Bones & Apples

16 songs • 72 minutes • 
Released 07.03
All songs written by Bill Price ©2003 Mr. Quill Music (BMI)

Song Samples

About the Album

Bones & Apples is the first Bill Price “solo” release and contains 15 original songs. Much of the subject matter touches on the idea of identity – both within an individual and in relation to our country and world. The songs attempt to ask what a “profit at all costs” mindset and what the potential loss of uniqueness means to both our culture and our environment and how our spiritual beliefs (both Judeo/Christian and Native American) might guide us in relation to these issues. It was recorded between 2000 and 2002.

Tracklist

1. Wild-eyed and Blue
2. Hid in the Shadow of His Hand
3. Big Numbers
4. 40/40+
5. Wooden Indian
6. The Autonomous Waltz
7. Miracle Moon
8. Bound to Save Us All
9. Howling at the Moon
10. Hollow Wheel
11. Within Without
12. Black Dog Blues
13. The Sound of Many Waters
14. Ghostman
15. Something About Skies of Blue…
16. Wild-eyed and Blue (reprise)

Credits

Produced by Michael Graham and Bill Price
Recorded mixed and mastered at The Lodge by Michael Graham

Garry Bole: Accordion and Hammond C-3 organ
Gordon Bonham: National steel guitar, electric and acoustic guitar
Dan Dolan: Bass guitar
Francie Heimburger: Harmony vocals
Paul Holdman: Electric guitar and bazouki
Rusty Humphrey: Arco bass
Bill Price: Acoustic and electric 6 & 12-string guitars, mandolin, bazouki, Hammond C-3 organ, harmonium, piano and vocals
Jamey Reid: Drums and percussion

Reviews

www.musikansich.de  2008

17 out of 20

And with the same package as the fantastic 2007 The Circus & The Gallows from American Bill Price, I got his album Bones & Apples, released in 2003 in the US.

Mr. Price and his peers deliver 16 songs and it is to feel his songwriter qualities, but there are still a lot of his rock & blues capabilities in them. The elements of the electric guitars and the compositions remind me of the Dire Straits with Brothers in Arms, which wouldn’t be a bad reference at all. The Man is too strong from the Straits crosses my mind hearing the Bound to save us all with its quieter acoustic parts.

Price and his band perform their songs on such a terrific high level, in all aspects: composition, instrumentation and production. The vocals cease a little and sound sometimes a little undeveloped but that is only a very small downer.

Within all the singer & songwriter albums I’ve received lately I want to say that Mr. Price stands out like a sparkling diamond and this is not because some of the other productions are really bad quality, it rather is due to the compact and consistent strength of Mr. Price and his band. I haven’t heard such nice implemented Hammond organ and blues and/or blues-rock-guitar in quite awhile. His pieces are not new and not innovative, but simply perfectly performed folk/blues/rock-music to listen to.

This album isn’t exactly the high quality of the above-mentioned 2007 production, but is an outstanding album and I can recommend it to all the fans of blues/folk & rock music. Particularly Dire Straits Fans.

By Joachim ‘Joe’ Brookes, www.rocktimes.de  2008

Bones & Apples dates from 2003 and still sounds like an apple picked fresh from the tree.

Just as on the single-CD The Circus & The Gallows, Price couldn’t be without his fellow band mates Gordon Bonham and Garry Bole. There are no horn instruments this time. Bill Price is, as with all of his songs, romantic and rocking. Yes, rocking, and that’s a surprise.

After a short, dreamy introduction with “Wild-Eyed & Blue,” which Price sings and accompanies himself on the piano, the musician who resides in Indianapolis expresses his own personal style. The first example of is the second track “Hid in the Shadow of His Hand.” It rocks and Price wouldn’t be Price if he wouldn’t offer us an unexpected gift: The song takes a turn after four minutes. On the one hand he slows down the tempo but on the other hand we hear a gentle, dolce guitar with a jazzy excursion. This ambiance stays until the end of the almost six and a half minute song. That’s good; it emphasizes what a great songwriter this man is.

