Before he heads out on his 2020 US tour, Bonnie “Prince” Billy (aka Will Oldham) has dropped a video for “New Memory Box.” But instead of using the version of the song off his new album I Made a Place, he’s opted for something with more bounce à la New Orleans rapper J Dawg. You can check out the comical video set to J Dawg’s high energy remix below.

The opening track of I Made a Place, “New Memory Box” is brimming with optimism. Bonnie says the song is a reference to “New Partner,” a track he originally recorded in 1995 under the moniker Palace Music. He also describes “New Memory Box” as being “a song about being a song.” He provided the following description to Apple Music:

“‘New Memory Box’ is a little reference to ‘New Partner,’ a song we recorded for Viva Last Blues and Bonnie “Prince” Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music. It’s a song about being a song. This was a return to that idea and thinking about some of the better purposes for songs—along the lines of a fight song, but a playful fight song. The ideal is to fulfill: I want to grow up and be a doctor, a lawyer, or an Indian chief, but a song wants to grow up and be something that people rally around or sing along loudly to. I was giving this song the fast track towards a successful career, as something designed to bring joy. I figured that was a good way of starting the whole record out.”

Bonnie supplied Apple Music with explanations of all the tracks off I Made a Place. You can check out the rest of his thoughts on the record here.

As for the video for “New Memory Box,” it’s directed by Bonnie’s longtime collaborator Ben Berman (The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, Comedy Bang! Bang!). It features Bonnie out and about in his hometown of Louisville. He walks a pack of greyhounds, hangs out at Ollie’s Trolley, and dances around outfitted in oversized attire. Meanwhile, messages like “the climate crisis is real” and “family is important” intermittently flash on the screen.

Bonnie dedicates the video to his friend Kennan Gudjonsson, who passed away earlier this year. Gudjonsson starred in both of Bonnie’s videos for “Quail and Dumplings.” You can watch the one for the Wolfroy Goes To Town version here, and the Singer’s Grave a Sea of Tongues version here.

Before the “New Memory Box” visual, Bonnie shared a video for I Made a Place track, “This Is Far From Over.” It finds his music set against images of Captain Olivia O Wyatt‘s solo 23-day transpacific voyage from San Diego to Hawaii. Wyatt’s trip is part of her ongoing research into the mystery of humpback whale songs from the perspective of indigenous communities. The video for “This Is Far From Over” is also included below.

Bonnie’s tour with Jonathan Richman kicks off Wednesday, March 5, in Bloomington, Indiana. He stops in New York on Monday, March 9, to play Town Hall. You can find all tour dates below.

I Made a Place is available for purchase here.

BONNIE ON TOUR WITH JONATHAN RICHMAN
Thursday, March 5th @ Buskirk-Chumley in Bloomington, IN*
Friday, March 6th @ Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, OH*
Saturday, March 7th @ Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC*
Sunday, March 8th @ Union Transfer in Philadelphia, PA*
Monday, March 9th @ Town Hall in New York, NY*
Wednesday, March 11th @ College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT*
Thursday, March 12th @ Columbus Theatre in Providence, RI*
Friday, March 13th @ State Theatre in Portland, ME*
Saturday, March 14th @ Academy of Music in Northampton, MA*
*All dates billed as Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Emmett Kelly