The Bills
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 1996 | INDIE | AFM
Music
Press
Yes Please sizzles like honeyed bacon on a grill. The freewheeling roots line-up has its own successful sideshows, and barndances as The Bills with a hotpot of jigs, skiffles, jangles and tangos like there's no tomorrow. There's not a dud in this deck that reels with exhuberant energy, pitch-perfect harmonies and ensemble cameraderie that maybe matched but can't be beat. In the midst of a mostly SRO tour, you can get details here, watch a video here and get yourself a free download of the single “Hallowed Hall” here.
— David Farrell - NewCanadianMusic.ca
Yes Please sizzles like honeyed bacon on a grill. The freewheeling roots line-up has its own successful sideshows, and barndances as The Bills with a hotpot of jigs, skiffles, jangles and tangos like there's no tomorrow. There's not a dud in this deck that reels with exhuberant energy, pitch-perfect harmonies and ensemble cameraderie that maybe matched but can't be beat. In the midst of a mostly SRO tour, you can get details here, watch a video here and get yourself a free download of the single “Hallowed Hall” here.
— David Farrell - NewCanadianMusic.ca
Discography
Yes Please - 2013 (Independent/Red House records)
Let Em Run - 2004 (Borealis/Red House) JUNO Nominee
All Day Every Day - 2002 (Borealis) - JUNO nominee, WCMA winner
The Bill Hilly Band - 2000 (Independent)
Photos
Bio
"Their sound is panoramic, mischievious, fiercely unpretentious - and musically splendid" - Boston Globe
From the beautiful West Coast of Canada comes this extraordinary quintet, renowned among fans of all ages for their instrumental virtuosity, lush vocal arrangements, exuberant live performances, evocative songwriting, and a refreshing sound that transcends musical boundaries and defies simple categorization.
Strings, bellows, keys, voices, skin and bows - these are the vehicles for the Bills' unique sonic approach. With individual band members sporting world-class credentials in folk/roots, jazz, classical and world music, The Bills truly are a Canadian acoustic music supergroup.
Their latest release, Yes Please, features some of The Bills' finest songwriting to date. The previous two albums, Let Em Run and All Day Every Day, each garnered JUNO nominations and various awards for outstanding roots recording.
On Yes Please, already nominated for Outstanding Roots Recording in Western Canada, the band offers up twelve new original compositions and a seductive arrangement of a medley of gypsy-jazz ballads. The Bills often-collaborative originals (four band members contribute in various combinations) coax sublime beauty, energy and rhythm out of their instruments and layered vocal harmonies. You'll hear the influences of global roots and rock alongside hints of Chopin, Stan Rogers and Django Reinhardt. But you'll ultimately hear The Bills, doing the magical thing that they do.
A Bills live show is a legendary experience. Since forming in 1996, the band has delighted theatre and festival audiences from Copenhagen to California, thrilling fans with their breathtaking musical explorations and their unscripted onstage wit and charm. In 2006 the band was voted Western Canadian Entertainer of the Year, edging the likes of nominees Michael Buble and Jann Arden.
Whether spinning on your recorded playlist, entertaining an intimate theatre audience or rocking a festival crowd of 10,000, these five gifted multi-instrumentalists are masters at somehow leaving listeners breathless and revitalized all at once.
With an infectious energy level, clever tunes, fine musicianship, and tight three-part harmonies, the music on Yes Please epitomizes modern roots music Audiophile.com
The Bills are the biggest blast of fresh air to come out of Canada since The Band Glasgow Herald
Band Members
Links
