Villebillies
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Villebillies

Louisville, Kentucky, United States | INDIE

Louisville, Kentucky, United States | INDIE
Band Rock Hip Hop

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"Rap for home"

So what does this have to do with the latest release by the Villebillies?
To be sure, rap has a self-perpetuating image problem. Intertwined with hip-hop, it is associated with the decried pimp-and-thug culture, with bling-laden, baggy-pantsed youths dropping f-bombs every other word and leggy young women in boy shorts and push-up bras who apparently have them on speed dial for booty calls. No wonder suburban parents bristle when they hear their children are learning the alphabet as a rap and they come home reciting it like lil' gangstas.
But sometimes it is done a bit differently. Especially by a band like the Villebillies.
Hailing from Louisville, the Villebillies don't rely exclusively on the raps they do in their songs. For them, just like De La Soul or P.M. Dawn, Beck, Louisville's Big Diggity and even Ani DiFranco, rap is only one element of a song and not the entire work itself. And there's plenty of that with their second, eponymous release on Universal Motown.
They combine lots of traditional instrumentation in their songs, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, which keeps it rooted in the traditions of the state from which they come and to which they pay tribute in "Grass Roots," where they long for the place where they can have conversations with real people, of family members who miss them, of cheap cigarettes, of getting away from women who are so uptight that they lift their hemlines each time they raise their eyebrows. They also speak of fighting alcohol addictions in "Mr. Brown Bag," which lays down a rap over a smooth rhythm-and-blues vibe time-warped in from 1971.
There's also a tribute to their home state in "Old Faithful," mixing banjo-pickin' and hand-clappin' with a rap that celebrates all that the Bluegrass has given to culture and "Rollin' Stone," a tune that should be on the playlists of acts like Brooks & Dunn.
Still, the recording finishes up with some harder-core raps and scorching rhythm-and-blues, with some acid metal that includes a taste of banjo, so dedicated rap fans should not be disappointed.
Throughout the work, there's a clear sense that the Villebillies are grateful for having a home like Louisville.
Even though they have a name on both coasts, it's clear where their hearts are. That gives their work a different, less-threatening image and it proves that rap doesn't always come from Los Angeles or New York City. It also comes from places named Bowling Green, Campbellsville, Hazard, Morehead, Paducah. And it doesn't always have to come from Compton, Watts, Brooklyn, Cabrini Green or Jersey City to be real. It can also come from Shively, Portland, Hikes Point, Pleasure Ridge Park, the Highlands, Buechel.
It comes from anywhere people call home. - Louisville Music News


"Villebillies break through"

The moment I logged onto the Villebillies' website and heard "Rolling Stone", their latest song off their self-titled album, I instantly fell in love. A cooperative effort between the original members of the Villiebillies and Plan of Man, this mighty power band of ten members from Louisville, Kentucky delivers a boundless, unique style of infectious beats and melodies that breaks all the rules, when it comes to crossover musical genre.
Crediting the vast variety of musical influences such as Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers, The Commadores, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Garth Brooks, David Bowie, the list goes on, one does not have to think hard to figure out where this group got their bluegrass/alternative/rock/rap/hip-hop sound. Believe me, that's the easiest way to describe it.
What makes listening to the Villebillies so spectacular is that they can check off all the essentials on the list of items required to be a successful breakthrew band. They have originality, great harmonies, catchy beats, clever-passionate-coherent lyrics, terrific vocals and a sound that will appeal to a diverse variety of tastes.
The lyrics of their songs carry a reverence that openly celebrates their families and friends, honoring them through passionate, familiar country-like storyline tales. If you visit their website you can listen to a sample of four of their songs, "Rolling Stone", "Hey", "Whiskey" and "Grassroots". All of which carefully blend rap, hip-hop, and alternative pop into their melodies. The songs are smartly delivered and one song, "Grassroots" even has country line dancing potential.
As far as I see it, and after listening to their first offering, this band not only has what it takes to make it to the top—it has what it takes to stay there. - Aced Magazine


"Country Thunder - performance review"

Another act impressing fans at the Graham Central Station stage Friday was Louisville, Ky., band
Villebillies, who played roaring set of country/punk/rap that had even seemingly staid country music fans up and dancing to the band’s unique concept of country music. The group features a five piece band backing four rappers with the ability to spit rhymes and sing in twangy harmony with one another.
Big & Rich, who will headline the main stage Saturday night (details), offer up some hip hop/rock in their country music, but the Villebillies take it to the extreme -- with fresh lyrics, spit-fast raps and even incorporating bluegrass into their sound – making the band one of the must-see acts of the 2007 Country Thunder. Their up-close-and-personal energy got the saloon crowd going. - Get Out AZ


"Scratch n Sniff Tour - performance review"

