last copy at the merch table of getthefuckonjolly - a rare live recording from 2001 - where BPB collaborated with Mick Turner (Marquis de Tren) to put music to the beautiful devotional poetry of Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore - India's national poet.

Here's a few songs that were performed by Bonnie Prince Billy.
Put on the headphones and close your eyes...

-- Mister Bill