About
Bill Price Brief Bio
Bill Price is a singer-songwriter based in Indianapolis, Indiana. While Price sees songwriting, recording and performing as all having importance, he admits that the idea of creating something original is what drives him forward.
Price says he was always drawn to the songwriting aspect of music. “I don’t know if it was the realization that I was always going to be just an average guitar player or the fact that I always have an opinion that got me headed in the songwriting direction, but for whatever reason, I just got that fire. I was inspired by certain music to try and do a similar thing, but as I’ve gotten older, what inspires me just as much are non-musical ideas and experiences.” Price continues, “I’m just fascinated with the entire creative process—the inspiration, writing, arranging, recording and performing of songs and how that process is connected to life itself.” Price says that he’s always tried to evolve. “I think trying new things is critical for any type of artist in order to continue to grow.”
Price has released four full-length albums, three EPs and two CD singles to date, with several more projects in the works. His most ambitious project is I Can’t Stop Looking at the Sky, which, in addition to two full-length albums, includes a personal journal and a book of short stories, poems and essays. All are housed in an elaborate package designed by Price, who is also a graphic designer.
Kicking Angels (a four-song EP of all original material) is his most recent release. Bill Price releases have been met with positive reviews, especially in Europe. His music has also received airplay in Europe in addition to U.S. college and independent radio.
In 2010 Price began to expand his performing area beyond his native Indiana, playing regional shows around the Midwest. He has toured the American Northwest seven times as well as playing a few shows in Canada. He performs in solo, duo and trio formats as well as with a full band for intimate house concerts or outdoor festivals alike.
Quick Description
With one foot in folk and the other in rock, Bill Price is a singer-songwriter who performs both solo and with his band—performing for intimate house concerts or outdoor festivals alike. His recordings have been played on radio stations around the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Timeline
1981 – 1983
Joins Off The Tracks band and releases It Happened One Night—an album of all original songs. Co-writes Yesterday’s News with Dave Price—a rock opera of original music.
1991 – 1997
Forms The Mighty Quintessentials, an acoustic duo with Mario Noche. They perform live and release White on White—a three-song cassette single.
2000 – 2002
Forms The Brains Behind Pa trio with Gordon Bonham and Garry Bole. They release Old Hat—an acoustic EP of traditional folk and blues songs. It receives airplay on various independent stations across the United States, in Canada and in Europe.
2003
Releases Bones & Apples—a full-length album of all original music. It receives positive reviews and airplay on independent stations in Europe.
2006
The Brains Behind Pa releases Better for the Deal—a full-length album of all original music. It receives positive reviews and airplay on independent stations across the United States and Europe.
2007
Releases The Circus & The Gallows three-song CD single with a nine-piece band. It receives airplay on independent radio in Europe.
2009
Releases With the Eye of a Skeptic…—a full-length album of all original, acoustic music. It receives positive reviews and airplay on independent radio in Europe.
2010
Receives the most extensive coverage (press and airplay) of any of his albums to date With the Eye of a Skeptic…. Skeptic gets attention and airplay in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Croatia, Belgium, The Netherlands and Australia. “Blue Period Blues” from the album is selected for a compilation album benefiting the Indiana Alzheimer’s Foundation. Continues to play live shows locally and regionally.
2011
Begins recording sessions for the I Can’t Stop Looking at the Sky album project.
2013
Embarks on mini-tour of the American Northwest.
2014
Continues playing live as well as finalizing the recording and mixing of I Can’t Stop Looking at the Sky. Records five songs for the Digging Deeper Toward the Sky EP.
2015
Completes and releases the thematic I Can’t Stop Looking at the Sky project—a two-CD album with 33 original songs in a deluxe package with a journal, book, oversized lyric booklets and more. Tours the American Northwest.
2016
Briefly tours North Carolina. Tours more extensively in the American Northwest with Grover Parido on cello. Price and Parido participate in the 2016 Montana Book Festival in Missoula, Montana, performing songs and reading excerpts from the I Can’t Stop Looking at the Sky project.
2017
Embarks on the most extensive tour of the American Northwestern to date (16 shows) with place with Grover Parido on cello. Releases Digging Deeper Toward the Sky—a five-song EP.