The Villebillies from Louisville, KY took the stage next and started their own hip-hop hoedown. This act has a whopping ten members, including four vocalists and a harmonica player. Too many cooks in the kitchen ruins the stew? Not this time. All ten shared the small stage and delivered solid southern rap funk in the style of a jam band, only without the smelly hippies. They jiggled and swayed with hillbilly swagger and delivered a very entertaining and new take on a genre that, as of late, has shown little advances. Their mix of country, hip hop and rock was enough to keep the crowd dancing. The Villebillies set of pure pickin' and grinnin' fun gave a much needed lift to the evening as they garnered a much better response than Diablo. - CleveRock


"Album Review"

Two years beyond their major-label debut, the VilleBillies return to independence with From the Belly of the Beast. Any worries that this would bring a lower production quality are unfounded. If anything, Beast is more produced than its predecessor. Fans of their single “Rolling Stone” will be happy to hear the rock elements have been turned up to 10 on the new album. Though it’s been years since a viable “rap-rock” hybrid group roamed the earth, a good deal of Beast is infectious, and you find yourself tapping your foot in spite of yourself. The album’s closers, “Preachers” and “Bar Room,” are acoustic-driven head-nodders that make you sing along on first listen. “These Days” is probably the strongest cut, with the guitar riff reminiscent of The Knack’s “My Sharona,” a multi-format win that should be pushed to radio immediately. “Don’t Make Sense” breaks down the fourth wall, with a glimpse into the ’Billies’ lives since their last disc. This isn’t my usual style of music, but the VilleBillies are as sincere as they are fun, and you can’t knock anybody for having a good time and meaning it. - Louisville Eccentric Observer


"Album review"

The debut album by the Villebillies, entitled with he same name, begins with a rapid pulse that keeps on pumping throughout the album. The Villebillies have put together an album with the same musical style of the Black Eyed Peas. They use a combination of techno alternative music, hip-hop and a hint of southern rock to produce an album that can be danced to, sung to, and a time, just listened to.

Beginning with the fist song entitled “Intro,” you were introduced to their music with driving beats and driving lyrics. This hip-hop pace continues through the next few songs. Then you get to “Mr. Brown Bag” that slows down the pace – just a little bit, but provides some real lyrics to a hoppin’ beat. Then somehow there is a change in pace and music. The album goes into the rock paced “Rolling Stone.” It could almost be two different bands, if not for the rapping merged at various points throughout. The band changes musical directions, with really fun hip-hop-hillbilly ditty with “Ol’ Faithful.” It is a song that is sure to please all listeners – I especially like the harmonica solo. The rest of the album continues to blend the various musical styles of this band, including a traditional hip-hop song like “Talkin Stupid” featuring Skinny Deville.

If anyone told me that hip-hop, harmonicas and banjos don’t go together, I would have agreed. However, after listening to this album, I know that they can blend together in a enjoyable cornucopia of music. Throughout all of the songs, they seem like they are having fun and I cannot wait until they go out on tour. - PopStarPlus.com


"Album review"

Twenty-five years after rock ’n‘ roll broke into the mainstream, the industry fell into a rut. Recently, a similar fate has befallen hip-hop, though the 10-man, Kentucky-based outfit Villebillies seems determined to break the genre out of its ennui. Throughout its self-titled debut, the ensemble bends its hip-hop beats and rhyming schemes around a series of unusual and unexpected arrangements that swerve among southern rock, bluegrass, blues, and country styles. Although Villebillies’ eponymous effort begins with the standard, one-two punch of Whiskey and Burnin’ Down the House, the group makes a dramatic alteration to its course on the subsequent Grass Roots. By switching to an acoustic backing track, the collective transforms the song’s old-school R&B framework à la Arrested Development into a bucolic, back porch environment. Once the door has opened, everything becomes fair game for Villebillies to incorporate into its work. A banjo, for example, is used to underscore Ol’ Faithful, and a trumpet punctuates the Red Hot Chili Peppers-inspired I Got Moves. Elsewhere, a playful tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd is tacked onto the tail end of the alt-rock-oriented Rolling Stone. Without a doubt, the juxtapositions that Villebillies has concocted are strange. Nevertheless, most of them work remarkably well. It’s only when the band adheres too closely to a single format that its music begins falter. Quite simply, the weirder its material becomes, the more successful it is. In the end, Villebillies appears to be on the right side of the line that separates gimmicky posturing from the development of a new niche. - MusicBox-Online.com


"Album Review"

You have to love when a girl tells you "I'd really skank it up to this song in the club" referring to the song 'Talkin' Stupid.'

If you have seen me dancing my way to class the past few weeks, it's because I'm listening to The Villebillies. The band's debut album came into WIUV in late September.

The Villebillies are very interesting, in part because their membership totals 10 people in all. They are the product of the merger of two Louisville Kentucky bands, the Villebilles and rock band Plan of Man.

The Villebillies consist of five vocalists, acoustic guitarist Adam Goff, electric guitarist Justin Reid, bass guitarist Ron Ping, and keyboardist BJ Young along with drummer Tip E Toe.

