Bill Orcutt

Bill Orcutt
Guitarist Bill Orcutt performing at Kunsthall Oslo, Norway
Background information
Born February 2, 1962
Miami, Florida, Florida, USA
Genres Free improvisation
Instruments guitar
Years active 1992-current

Bill Orcutt (born February 2, 1962)[1] is an American guitarist and composer whose work combines elements of blues, punk, and free improvisation.

Biography

Inspired by seeing Muddy Waters in the The Last Waltz,[2] Orcutt began playing the guitar as a teenager in Miami. In 1992, he formed the band Harry Pussy with his wife, Cuban/American drummer and vocalist Adris Hoyos.[3] The group recorded three LPs and toured the US frequently, often in support of indie bands like Sonic Youth and Sebadoh.[4] Their music, which drew from American no wave, hardcore punk and free jazz was influential and "served as a progenitor for the Noise movement." [5] In 1997 the band dissolved and the couple divorced.[6] Orcutt moved to San Francisco and took a long hiatus from music, returning in 2009, with an LP of solo guitar entitled A New Way To Pay Old Debts[7] which was well received, ranking 3rd of 2009 in the The Wire magazine's annual "Rewind" list.[8] His follow up release How The Thing Sings was similarly praised, reaching number 3 on NPR's The Best Outer Sound Albums Of 2011.[9] Since 2009, Orcutt has toured often[10] appearing at festivals in the US and Europe, including Hopscotch, Incubate, Le Nouveau Festival du Centre Pompidou,[11] Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Donau and Big Ears.[12] Typically a solo performer, Orcutt has also recorded or performed with Loren Mazzacane Connors,[13] Chris Corsano, Peter Brotzmann and Alan & Richard Bishop.

Discography

Solo

References

  1. ↑ "BBC – Music – Bill Orcutt | BBC". BBC. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ Bruyninckx, Joeri (February 3, 2010). "Bill Orcutt | Foxy Digitalis". Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (7 November 2010). "Bill Orcutt: 'Harry Pussy were my perfect band' | The Guardian". The Guardian. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Harry Pussy | Biography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  5. ↑ Cohan, Brad (August 29, 2012). "Q&A: Bill Orcutt On The Harry Pussy Reissues, Playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" And His Kids Not Caring He Was In A Band Called Harry Pussy | The Village Voice". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ Connolly, Keith (October 3, 2013). "Bill Orcutt by Keith Connolly | Bomb". Bomb. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ Keenan, David (October, 2011). "Bill Orcutt: Play Dirty". The Wire pp. 30–33
  8. ↑ "2009 Rewind: Top 50 Releases of the Year | The Wire". The Wire. January 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ Gotrich, Lars (November 30, 2011). "The Best Outer Sound Albums Of 2011 | NPR". NPR. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ NOBODADDY (September 10, 2013). "Bill Orcutt announces 16 fall tour dates, possibly giving 16 lucky fans the opportunity to have Bill Orcutt spend the night at their house! | Tiny Mix Tapes". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ Lepron, Louis (March 14, 2012). "Musicien insulté, enceintes détruites : un concert interrompu au Centre Pompidou | Le Nouvel Observateur". Le Nouvel Observateur. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  12. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher (March 31, 2014). "Big Ears 2014 Celebrates Steve Reich Via Punk, Drone, Jazz, Radiohead | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ "AVANT-GARDE LUMINARIES LOREN CONNORS AND BILL ORCUTT TO COLLABORATE ON NEW RELEASE | Fact". Fact. October 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2014.

External links

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