The idea for this video started with Bill Gage's suggestion that STEVE PEPPER is a spy. It was shot on 16mm film by Mike Neel and Greg Ansin, who cast Bill Gage in their movie "drive-in horrorshow", premiering soon.
Bill Gage: vocal
Daren Follower: drum machine, cowbell
john: guitars, synth
Eric Morin: bass
John Maceachern: lead guitar
The BAT MAN songs explore a few different musical genres. Everyone wants to hear Bill Gage sing metal: here you are.
This was shot in an afternoon. Bill Gage is singing to an instrumental mix of the BAT MAN song playing on a boombox. He makes motorcycle sounds when they roll by (but it's hard to hear it sometimes). This video has the infamous scenes of confrontations with a local citizen. The gentleman even elicits an insult from Bill Gage. Few things bother Bill; interfering with his performance is one of them.
Bill Gage: vocal
Daren Follower: drum machine, bass, long chords
Eric Morin: short chords
Jessica Kirton: feedback guitar
john: fake cello
"BIG FOOT HIM!"
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Please note:
• BILL have never used 'friend-adding' software.
• Comments about Bill Gage or BILL the band are welcome.
• Bill Gage cannot read or write very well. If a response is in UPPER CASE and "quotation marks" it is from him.
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Influences
Members of BILL enjoy a variety of punk, psychedelic pop, new wave, and classic rock. Bill Gage likes all kinds of music: the beatles, black sabbath, queen, yoko ono, the band, the monkees, the left banke, david bowie, james brown, the yardbirds, etc. He likes rock music a lot, but also listens to classical, jazz, pop, etc. He likes vinyl lp's the most, and is always looking to get more of them.
Sounds Like
captain beefheart, pere ubu,
howlin' wolf, iggy pop,
muddy waters, the residents,
tibetan throat singers,
bing crosby, johnny cash,
oxbow, outsider music
Our singer has DS. Our drummer has long hair. Our bassist has two X chromosomes. Our guitarists have distortion pedals. BILL are a rock band.
"Watching Bill Gage perform with his band, BILL, is an eye-opening experience. You go in not knowing what to expect, maybe even a little nervous on behalf of everyone involved — the crowd, the band, yourself. But then you’re witness to a sizzling and raw hard-rock display, and your reservations vanish... Gage doesn’t so much sing songs as tear through them, his vocals occasionally sounding as if they’re coming from someone twice his size. You think for sure his voice is going to give out any moment, but it never does. It’s magnificent."
—Ian Sands, The Boston Phoenix
BILL are a rock band, started in 1987 in New England and fronted by Bill Gage, a charismatic performer who sings surreal, ever-changing lyrics in a wide variety of styles. He also has DS (Down syndrome). The band name is one of the words Mr. Gage can write.
The group provides diverse sounds: art-rock, heavy-metal, acoustic folk-ballads, industrial riffs, etc, and Bill Gage continuously refines and re-works his vocal improvisations.
BILL's approach to songwriting is always in flux. The first album BEATLES CHINESE was shaped by a series of challenges the band gave Bill Gage: first to name the songs he wanted to do, and then to sing them, as the band figured out what to play, and each song was quickly recorded. The backing tracks for BILL's second record BAT MAN were recorded in advance. Bill Gage listened to the tracks, sang over them, and then named the songs (and the record).
Live, the BILL show presents a sonic kaleidoscope of punk, psychedelia, pop, and hard rock, Bill Gage tying it all together using his incredible voice and edge-of-the-seat performance (with theatrical touches like the cape he wears for "STEVE PEPPER"). Between songs Mr. Gage chats with the crowd, announcing the next song and letting the audience know they're about to hear something "REALLY GREAT". While some of his words are not always clear, his intentions are obvious and the crowd stays right with him. Bill Gage is a mild-mannered gentleman, until he has a mic in his hand: "LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!"
The band includes Daren Follower (drums), Gaylen Moore (bass), and guitarists Eric Morin, Greg Ansin, and Bill Gage's brother, john. Past members include Paul Desjarlais of Pseudonym (1987-91), Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields (1987), and David M. Curry of Empty House Coöperative (1996-2000). BILL are working on a new record.
BILL T-SHIRT and CD/T-SHIRT discount package available HERE
BILL - BAT MAN nine-song digipak cd
(signed by Bill Gage)
ordering with a credit card or paypal:
in the u.s.: ten dollars postpaid
international: seventeen dollars (us) postpaid
(about 11.50 eu / 8.66 gbp)
Hey guys, just logging in for a fix of All My Heart and All My Life. Without doubt one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Makes me want to cry! And you know it's a great, great song when that happens. Hope you guys are all well. Stuart
If you're interested,
'Nowhere Boy', a film based on the childhood of John Lennon, will be premiere in
the UK on Christmas day, and although there is a US distributor on board, no
release date has yet been announced.
♥