Public Servant Lifestyle

Matt Sweeney, Paul Oldham, Pink Nasty, David Bird and the ‘Prince’ himself – Mr. Will Oldham, live on stage - and on your CD player/turntable.

Summer In The Southeast by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy -

While we wait for his next studio long-player - a collection of covers recorded with Tortoise, due out next year on Domino - here’s a series of live numbers by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (aka sometime Palace Brother Will Oldham) and band, recorded over a series of nights in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina in the US of A.

“Whether recording as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Palace Brothers – or just plain Palace, Will Oldham is one of the most enigmatic, brilliant songwriters in America.” – Uncut magazine.

Fans will know that seeing Will Oldham live (in any of his diverse incarnations) is an experience akin to – but at the same time unlike – listening to any one of his records. It’s the same man up there – but somehow, it’s not. For this album you’ll be pleased to hear his live impulses – effectively covering his own songs sometimes faithfully, sometimes giving them a radical retune at the drop of a hat. Of course, this is what Mr. Oldham has always done – but here on stage, working with a different collection of musicians each song is a new version.

That talented band on stage in this instance consists of Oldham’s’ collaborator of this year’s Superwolf album Matt Sweeney (on guitar), Paul Oldham, (on bass), the wonderfully named ‘Pink Nasty’ (on back-up vocals), David Bird (on another guitar) and the ‘Prince’ himself – Mr. Will Oldham.

What we have here is a classic set of Bonnie songs – with the odd, older ‘Palace’ number thrown in – making up (astonishingly, for someone who has released so many albums) Oldham’s’ first ever live album.

The full track list for Summer In The Southeast shapes up like this:

First off is Master and Everyone. From the album of the same name, the opening track sees the ‘gig’ (actually a combination of several nights) and the song selection getting off to a quiet start. “Servant of all and servant to none” sings the man with the mic. After the calm opening the band lets rip – hollers and all. Great opener.

Track 2, Pushkin - with its refrain “God is the answer, God lies within…” continues in an easy country style – beefier than the studio version. The lovely Werner’s Last Blues to Blokbuster follows on, taking us to a lonely, quiet – almost mournful version of Wolf Among Wolves. “Why must I live and walk unloved as what I do? “croons the ‘Prince’ – and he’s rarely sounded in such good voice, or so affecting. It’s amazing that this was captured live as it sounds so pristine.

Whirligig Guitars

Track 5 takes us through a whirligig guitars version of May It Always Be – with Oldham sharing the lead vocals with Pink Nasty – and the pair of them accompanied by the band crashing about wonderfully in the background.

“Come with me when we go the bedroom, we’ll play bride and groom…” they sing to each other, like Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood doing a sleazier Jackson - and managing to come across like they’re a country version of The Kills – if only for one song.

With the next number – the Break of Day - the mood changes totally as an almost silent (reverential?) audience listens to slide style guitar playing swooping in over Will Oldham’s’ vocals. “I hate myself when I’m alone” he sings. Majestic stuff.

A Sucker's Evening comes up next – which sees Aram Stith guest on bass for this angry, twisted tale – the lyrics seeming to threaten a sordid vengeance. Dark waters indeed…

Track 7. Nomadic Revery (All Around) leads us onto the marvellous I See A Darkness, lead track from the album of the same name (and well worth tracking down in itself for a lovely studio original version). Another melancholy track which finds Will Oldham’s own lead augmented by sweeter harmony vocals. “Many times we’ve shared our thought – but did you…ever notice the kind of thoughts I got?” sing the singers. The last line “Did you know how much I love you?” is a killer.

A version of O Let It Be follows this, with rapid guitars picking up the tempo, almost segueing into Beat For Thee – which settles into a quieter tone and leads the audience and listener by the ears straight into Death To Everyone. A nicely apocalyptic cabaret number in this version – the call and response of the band and bandleader vocally making this sound like a group of musicians really having fun on stage – despite their singing about the coming of “your death, friend”.