The band has its own unique sound that incorporates many different influences. It would be impossible to label them under a single genre. The band mixes blues, country, blue grass and southern rock with modern hip-hop.

It is not very often that I can listen to a whole album and like every single song, but that's the case with this album. If I had to pick out three songs, I would have to say my favorites are 'Mr. Brown Bag', 'Talkin' Stupid' and 'Greatest Moment'.

'Mr. Brown Bag' has primarily a country or southern rock feel, but there are some elements of hip-hop. The song is a good example of the band's reoccurring alcohol theme.

"Well me and Mr. Brown Bag we got a past and every time I try to quit it bites me in the ass. I know it sounds bad when people say that I'm an addict, just when I think I don't know, I got to have it. I knew I couldn't stop since the day I begun and I've been trying to kick the habit since 2001," is an example of that theme.

'Talkin' Stupid' is a club banger. This song is a straight up hip-hop song that you'd expect to hear while making your body pop at a nightclub. The song also features hip-hop artist Nappy Roots.

The song's chorus goes like this: "I'll talk stupid if I want to, you goin' like it fine, fine, you goin' shake assets, you wont you use your mind, mind, I will use sarcasm, casm, your hips will be havin' spasms, you won't have to think what's been nothing you cannot fathom, ha ha ha."

The song 'Greatest Moment' is an inspiring anthem. It starts with a beautiful piano solo and then goes into some hard-hitting vocals.

This song really hits home with me because the vocalist speaks of "a friend that can't get right, putting that powder up his nose every day and night." It reminds me of my best friend who became a crystal meth and crack cocaine addict shortly after returning home from Iraq. Luckily he's clean at the present moment.

If you've never heard the Villebillies, I suggest you call WIUV and request that the DJ slaps them in the CD player, just tell them Uncle Dave said so. There are no real bands that come into mind when trying to describe the Villebillies, you will just have to give them a listen. - CastletonSpartan.com


Discography

Appetite For Dysfunction- 2012 Island Earth Music
1) Midnight
2) Pure to the Grain
3) Worth the Fight
4) Talk to Me
5) Rear View
6) Rocket Queen
7) Alive
8) Side Show
9) Pride Aside
10) The Biz
11) Same Ol’ People
12) O’Death
13) So Goes the Scarecrow
14) Movin On
15) Just Yesterday
16) Tuck to Me

From the Belly of the Beast - 2008 Hack Music
1) From the Belly of the Beast "intro"
2) Whales
3) One Shot
4) Stranger
5) No Seeds
6) Picture Frame
7) These Days
8) Babies
9) Don't Make Sense
10) Swashbucklin'
11) Flask and a Gun
12) Never Done
13) Preachers
14) Bar Room

Villebillies - 2006 Universal Motown
1) Intro
2) Whiskey
3) Burnin Down the House
4) Grass Roots
5) Mr. Brown Bag
6) Rolling Stone
7) Ol' Faithful
8) Mary
9) I Got Moves
10) Talkin Stupid "featuring Skinny DeVille of Nappy Roots"
11) Hey
12) Greatest Moment

Photos

Bio

ABOUT THE BAND

Arising from Louisville, Kentucky’s underground scene, The Villebillies have worked hard over the years to achieve recognition in the music industry and earn the admiration and respect of fans and fellow musicians alike. With their down home attitude and an eclectic, crossgenre musical style, The Villebillies display a realness and originality that is all too rare in the world of popular music.
It’s difficult to pin The Villebillies musical style to any one genre. Rap and rock elements are most prominent but the band goes far beyond with their skillful incorporation of a wide variety of sounds. The band doesn’t follow a specific songwriting formula or focus on one particular message or vibe. Instead, each song reflects a different experience within the greater context of the Villebillies’ story.
The bands signature is a well choreographed vocal style that features hard hitting rap verses, infectious melodic hooks and intricate soulful harmonies. Each of the four frontmen brings their own technique and personality to the stage with lyrics that touch on a wide variety of subjects that listeners can relate to. The backbone of the Villebillie multigenre instrumental style is a rock band type lineup. Drums, bass, acoustic, and electric guitar form the foundation with additional accompaniment that can include anything from hiphop style samples to hillbilly banjo licks to classical strings. It’s this nolimit approach that has given The Villebillies an uncanny ability to reach across cultural boundaries in a way that few other bands can.
On stage, The Villebillies present an exciting performance that can be enjoyed by music lovers from all walks of life. The band has played hundreds of shows across the United States, sharing the stage with independent and major acts, from Hed PE to Hank Junior, to Nelly. The Villebillies’ originality and authenticity has turned the heads of even the most skeptical audiences, earning the band a large and diverse fan base. Recently signing with indie record label Island Earth Music, the Villebillies have released a brand new album in 2012 called "Appetite For Dysfunction". Be on the lookout for these guys coming to a town near you!

WEB LINKS

www.villebillies.com
www.myspace.com/villebillies
www.reverbnation.com/villebillies
www.youtube.com/villebillies