2018
Tours the American Northwest with Gordon Bonham on guitar. Begins recording “The Sky Went Blue,” four-song CD single as well as Kicking Angels—a five-song EP.
2019
Begins recording with The Brains Behind Pa for a new album. Editing/mixing begins on six live videos featuring Bill Price and His Band of Skeptics. Tours the American Northwest for the sixth time, including two shows in British Columbia, Canada, with Grover Parido on cello.
2020
Continues work on the Kicking Angels EP as well as The Brains Behind Pa album. Releases “The Sky Went Blue,” a 4-song CD single. Postpones a seventh tour of the American Northwest with Grover Parido on cello due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Releases Under the Miracle Sun on YouTube, a live performance featuring all nature-based songs filmed for the Indianapolis Parks Department. Postpones all live shows due to the pandemic.
2021
Recording continues for The Brains Behind Pa project. Recording/mixing for the Kicking Angels EP continues.
2022
Tours the American Northwest for the seventh time with Grover Parido (cello), Kelly Taylor/Chris Fry (drums). Continues recording with The Brains Behind Pa. Releases Kicking Angels EP.
Full-length Bio
“It’s all right with me if you want to go home. It’s all right with me – I can sink on my own. But I will be the last refugee.” So goes the chorus of singer-songwriter Bill Price’s final song, “The Last Refugee,” written for and connected to his ambitious I Can’t Stop Looking at the Sky musical, literary and design odyssey. He says it sums up not only the project but also what it’s like to be a creative person with an artistic vision that only he can clearly see.
In some ways, Price sees that project as a pivotal point in his creative journey. “I think that experience was so profound in terms of inspiration and the creative and production process. It revealed to me that in life, anything goes. I’ve always believed that, but it has been made real to me in a much more serious way.”
As two follow-ups to that project, Price released Digging Deeper Toward the Sky, a five-song EP, in 2017 and The Sky Went Blue, a four-song CD single, in 2019. His latest release is Kicking Angels, a four-song EP.
“The Sky project seems to have taken on a life of its own at this point,” Price says. “I’ve written a new song that is connected to that project, and I’m sure other songs will reveal themselves to me as well. We’ve also started on a video that I hope will be similar to a documentary but perhaps expand on some of the project themes and ideas. It’s a slow process and we work on it when we have time in between other projects.” The time in between projects is not always easy to find as there is a lot going on. In addition to the new release and occasional touring, Price has been recording with his long-time/part-time band, The Brains Behind Pa. They began recording new material in 2019 and have accumulated over 40 new songs. Time will tell how this material gets released.
Price, who went to college to be a graphic designer, says, “I used to hide my graphic design side from my music contacts and vice versa, fearing the perception that one would delegitimize the other. I’m at a place in life now where I don’t worry about that. It’s just who I am.” Price has always designed the graphics for his music—his album covers, posters and website—but writing a journal, short stories, essays and poems for the Sky project was something new. “I’ve dabbled in traditional writing before, but this was a real challenge for me,” he explains. “Because the subject matter of the book roughly parallels the themes in the music and the journal hints at the inspiration behind the songs, it seemed like a legitimate thing to pursue.” The ambitious project received airplay and positive reviews, especially in Europe.
With the Kicking Angels EP, Price decided to stretch out a little artistically by doing the paintings that are on the CD jacket. My skills are in the design and layout area. I usually job out the photography and illustration. But I felt like this was something I could take on and hopefully not embarrass myself. I actually really enjoyed the process.”
Kicking Angels is his ninth release since 2001—the year Price says that he seriously committed to writing, recording and playing music. Looking back, Price says he was always drawn to the songwriting aspect of music. “I don’t know if it was the realization that I was always going to be just an average guitar player or the fact that I always have an opinion that got me headed in the songwriting direction. But for whatever reason, I just got that fire. Initially, I was inspired by certain music to try and do a similar thing, but as I’ve gotten older, what inspires me just as much are non-musical ideas and experiences.” Price continues, “I’m just fascinated with the entire creative process—from inspiration to recording. Experiencing the inspiration, writing, arranging, recording and even the performing of a song can be a really rich and rewarding process. But stepping back a bit and observing how that process is connected to life itself can also be quite mystical at times.”