I Send My Love To You

Even If Love is a suitably stripped down, acoustic number while the next track: I Send My Love To You is a very different version to that which appears on the closest (other) album we have to a Will Oldham ‘compilation’ – Bonnie “Prince’ Billy - Sings Greatest Palace Music. Here it’s almost country and western in its’ styling, humorous and joyful in its delivery. “I send my hands to you, I send my clothes to you, I send my nose to you” sings Will. An imploring rocky, country ditty.

Towards the end of the disc (on side 4 if you’re listening to the vinyl) one of the band can be heard to say “We’re so happy to be here, before introducing the group, reminding you that you are listening to a live show once again. You could be forgiven for thinking this a studio affair, so polished are the songs and so balanced the mixes.

Take However Long You Want - with it’s “I won’t be sorry when you go” sentiment takes us to the last two tracks (you can pretend they’re an encore if you like): Medeleine Mary and Ease Down The Road.

Medeleine Mary is a story song, full of characters and reminiscent in tone of some of the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, at their best. Here live it recalls the Bad Seeds even more as the group cook up a nicely beefy ensemble racket that really would sound at home on a recent (i.e.: post Do You Love Me?) long-player.

Show closer Ease Down The Road is a travelling song – fitting for a group of musical troubadours hawking their wares across the USA, as they were on the tour this CD is compiled from. “Beauty was my treasure then, as through the hills I drove her...” sings Will. Beauty and treasure indeed.

“Old Testament troubadour or a Dylan for the digital age? Will Oldham is one of the most perplexing, enigmatic and inspired figures in modern American music.” – MOJO magazine.

In short, this is a superb collection that will go down well with fans of Oldham’s’ oeuvre, revisiting these tracks from earlier releases, as well as listeners hearing these songs for the very first time. Furthermore, in the absence of a chance to see the artist in question here in the UK anytime soon, this is a nice stand in. Seventeen tracks of delight. Essential.

Double Vinyl

The album comes as either a double vinyl LP or a single CD – and is completed with full lyrics, laid out in a five page colour booklet. Effectively the follow up to early 2005’s Superwolf album (recorded with Matt Sweeney – and still available on Domino). Other recent releases under the ‘Prince’ Billy brand from Will Oldham and pals include: Master & Everyone and Sings Greatest Palace Music.

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – a selected discography:

I See A Darkness - CD & LP Domino (1999)
Ease Down The Road – CD & LP Domino (2001)
Sings Greatest Palace Music - CD & LP Domino
Master & Everyone – CD & LP Domino (2003)
Superwolf CD Domino (2005)
Summer In The Southwest CD & LP Sea Note (2005)

Palace/Palace Songs/The Palace Brothers

Ohio River Boat Song - 7" single Drag City (1993)
The Mountain Low
Hope EP – CD Drag City (1994)
Days In The Wake – CD Drag City (1994)
There Is No-One What Will Take Care Of You – CD Drag City (1993)
Viva Last Blues - CD & LP Drag City/Domino (1995)
Lost Blues and Other Songs - CD & LP Drag City/Palace Records (1997)

Will Oldham

Arise Therefore (limited edition came with extra mini album: (Songs Put Together for) The Broken Giant - now available separately as Black/Rich Music) on Drag City
Joya CD Domino (1997)
Guarapero - Lost Blues Vol. 2
Ode Music – CD & 12” Drag City (2000)
Amalgamated Sons Of Rest (Will Oldham, Jason Molina and Alasdair Roberts) – untitled one sided etched 12" - CD (2002)
Seafarers Music vinyl and CD mini album Drag City
Superwolf (with Mat Sweeney) CD & LP (2005)

The Brave And The Bold – the follow up collaborative long-player from Tortoise and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (featuring the songs of Elton John, Devo and ex Fairport Convention Brit-folk pioneer Richard Thompson, to name three) is out in early 2006, on Domino.

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Summer In The Southeast is out now, as a standard CD and double vinyl edition, from Seanote.

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