If you listen to any of guitarist Bill Orcutt’s solo recordings, it’s easy to ascertain the basic pieces of equipment that he utilizes: a vintage four-string Kay acoustic guitar with pickup (okay, I googled the specifics), an amp, a single microphone, and most importantly, a hammer — which he presumably uses to smash the aforementioned pieces of hardware, helping to create the unmistakably noisy, harsh, and lo-fi aesthetic that colors his albums and more than warrants his current relationship with Editions Mego. That relationship, along with the release of his most recent album, How the Thing Sings (TMT Review), forms the basis for his upcoming European tour.
Orcutt’s albums are largely improvisational, and the same can be said for his live performances. In an interview with Pitchfork, he remarks, “It’s hard to go out in front of people with an acoustic guitar and improvise for 30 or 40 minutes, but I had a compulsion to do it. I just had to in a way that I can’t really explain. I had opportunities to play with other people and give my self some sort of security, but for some reason I wanted to play solo and just put it out there.” Thankfully, Orcutt’s compulsion is for the benefit of all of us who relish noisy unpredictability, in combination with a style reminiscent of the blues guitarists of yesteryear.
Dates:
10.06.11 - Lisbon, Portugal - Out.Fest
10.07.11 - Newcastle upon Tyne, UK - Tusk Festival
10.08.11 - Newcastle upon Tyne, UK - Tusk Festival
10.09.11 - Newcastle upon Tyne, UK - Tusk Festival
10.11.11 - Sheffield, UK - The Riverside *
10.12.11 - Manchester, UK - Islington Mill *
10.13.11 - Bristol, UK - The Cube Cinema *
10.14.11 - London, UK - Café Oto *
10.15.11 - London, UK - Café Oto $
10.16.11 - Bremen, Germany - Friese
10.17.11 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands - WORM
10.18.11 - Brussels, Belgium - Les Ateliers Claus %
10.19.11 - Antwerp, Belgium - Gunther
10.20.11 - Paris, France - Espace en Cours
11.12.11 - Louisville, KY - Cropped Out Fest
12.03.11 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Urbaines Festival
01.21.12 - San Diego, CA - SDXG 2012
* Jessica Rylan
$ Steve Gunn
% Chris Forsyth
• Bill Orcutt: http://palilalia.com
• Editions Mego: http://editionsmego.com