Price says that he’s always tried to evolve and has been careful not fall into the trap of repeating the same thing over and over. “I think trying new things, new creative approaches, is critical for any type of artist in order to continue to grow.”
In 2003 Price released his first album of original material, Bones & Apples. It received airplay in the U.S. and Europe on college and independent radio. He also teamed up with Indiana bluesman Gordon Bonham to form The Brains Behind Pa, a three- or sometimes five-piece band inspired by Dylan’s songs and influences. “Gordon and I both have a love of Dylan’s music and much that inspired Dylan, so we started a side project to explore all of that type of music.” The result was Old Hat, an EP CD (2002) that contains seven traditional folk and blues songs. The follow-up album, Better for the Deal, released in May of 2006, has fifteen original songs and strongly reflects the band’s influences. Both releases received airplay in the U.S. and Europe on college and independent radio.
Price released The Circus & The Gallows, a three-song CD single, in 2007. In late 2009 he released With the Eye of a Skeptic…, a full-length, acoustic-based CD. It received good reviews and radio airplay in Europe. “The reception to the Skeptic album was the most positive and extensive that any of my albums had received up to that point,” Price says.
In 2010 Price began to expand his performing area beyond his native Indiana by playing regional shows as well as smaller tours in North Carolina. He’s toured repeatedly in the American Northwest and continues to record new music.
The Brains Behind Pa
The Brains Behind Pa play both traditional and original music. They perform traditional songs with a certain essence and attempt to recreate some of that same essence in their original work. It’s music that embodies energy, integrity, wit and soul. Their album of traditional music Old Hat, released in 2002, received airplay on independent and college radio all across the US and in Europe. Their most recent album, Better For The Deal has fifteen original songs, and has also received a warm reception from independent radio.
The Brains Behind Pa was formed in 2001 when the paths of bluesman, Gordon Bonham and songwriter, Bill Price crossed. Formed as a side project, The Brains Behind Pa quickly became a trio with the addition of Garry Bole. The material was originally Dylan-based, covering his songs plus those whom he covered. The band expanded with the addition of Jeff Chapin on drums and Jeff Stone on bass.
The Brains Behind Pa have evolved their repertoire. Most of the material they perform is original (usually written by Price) with the exception of old, traditional folk and blues, plus the occasional Dylan cover. Their original spirit is still intact: a preference for honest songs rooted in traditional styles, always true, never slick.
The Brains Behind Pa is, but is not limited to:
Garry Bole: An accomplished multi-instrumentalist adept on, piano, mandolin, accordion and organ. Garry’s unique style and versatility helps add the “color and texture” to their music.
Gordon Bonham: One of the most respected bluesmen in the midwest. The Gordon Bonham blues band has opened shows for blues legends such as Koko Taylor and B.B. King, and has played countless blues festivals. Gordon’s soulful playing, tasteful guitar tone, and harmony vocals add a true earthiness to the band.
Bill Price: The creative force behind the band. A singer/songwriter who plays guitar and harmonica. Bill’s unique voice and honest delivery complement his vision and songwriting perspective for the band.
Jeff Stone: An incredibly solid and versatile bass play. Jeff is one of the most sought after bassmen in Indiana for both live and studio work.
Highlights
2000
Gordon Bonham and Bill Price form The Brains Behind Pa and quickly add Garry Bole to the lineup to form an acoustic trio.
2001/2002
The Brains Behind Pa record and release their acoustic debut album, Old Hat. It contains seven traditional folk and blues songs and receives airplay on college and independent radio stations across the U.S. and Europe.
2003
A rhythm section is added to the original trio, to create a full, five-piece band.
2005/2006
Jeff Stone joins the band on bass. Their second album, Better for the Deal is recorded and released. It contains 15 original songs, inspired by the band’s many influences. The record receives airplay on independent radio, especially in Europe and the Scandanavian countries where is favorably and frequently reviewed.
2009
The band films an intimate concert at The Benton House, an historic home in Irvington, Indiana.
2010
Two songs from The Benton House concert (“Get Back Home” and “The Other Side of the River“) are mixed, edited and posted on YouTube.
2019 – 2024
Recording sessions for a new album. The sessions, eventually dubbed “The Pony Expressions Recording Sessions,” result in enough new, original material for three full-length albums. The first is set for release in late 2024.