And another song of this nature follows, differently arranged though. Dynamics are the key. “Big Numbers” is a mix of drive and melancholy, carried by an acoustic guitar. This track also shows how an electric guitar, played with a bottleneck, can make an impact on both levels. The ice is broken already after 3 songs and there is a lot more to hear on this CD.

Put the metal slide aside, give the guitar a twang, and you are in the middle of a rocking country piece: “40/40+” is the name of the song and the brilliant Paul Holdman takes the lead. Price sets the stage for his companions nicely. The Hammond C3 is in the focus on The “Autonomous Waltz,” played by Garry Bole, by the way.

His rock is a little restrained, but always good. It continues without any sand in the wheels, with “Howling at the Moon.” Smooth riffs accompany the lyrics and the strumming of the guitar has a touch of Indie-pop. The breaks and excellent change of tempo will become a Price-trademark. That raises the question, who are John Mellencamp and Bruce Cockburn? Everybody knows them, but who knows of Bill Price?

Care to hear somebody else on the lead guitar? Not a problem with Gordon Bonham of The Brains Behind Pa in “Within Without.” Great track, great guitar. And how about some blues-oriented song material? No, not “Black Dog Blues,” which pays respect with awesome Bole accordion and slide-guitar.

“Hollow Wheel” offers fantastic singer and songwriter quality with nicely played reed organ and bouzouki. This man is great and surrounded by experienced musicians on this album. Worth mentioning are the different percussion instruments on this CD.

“Something About Skies Of Blue…” shows how excellent groove and rock can sound with a mandolin, accordion and electric guitar. Bones & Apples finishes with “Wild Eyed & Blue Reprise” with acoustic guitars. All in this entire album is worthwhile with a lot to discover.

By Freddy Celis, www.rootstime.be  2003

From 2003, this debut from Bill Price has a more rocking sound in contrast with the rootsy Americana sound of his band, but at the same time with a lot of attention for the lyrics. The pre-recordings were made on 2 inch analog tape, only real musicians and their instruments, real music, no pro-tools, Bill says.

Of course, the members of The Brains Behind Pa appear, but also jazz guitarist Paul Holdman and drummer Jamey Reid. The text of the 15 self-written songs cover the “Hollow Wheel” milieu or the spiritual “Within Without” but also have an individualism and even a couple of simple romantic songs, it doesn’t all need to be heavy handed. “Bound to Save Us All,” and “The Sound of Many Waters” are more beautiful songs in which, for example, the real singer songwriter tells a traditional story of a world which revolves around “profit at any price” (“Big Numbers”); the title of the CD refers to the Indian circle of life, that ends (Bones), but always starts again (Apples). It was Martin Luther King who said: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, today I would still plant my apple tree.”

With this solo album, Bill Price particularly shows that he is more than a gifted lyric writer, who is at home with the poetry framework needed to care for an original musical package. Splendor to “40/40+” or “Miracle Moon.” This CD will have you looking for its follow-up, because Bill Price is, either with The Brains Behind Pa or under his own name, still a guarantee of in-depth quality.

www.hificity.hu, Hungary  04.10.08

Bill Price, the Indianapolis-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, enjoys his solo performances at least as much as playing as a member of his own band. That’s why he’s released both solo albums and albums produced by his band. The recently released CD – Bones & Apples – is one of Price’s solo releases. However, when you look at the list of musicians who worked on the album, it could easily be mistaken for a CD produced by The Brains Behind Pa, since Price is backed on this album by his bandmates Gordon Bonham and Garry Bole.

It’s very hard to categorize the music played by Price. It straddles folk, pop and rock. They combine to form very pleasant, radio-friendly music. The playtime of the CD turns out pretty long, since the 16 tracks take over 73 minutes. Price compiled the songs very smartly, because every track brings new and different style and sound. The instrumentation is amazingly varied and the presentation is truly enjoyable. The repertoire is all authored by Price and it is comprised of lyrical songs (e.g. “Wooden Indian”) as well as songs of higher revolutions (e.g. “40/ 40+”). All in all, the result reminds me of the Dire Straits albums. It is especially the guitar sound that strongly resembles this successful predecessor. Those who used to love the music of Mark Knopfler’s band are going to love this album.