Exhilarating Global Acoustic Music
- 2006 Winners, Western Canadian Music Award, Entertainer of the Year
- 2006 Nominees for WCMA Entertainer of the Year along with Michael Bublé, Jann Arden, Road Hammers, and Corb Lund
- 2004 JUNO Nomination
- 2003 Winners, Western Canadian Music Award, Outstanding Roots Release of the Year
- 2003 JUNO Award Nominees, Top Traditional/Roots Album of the Year
- 2002 Touring Act of the Year, BC Touring Council
From Vancouver Island on Canada’s beautiful West Coast comes this extraordinary quintet, renowned among music fans of all ages for their masterful musicianship, lush vocal arrangements, exuberant live performances, evocative songwriting, and wonderfully innovative interpretations of traditional tunes from around the globe.
The Bills represent everything that is good about roots music in Canada.
Hamilton Spectator, 2003
The Bills (under their former name, The Bill Hilly Band) exploded onto the North American folk music scene in 2002 with the release of their second cd, the award-winning All Day Every Day. Since then they have quickly gained international recognition as one of folk music’s most inventive, talented, and entertaining acoustic acts.
Drawing inspiration from a melange of European stylings, the rhythms of Latin America, the melodies of the wandering Romany peoples, and traditional styles from musical coast to musical coast of their own continent, The Bills have forged a sophisticated down home style all their own that’s being celebrated enthusiastically by fans and media everywhere. Whether entertaining an intimate theatre audience or a festival crowd of 10,000, these five gifted multi-instrumentalists are masters at bridging the gulf between stage and audience, welcoming everyone into the good-time global atmosphere they create with their musicianship and their natural flair for spontaneous humour and theatrics.
The Bills are ready to take you on a joyous musical ride, so get on board and enjoy Canada’s foremost roots music sensation.
Press Reviews
The Bills call on diverse elements of folk music from a global perspective making for an excellent adventure, indeed.
Christopher John Treacy, Hartford Advocate, June 9, 2005
"The Bills are a roots string band that plays like they are the Berlin Philharmonic. A gorgeous sound and compelling lyrics" - West Coat Live syndicated radio show, San Francisco, CA, April 2005
"Imagine this: A Czech Gypsy band has stopped off in Ireland on the way across the Atlantic to Cape Breton Island, dipped down to Appalachia and Cajun country, spent a weekend with Tom Waits out in California, then settled down in British Columbia. Excellent chops. Tight vocal harmonies a la Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young" - An album review from the Christian Science Monitor, April 29th, 2005, by Brad Knickerbocker:
"...the buzz band of the Old Settler's Fest was The Bills." - Austin Statesman newspaper. April 26th, 2005, by Ed Crowell
"This is very informed World Grass. Or put it this way, if Nelson Riddle took on bluegrass, this might be the result" - Montreal Hour newspaper, April 21st, 2005, by Dean Cotrill
"A Canadian quintet, the Bills seem bizarrely proficient at everything: Celtic, Appalachian, folk-rock, Cajun, klezmer, cabaret, sea-chanteys and Django-like jazz. They recall The Band one moment, Kurt Weill the next. There's a sense of the miraculous: Can one band really have such feeling for so many genres? The Bills do. And they're a lot of fun, too." - Boston Herald, April 1st, 2005, by Daniel Gewertz
Awards/Nominations
The Bills are nominated for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group for Let 'Em Run.
Quotes and Recommendations
Bill, Bills and more Bills - March 2005 - Toronto Star (Download
PDF 370K)
Read a Review from ECHO (download PDF - 1.8MB)
Read three reviews about the CD Let 'Em Run (download
PDF - 108K)
Thank you for suggesting The Bills for one of our performers. They were incredible and had the audience clapping and laughing their hearts out. What a gifted group of guys they are. I know from the area that the tickets were sold, that they have a loyal following. I for one will now be watching for them when they are in the area. Give us a couple of years and I am sure we will be trying to get them back for another performance. Thank you again for suggesting them.
Ruth Fischer, Victoria Jubilee Hall
"The show was absolutely brilliant... I can't think of a better way to end our 20th season of Folk Under The Clock than the powerhouse of a concert that the Marc Atkinson Trio and The Bills gave. The audience was ecstatic and speechless and couldn't believe the incredible talent that they had just witnessed!" - Mike Barker, Folk Under the Clock
"The pleasure (in presenting The Bills) was all ours! We were thrilled with the Bills and can't wait to book them for Pine Mountain Festival next year. What charming, gracious, and talented young men!" - Matt Franscioni, Pine Mountain Festival
"The Bills were fantastic. The talent was so amazing. Everyone loved them! Nice guys and easy to work with too." - Lee Harris, Canyon Country Concerts
“I just want you to know what a hit The Bills were in Kirkland Lake last evening. They put on an amazing show that appealed to all ages. Not only that, they were such personable people to work with. We have our fingers crossed for their success in the Junos coming up in a few weeks.” - Nancy Morris, Kirkland Lake Arts Council
"Everything went very well. Great group, wonderful musicians, engaging stage presence and all the guys were so accommodating and fun by signing autographs and greeting the patrons after the show." - Judith Glover, Theatre Manager, Owen Sound Little Theatre at the Roxy
The biggest blast of fresh air to come out of Canada since The Band, the Bills present bucketfuls of good stuff: bustling bluegrass, hillbilly symphonies, gypsy-swinging virtuosity, harmony-rich sea chanties, some great new songs and shades of Cajun, country dance and La Bottine Souriante's Quebecois brilliance."
