Bill Callahan
On Tour
Play Radio
Listen to Bill Callahan Radio,
featuring artists like Smog, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Silver Jews, Palace Music and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
2,812,292 plays (127,399 listeners)
Austin, United States (2007 – present)
Bill Callahan (born 1966), also known as Smog and (Smog), is an American singer-songwriter born in Silver Spring, Maryland. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders. Later he began releasing albums with the label Drag City, to which he remains signed today.
Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment. His early songs often nearly lacked melodic structure and were clumsily played on poorly tuned guitars (possibly influenced by Jandek, whom Callahan admired), resulting in the dissonant sounds on his self-released cassettes and debut album Sewn to the Sky. Much of his early output was instrumental, a stark contrast to the lyrical focus of his later work. Apparently, he used lo-fi techniques not primarily because of an aesthetic preference but because he didn’t have any other possibility to make music. Once he signed a contract with Drag City, he also started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records.
From 1993 to 2000, Callahan’s recordings grew more and more “professional” sounding, with more instruments, and a higher sound quality. In this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise’s John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. After 2000’s Dongs of Sevotion, Callahan began moving back to a slightly simpler instrumentation and recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting style he had developed over the years.
Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment. His early songs often nearly lacked melodic structure and were clumsily played on poorly tuned guitars (possibly influenced by Jandek, whom Callahan admired), resulting in the dissonant sounds on his self-released cassettes and debut album Sewn to the Sky. Much of his early output was instrumental, a stark contrast to the lyrical focus of his later work. Apparently, he used lo-fi techniques not primarily because of an aesthetic preference but because he didn’t have any other possibility to make music. Once he signed a contract with Drag City, he also started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records.
From 1993 to 2000, Callahan’s recordings grew more and more “professional” sounding, with more instruments, and a higher sound quality. In this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise’s John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. After 2000’s Dongs of Sevotion, Callahan began moving back to a slightly simpler instrumentation and recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting style he had developed over the years.
Shouts:
421 shouts
Top Albums
-
Woke On A Whaleheart
Bill CallahanBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.91
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $8.91
- Buy Album
- Amazon $16.22
- eBay Search
-
Diamond Dancer
Bill CallahanBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $1.98
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $1.98
- Buy Album
- Amazon $10.63
- eBay Search
Shoutbox
-
badoom_bum wrote:
lovin' the cover.
-
3rdparty wrote:
Leonard Cohen cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKoE7RKx2k
-
Jaydiohead wrote:
Bill! Headline Pitchfork!
-
francis_bacon wrote:
hmmm... new Leonard Cohen. pure genius, a poet.
-
Brigondina wrote:
E' un genio.
-
KetMatte wrote:
i love love love bill <3
-
dreadfullbass wrote:
Oh, and I agree with surrendertoalex. Apocalypse is #1 on my list though, see here: http://www.pocketwelt.com/6509
-
dreadfullbass wrote:
My cattle. Ts, ts.
-
affasf wrote:
bland turns into boring very fast, sir.
-
NickGnd wrote:
When you come to Italy??? Come on please!!!
-
surrendertoalex wrote:
Apocalypse has been strangely absent from most 'best of 2011' lists, despite being better than almost all of its competitors.
-
shootmeadeer wrote:
Haha.
-
ot63 wrote:
"He's too black-sounding for my taste." - Patrick Bateman
-
peburgess wrote:
Apocalypse is one of my 12 albums of the year - http://wp.me/p15szY-vO - "My favourite album of the year, Callahan’s latest is insular and intimate but of universal import, addressing themes of patriotism, of things ending and being renewed..."
-
CFilardo wrote:
Another Great http://stephensteinbrink.bandcamp.com/album/condensed-nothing
-
yugman wrote:
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle has been on constant rotation, this is one of the greatest albums I've ever heard.
-
tokyochorus wrote:
"new" lol
-
Akayz7 wrote:
hmmm... new Johnny Cash.
-
travisand wrote:
So intimate and warm!
-
bENETRATION wrote:
can't stop listening to "riding for the feeling", seriously.
Videos
-
Play
"Riding For The Feeling"
-
Play
Eid Ma Clack Shaw
3 shouts
-
Play
Jim Cain
-
Play
Too Many Birds (Album Recording)
2 shouts
News
in-store performance at waterloo records
6 May 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/toomuchtolove
Friday, May 8th at 5:30 pmWaterloo600 N. LamarAustin, TX
78703
-
1 Jan 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/toomuchtolove -
1 Jan 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/toomuchtolove -
14 Dec 2008 | from blog.myspace.com/toomuchtolove
Listening Now
Top Listeners
-
naung
Top Listener
-
carvalhom79
Top Listener
-
vodkabitter
Top Listener
-
nickeays
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
McMurphy98x added Bill Callahan to McMurphy98x’s library. 9 hours ago
-
Danjo-Naz tagged Bill Callahan with ‘seen live’. 11 hours ago
-
sugarfunferry, gyxcx, GraxforceFiv and 17 other people added Bill Callahan to their libraries. yesterday evening
-
Confessions87 wrote about Bill Callahan in TOP 52 ALBUMS OF 2011. Thursday evening
-
tapesongsblog, cescsau, AbelFernando23 and 23 other people added Bill Callahan to their libraries. Thursday evening
-
jmmv updated the Portuguese wiki page for Bill Callahan. (diff) last month
-
paseradefoc, nicolasulrich, gploudotm and 4 other people added Bill Callahan to their libraries. last month
-
sushi27 tagged Bill Callahan with ‘bill callahan’. last month
-
grosserfinger and MyMusicBox86 added Bill Callahan to their libraries. last month
-
annadoll2001 tagged Bill Callahan with ‘madeira’. last month
Related Journals
-
2011
by fitzkrawallo |
16 Jan 2012
| 1 comment
-
Top Albums 2011
by PtitRouf |
10 Jan 2012
-
TOP 52 ALBUMS OF 2011
by Confessions87 |
8 Jan 2012
Groups (40)
-
Bill Callahan
104 members
-
(smog)
192 members
-
Austin TX
1,175 members
-
Quiet Music Should Be Played Loud: A group for people who like quiet songs and loud…
1,063 members
-
DIY Musicians
407 members
More Information
- Links
