Sweet Billy Pilgrim
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Sweet Billy Pilgrim are an English genre spanning band, composed of bassist/banjo player Anthony Bishop, guitarist and singer
Jana Carpenter Jana Carpenter (born January 26, 1971) is an American actress, singer and guitarist based in the UK. She has appeared in TV and radio series, episodes and films and is also a vocalist and guitarist in the countryfolk or harmony band Piefinger, ...
, guitarist and singer Tim Elsenburg, and drummer/percussionist Alistair Hamer. Often described as rock,
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
,
folktronica Folktronica is a genre of indie electronic music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments—especially stringed instruments—deploying hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, and ...
,
Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...
,
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...
,
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
,
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
, pop or prog, they describe their sound as "thrash pastel".


Biography

The original three members met while at school. Elsenburg and Bishop are from
Wingrave Wingrave is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, about four miles northeast of Aylesbury and three miles southwest of Wing. The civil parish is called Wingrave with Rowsham within Buckinghamshire district and incorporates the hamlet of Ro ...
and Hamer from
Wendover Wendover is a town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road along t ...
, both near
Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...
in Buckinghamshire. American born Carpenter joined the band in 2010. Sweet Billy Pilgrim formed in 2003 after their previous band, Cordisto, came to an end. The band are named after the main character in
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
's book '' Slaughterhouse 5''. After repeated rejections from both major and independent record labels, Elsenburg bought a Power Book, they installed Logic, and the band began to record themselves. Due to financial restraints, the early Sweet Billy Pilgrim recordings up until 2012's ''
Crown and Treaty The Crown and Treaty is a pub on Oxford Road in Uxbridge, London, England, where Charles I and his Parliamentary opponents during the English Civil War held negotiations (the Treaty of Uxbridge) between 30 January and 22 February 1645. It is a ...
'' were (apart from the acoustic drums) produced in a
garden shed A shed is typically a simple, single-storey (though some sheds may have two or more stories and or a loft) roofed structure, often used for storage, for hobbies, or as a workshop, and typically serving as outbuilding, such as in a back garde ...
using a laptop and one quite good
microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...
. The band feel this has had a positive influence on their sound. Their first release "Experience", was distributed amongst fans and was followed up by the ''Stars Spill Out of Cups EP''. Released on their own label (Luxor Purchase) and featuring hand-stamped artwork, it contains three songs: "Stars Spill Out of Cups", "God in the Details", and "Atlantis". The band also gave away a recording called "Forget to Breathe" as an mp3. ''We Just Did What Happened and No One Came'' was released in 2005 and awarded four stars by ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' magazine, and ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' called it "a rather special debut", making the track "Stars Spill Out of Cups" one of their songs of the year. ''
Twice Born Men ''Twice Born Men'' is an album by English experimental rock band Sweet Billy Pilgrim. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Mercury Prize, and the Sunday Times named it one of their top 100 albums of 2009. Track listing # "Here It Begins" (2:36) # "T ...
'' was released in 2009 and was awarded five stars by Italian magazine Rockstar and made CD of the Week by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
;'' later that year it made The Sunday Times top 100 albums of 2009 list. The album was also awarded four stars by ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' and '' Uncut'', and was made a
Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...
album of the year for 2009. ''
Crown and Treaty The Crown and Treaty is a pub on Oxford Road in Uxbridge, London, England, where Charles I and his Parliamentary opponents during the English Civil War held negotiations (the Treaty of Uxbridge) between 30 January and 22 February 1645. It is a ...
'' was released on 30 April 2012. Critical response was positive, with all major UK national papers awarding the record four or five stars out of five. It was awarded five stars and Instant Classic by ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' and four stars by ''Q'' magazine. The majority of the recording for this album took place at Elsenburg's cottage, with the exception of the acoustic drums which were recorded at Earth Terminal studios and the choir which was recorded at Grove Studios. ''Crown and Treaty'' was self-released on their own label (Luxor Purchase) much like the early recordings, but distributed through EMI label services. Besides their work as Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Bishop, Hamer, and Elsenburg have worked together as session musicians, having toured as members of
Martin Grech Martin Grech (born 14 November 1982) is an English singer, songwriter and musician from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Career Grech released his debut album ''Open Heart Zoo'', produced by Andy Ross, in June 2002. He achieved critical acclaim f ...
's band during the '' Open Heart Zoo'' era, and playing on the
Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 ...
album ''
Velvet Lined Shell ''Velvet Lined Shell'' is a mini-album by the British singer Toyah Willcox, released in 2003 by her independent label Vertical Species. Background This release consists of six tracks, recorded in Toyah's hometown of Birmingham. Three of the musi ...
''. Carpenter writes for, sings, and performs with folk band Piefinger. Bishop currently plays electric bass in The Boy Least Likely To's touring band, and his playing is featured on both of the band's albums. Hamer toured with The Boy Least Likely To until 2008, and his drumming is featured on the
James Dean Bradfield James Dean Bradfield (born 21 February 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He is known for being the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. His cousin Sean Moore is a ...
album '' The Great Western''. Elsenburg has recorded and performed with
Steve Jansen Steve Jansen (born Stephen Ian Batt, born 1 December 1959) is an English musician, composer and record producer. Biography Jansen was a founding member of the band Japan (band), Japan, along with his brother David Sylvian (vocals, guitars and ...
, recorded with
Adem Ilhan Adem Ilhan (born 20 November 1977) is an English composer, producer and singer-songwriter. He has released many albums: his solo music project released under the name Adem, in the acclaimed post-rock band Fridge, alongside Kieran Hebden, and as ...
, remixed for
David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...
and
Steve Adey Steve Adey (born in Great Barr, Birmingham) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. His music is characterised by slow tempos, minimalist arrangements, underpinned by piano and a rich baritone vocal. As of 2018 Adey has released three stu ...
, and written with
Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 ...
. Due to the complexity and layering of sounds used on the recordings, recreating the songs live requires the members to play many different instruments on stage. Bishop plays electric bass,
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...
, and vocals. Carpenter plays acoustic guitar,
cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...
, samples, keyboards and vocals. Elsenburg plays guitar, keyboards, harmonica, and vocals. Hamer plays drums (usually a Yamaha Rock Tour Custom), samples, and vocals. They are typically joined live by musician Dan Garland playing piano, keyboards, samples, vocals, and square waves, Barney Muller on electric guitar and backing vocals; and sometimes by Adam Chetwood ( I Am Arrows) playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar and
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...
. On 9 July 2010, Sweet Billy Pilgrim appeared as themselves in series four, episode three ("Something Happened") of ''
The IT Crowd ''The IT Crowd'' is a British television sitcom originally broadcast by Channel 4, created, written, and directed by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, and Matt Berry. Set in th ...
''. The band performed with fictional keyboardist Norman, who Jen dated until he was kicked out of the band. On 13 July 2010, their song "Future Perfect Tense" was made available as a download for the game ''
Rock Band 2 ''Rock Band 2'' is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to ''Rock Band (video game), Rock Band'' (2007) and the second installment in the Rock Band, ''Rock Band ' ...
.'' In August 2010, they recruited
Jana Carpenter Jana Carpenter (born January 26, 1971) is an American actress, singer and guitarist based in the UK. She has appeared in TV and radio series, episodes and films and is also a vocalist and guitarist in the countryfolk or harmony band Piefinger, ...
and started recording their third studio album. In April 2013, in collaboration with ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' magazine the band gave away a free download of ''
Crown and Treaty The Crown and Treaty is a pub on Oxford Road in Uxbridge, London, England, where Charles I and his Parliamentary opponents during the English Civil War held negotiations (the Treaty of Uxbridge) between 30 January and 22 February 1645. It is a ...
'' with the full artwork in exchange for signing up to their mailing list. In March 2014, they began recording their fourth studio album. In March 2015, it was announced that the band had signed to
Kscope Kscope is an independent record label that is part of Snapper Music, and a sister-label of Peaceville. It is dedicated to artists in the progressive rock genre. The label has released albums by Steven Wilson and his projects Porcupine Tree (mo ...
, and that they would be releasing the new album – ''Motorcade Amnesiacs'' – on 25 May 2015. The first single from the album, "Coloma Blues", was premiered at the same time as the album announcement. The band also launched a release campaign for ''Motorcade Amnesiacs'' on direct-to-fan platform
PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects, such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist pa ...
. In April 2015, the band revealed the video for their new single "Just Above Midtown".


