Update: August 2007

Posted September 5, 2007

It’s remarkable how you get home and things just keep going like you never left.  On August 1st Sons of Bill woke up, for the first time in a month, on American soil, following their AFE tour of the Pacific.  On August 3rd we were back on the road, rocking Court Square in Jonesborough, TN.  Such is life in a hillbilly band.  I guess we’ll just sleep when we’re dead.

 August was indeed a busy month in the Sons of Bill camp, but much of the hustle and bustle took the form of behind the scenes machinations.  Countless hours were spent tidying up paperwork for the less glamorous aspects of the AFE tour.  We are also sad to announce that we have parted ways with our booking agent, the lovely Ms. Tammy Brackett of Moonstruck Promotions.  The parting was very friendly and amicable and Tammy still calls us to give us our horoscopes and burrito recipes.  The only difference is that we’ve had to start booking our own shows again (which, by the way, is a big pain in the ass) until we decide which agency should take over for Moonstruck. 

Despite all this tedium, Sons of Bill did find time to play a few shows.  A weekend tour of Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach yielded some fine gigs and a few fresh sunburns.  The Loft in Fredericksburg introduced us to some old friends (displaced Hokies who’d grown to love us in Blacksburg last winter) and an excellent old school country outfit, known as the Will Gravit Band.  We closed out the month with our Welcome Back to C-ville show at the Satellite Ballroom, which was a smashing success.  Starr Hill’s luxurious Green Room was sorely missed, but the stage in Satellite (and the curry shop out back) left nothing to be desired and by all accounts…we rocked out.

On a much heavier note Brendan James, an old and dear friend of the Sons of Bill community, pulled his last breath yesterday.  He died peacefully with family and close friends on Tuesday morning Sept 4th after a courageous and deeply inspiring battle with a rare, disabilitating condition.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Brendan’s family and all the great friends he touched with his life.  Rock In Peace Brendan, you’ve earned it.

As for us, we just count our blessings and keep on doing what it is that we do.  And what we do is bring the rock.  This weekend commences the Great Southern Mini-tour of Raleigh, Greenville and Helen.  Then, later this month, we head north for our third show in New York City on the September 22nd, with a stop in DC on the way back.  Check the Sons of Bill Tour Schedule for more info on our upcoming travels and make sure to keep an eye on this site for other happenings in SoB corner of the universe.

rock solid and rolling south,

Sons of Bill