Bonnie “Prince” Billy Lockdown Relief Efforts: Songwriting Masterclass, Christopher Cross Cover & More
Bonnie “Prince” Billy (aka Will Oldham) is a source of calm during these quarantine times. Not only is his 2019 album, I Made a Place, the perfect coronavirus-lockdown soundtrack, but the Kentucky-based musician has also been quite vocal during the pandemic. He’s been on the radio, posted on social media, and he even conducted a masterclass on songwriting via Zoom. Read on for details on some of his relief efforts.
WXOX in-studio concert
As previously reported, Bonnie’s tour with Jonathan Richman was cut short because of the coronavirus. Finding themselves with time on their hands, the musicians headed into Bonnie’s local Louisville radio station, WXOX 97.1, and played an in-studio concert the station broadcast live. Sadly, this performance isn’t available to stream. But if you bug the station enough, they might re-air it or post it online.
Two-part interview on Morricone Island with Devon E. Levins
More recently, Bonnie was a guest on two episodes of Morricone Island with Devon E. Levins. A radio show about movie soundtracks, Levins invited Bonnie on to talk about his acting and music experience. You can listen to both shows below. The first episode focuses more on Bonnie’s music career, while the second finds him fielding questions about his film scoring and acting work.
During the two-part interview, Bonnie talks about the projects he’s been working on that have been sidelined by the coronavirus outbreak. Superwolf, his band with Matt Sweeney (Chavez), recorded a follow up to their 2005 self-titled debut LP. They planned on mixing it in New York and Nashville in March and April. That’s been pushed back. However, Superwolf did share a song, “You’ll Get Eaten, Too.” Recorded a few years back, they released it to raise money for Superiority Burger and Drag City staff relief funds.
On the film front, Bonnie mentions he has a part in the next movie from David Lowery (A Ghost Story, Green Knight). The director was set to begin filming in Canada, but that’s on hold. Bonnie doesn’t name the film, but it must be Peter Pan and Wendy, Lowery’s live-action Peter Pan remake for Disney+.
Also affected is a project Bonnie was embarking on with a German director. She approached him about composing the music for her film. Bonnie was particularly excited about the gig because the music goes hand-in-hand with the story.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy shares cover songs on Instagram
Bonnie has discovered IGTV, and has been posting videos of himself performing cover tunes. He started off with Leonard Cohen’s “The Goal” and Santiparro’s “Road.” He then moved on to covers of John Prine and Yusuf/Cat Stevens. And, following Christopher Cross’ Covid-19 diagnosis, he rendered a version of “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” which he dedicated to Rachel Korine on her birthday (see below).
Now, Bonnie is engaged in three-song covers challenge with North Carolina musician Nathan Bowles (@piganklestrut). A friendly competition, they give each other songs to reinterpret. So far, Bowles has requested Bonnie cover Norma Tanega and Van Morrison, and Bonnie has counter-challenged with Lungfish and Tom T. Hall.
Via Instagram, Bonnie also shared that he is working on a collaborative song with musicians in Louisville for the Lift Up Lou initiative. During his masterclass (see below), he describes it as being “a morale booster for these troubled times.”
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Bonnie delivers must-watch masterclass on songwriting
As for Bonnie’s masterclass, the Louisville Academy of Music approached him to give a talk on what goes into creating a song. Over 90 minutes, he breaks down his method in simple terms. He discusses his inspirations, provides examples, and explains the difference between verse, chorus, and bridge. Fans of Bonnie should find it an enjoyable and fascinating watch.
The Prince’s Picks – Bonnie’s playlists
Around the time that Bonnie released I Made a Place, he began upping his digital and social media game. He went on Spotify and created an epic playlist. It features some of his favorite songs from his various projects and spans Palace’s “Come In” to his new album. The playlist is available here.
Bonnie also created a YouTube channel and consolidated many of his videos in one place. From “Quail and Dumplings” to the Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim-directed “Music Express” commercials to his most recent video for “New Memory Box,” you can find them all here.
For updates from Bonnie, be sure to follow him on Instagram and Twitter. His latest album, I Made a Place, is out now via Drag City.
Photo credit: Mickie Winters