Discography


Albums

*''We Just Did What Happened and No One Came'' – Wonderland Avenue (2005) *''
Twice Born Men ''Twice Born Men'' is an album by English experimental rock band Sweet Billy Pilgrim. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Mercury Prize, and the Sunday Times named it one of their top 100 albums of 2009. Track listing # "Here It Begins" (2:36) # "T ...
'' –
Samadhi Sound Samadhi Sound (or samadhisound) is an independent record label founded by singer and musician David Sylvian after his departure from Virgin Records in the late nineties. The label mainly serves as a platform for Sylvian to release his own work ...
(2009) *''
Crown and Treaty The Crown and Treaty is a pub on Oxford Road in Uxbridge, London, England, where Charles I and his Parliamentary opponents during the English Civil War held negotiations (the Treaty of Uxbridge) between 30 January and 22 February 1645. It is a ...
'' – Luxor Purchase (2012) *''Motorcade Amnesiacs'' – Kscope (2015) *''Wapentak'' – Deco Audio Records (2018) *''Somapolis'' – Chrow Records (2022)


EPs

* ''Stars Spill Out of Cups EP'' – Luxor Purchase (2004) * ''Brugada EP'' – Spoilt Victorian Child (2005)


Singles

* "Experience" – Luxor Purchase (2004) * "Forget to Breathe" – Luxor Purchase (2005) (Free .mp3 download) * "Future Perfect Tense" b/w "Kalypso" (featuring Jen from the IT Crowd) – Samadhi Sound (2010) * "Coloma Blues" – Kscope (2015) * "Just Above Midtown" – Kscope (2015)


References


External links

*
MikeyPod
podcast interview with Tim Elsenburg. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet Billy Pilgrim English rock music groups Musical groups established in 2003 Samadhi Sound artists