Showing posts with label bill times a billion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bill times a billion. Show all posts
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Bill Times A Billion takes Couch By Couch West


While all the cool kids are down in Austin this week taking in the overwhelming amount of music at the annual South By South West Festival, the rest of us are stuck here, at our desks, just killing some time.  Luckily for us, Couch by Couch West is back for another year. CXCW gives bands from all over the world to post a short video performance to be shared while everyone in Austin gets to sweat it out in line to catch some buzz band. I have always wanted to go to SXSW, and maybe one year I will, but my wallet could use a break, so CXCW will have to do. Some Buffalo bands have taken advantage of the CXCW over the the last couple years.  Roger Bryan got in on the action last year and indie garage pop duo Bill Times A Billion returned to this year with a charming, ukulele led submission of "Taking With the Sky," which can be found on their recently released Say It Nicer album.  



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Album of the Week: Bill Times a Billion - Say it Nicer


There's just something about lo-fi garage rock that makes it so endearing, and Bill Times a Billion is no exception.  The Buffalo-based duo is composed of drummer/vocalist (and occasional trumpeter) Liz Brown and her guitarist companion Ramesh Pillay.  The pair churns out fuzzy, stripped down garage rock a la the White Stripes if Meg White was the singer.  And on their subtler moments, they sound a bit like the mid-2000's indie/emo saviors in Rainer Maria.  Either way, in true lo-fi fashion, the band recorded a bunch of songs in an attic and mixed the batch themselves, culminating in their new release, Say it Nicer.

 Say it Nicer is a collection of eight songs; five originals and three covers.  It clocks in at a brief, but satisfying 14 minutes.  Make no mistakes, you might be able to blare Say it Nicer twice on your way to work, but brevity works out in their favor.  Lo-fi rock like this just works better if the songs are kept brief and to the point.  It's charming.

 I'll jump right into my favorite moment on Say it Nicer - the wistful "Name It What You Want."  Say it Nicer has a sort of dichotomy that I wasn't expecting.  A little background info: on my first listen through SIN, I was expecting a collection of eight female-fronted fuzz-rock songs.  After all, garage-rock like this is usually loud, fun, and full of attitude pretty much exclusively.  You know that lame joke about "assuming," right?  

 I like lo-fi and fuzzy, but it is good to know that bands like Bill Times a Billion can take a step back and write something that shows a bit of heart on their sleeves.  "Name It What You Want" takes a repeating clean guitar riff and repeats it under Brown's metaphorical lyrics - "It's been a long time coming, it's been here all along."  The song is over before even two minutes pass, but needless to say, it's the song that leaves one of the biggest impressions off of Say it Nicer.  Same with "Talking With The Sky;" it's gentle and pretty - simple as that.

 Brown and Pillay also keep it cool with the instrumental "Interlude," which is the only time they venture away from their tried and true guitar/drums instrumentation.  Brown's trumpet playing is unexpected, but a little experimentation from Bill Times a Billion goes a long way.  Also on the laid back side is one of their cover songs, "Motor Away" - an interesting departure from the originally aggressive version by Guided By Voices.  Brown and Pillay initially put their own spin on the song, emphasizing the simple melody behind GBV's brash delivery.  But soon enough, they revisit the fuzz of the original - it's a nice combination of the two polar opposite identities that Bill Times a Billion seem to embrace.

 I never did mention their garage rock sensibilities though - "The Luxury" is Say it Nicer's angular punk kick off, which has my personal favorite ending on the album.  Pillay just sort of stops playing, and it sounds awesome.  Same with their cover of Tommy James and the Shondelles' (or Tiffany?) "I Think We're Alone Now."  It's reminiscent of the White Stripes' cover of Tegan and Sara's "Walking With a Ghost."  It takes the sugary pop of the song and turns it into something crunchy (and equally as catchy) with indie cred.

 All in all, Bill Times a Billion is a simple band with simple songs - but that's all they have to be.  Say it Nicer is only fourteen minutes long - but would Bill Times a Billion really be the same if they wrote five minute songs?  I think not - so enjoy cranking this fun garage-pop twice on your commute to work.




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buffaBLOG's 12 Days of Christmas: Day 6 - Bill Times a Billion


Less than a week til the big day and I am still not quite in the holiday spirit.  Maybe its the lack of snow, who knows.  Great covers are still popping up though all over the place, especially on the local side of things. Our favorite garage pop duo Bill Times a Billion have released their own holiday cover, a stripped down version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas", which can be found on their bandcamp page.  The cover captures everything we love about the act:  bare bones guitar and drums, trumpet play, and Liz's sweet vocals.  Enjoy.  



mac mcguire
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Videos: buffaBLOG Broadway Market Rooftop Extravaganza


While being a pesky threat all morning, the scare of rain on Saturday was just that, and the buffaBLOG Broadway Market Rooftop Extravaganza went off without a drop of rain in sight.  From 12:00-5:00pm, we played host to five of our favorite acts on the Infringment Festival Lineup.  Between the ska sounds of The Blood Thirsty Vegans to one of Buffalo's last performances of the pysch pop act the birD day and everything in between, the Rooftop was a great success if we don't say so ourselves.  Below find videos from each act that played the party.  Apologies to the sometimes shaky camera work.  A pesky bee, which makes it's own appearance from time to time, seemed to be attracted the camera all afternoon, making filming a challenge, but not an impossibity.  Enjoy. 

The Blood Thirsty Vegans

Ronaldraygun!


Sea Snake Vs.

Bill Times A Billion


The birD day



mac mcguire
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Today: The buffaBLOG Broadway Market Rooftop Extravaganza


The day is finally here. After night after night of seeing some of Buffalo's best live bands during this year's Infringement Festival, it's time for a little afternoon party. Despite today's threat of rain, the buffaBLOG Broadway Market Rooftop Extravaganza is flexible, and at a moments notice, can become the buffaBLOG Broadway Market 2nd Floor Garage Extravaganza if need be. So don't let a few (potential)drops scare you off. This party is happening no matter what.

Anyways, we have been previewing the Rooftop Extravaganza lineup which includes the ska/funk/hip hop blended Blood Thirsty Vegans, the synth grunge exploits Ronaldraygun!, the uber mysterious trio Sea Snake Vs., boy/girl garage pop duo Bill Times A Billion and Buffalo's favorite pysch pop ensemble the birD day all week in order to get you in the mood for what should be one of the highlights of this year's great festival. While admission is free, make sure you bring some cash with you for band donations. All of the bands on our lineup today have volunteered their services not only to us, but to the entire Infringement Festival, so it's best not to let them go home empty handed. buffaBLOG's ultra-exclusive blue and green buttons make their triumphant return so those who could not get their hands on one are our birthday party in March can now rest easy as we brought in a new shipment just for today. Also, all of the bands and workers at today's party tend to get hungry, so if you feel like whipping up a nice dish or two, it will not go uneaten.

Today's buffaBLOG Broadway Market Rooftop Extravaganza runs from 12:00 - 5:00pm. See you there.

mac mcguire
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