Scottish Herald, Glasgow
“The audience at night certainly got their money's worth! It was a super show - this is one band that I will always recommend wherever I go - every aspect of my association with this group is extremely positive. They deserve to win the JUNO award this year - their album is exceptional!” - Sara Moody Veldhuis, Universal Arts Management
"The Bills are without a doubt the best acoustic act around." - John Hassig, University of Wisconsin, Platteville
"The Bills combine musical talent and showmanship to put on one of the finest performances you'll ever see. They're coming back in 2004 by popular demand." - Dan Downs, Artistic Director, Gamble Rogers Folk Festival, St. Augustine, Florida, 2003
"These guys are phenomenal players, and a vital part of the folk music renaissance." - Bartley Kives, Winnipeg Free Press, 2003
"A masterful statement of boundless artistic promise." - Greg Quill, Toronto Star, 2002, describing the cd ?All Day Every Day?
"Passion radiates throughout the cd...expertly arranged tunes." - Steve Bayliin, Ottawa Express, 2001, describing the first cd
"The Bills take roots world by storm!" - Toronto Star Headline, June 2002
The Bills played their way into our audience's hearts. The moment they take the stage, it's a party!
Rick Fenton, Artistic Director, Winnipeg Folk Festival,2002
"But the biggest, most striking exception to the night's mostly mellow vibe came when Victoria's excellent group, The Bills, hit the stage. The five musicians shook the island with tight harmonies, juggling genres, fusing them and making it all sound incredibly fluid and melodious. With jams that jumped from Celtic, bluegrass, polka, Ukrainian folk, jazz and Appalachian, their energy was infectious." - Heath McCoy, Calgary Herald, review of Calgary Folk Fest Mainstage, July 2003
"The audience was so charged that they leapt to their feet for a standing ovation AFTER THE FIRST SONG!" - Lillian Wauthier, Fiddles and Frets Concert Series, Toronto, Ontario, 2002
"The Bill Hilly Band performance was a knock out. They had the audience cheering, laughing and clapping from the first number. They gave one of the best performances we have had. They are great musicians and entertainers and are also nice people. It all went very well." - (Jim Watson, Port Ludlow Arts Council, Washington)
Letter from Lawrie Seligman, Artistic Director, Horizon Stage, Alberta:
I have been itching to get to the computer to let you know that the Bills were absolutely BRILLIANT last night. Their musicianship is a wonder to behold, and their audience rapport is beyond compare. They opened our season perfectly. It couldn't have gone better. Here's one senior City staffer's review' for all City staff: Last night I attended the season opener for Horizon's 20th anniversary season. I went expecting bluegrass music from a group called the Bill Hilly band. What I got was a fantastic collection of eclectic music ranging from jazz, swing, reggae, Latin American and yes, the odd bluegrass and gospel tune. Of my 20 years attending Horizon Stage, I can't think of a performance I have enjoyed more. Great job Horizon Stage...
Festivals and Events Played:
- Calgary Folk Fest, 2003
- Vancouver Folk Fest, 2003
- Edmonton Folk Fest, 2003
- Stan Rogers Folk Fest, 2003
- Canada Day Celebration, Ottawa , 2003
- Gamble Rogers Folk Fest, Florida, USA, 2003, (2004)
- Four Corners Folk Festival, Colorado, USA 2003, (2004)
- Shady Hill River Festival, Kansas, USA, 2003
- Panoply Arts Festival, Huntsville, USA, 2003
- Blissfest, Michigan, USA, 2003
- Canmore Folk Fest, 2002,2003
- Hillside Music Fest, 2002, (2004)
- Ottawa Folk Fest, 2002
- Stewart Park Music Festival, 2002
- Dawson City Music Festival, 2002
- Summerfolk Festival, 2002
- Sunshine Music Festival, 2002
- Jasper Heritage Folk Festival, 2001
- Islands Folk Festival, 2001
Other Notable Performances:
- Alberta Bair Theatre, Billings MT USA, 2003
- St. Arden Theare (Sold Out), Edmonton, 2003
- Capilano College Folk n? Roots, Vancouver, 2002,2003
- Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland OH USA, 2003
- Thurston Auditorium, Eureka CA USA, 2002, 2003
- Folk Alliance Official Showcase, Jacksonville FL USA, 2002
- Arts Northwest Official Showcase, Eugene, OR USA, 2002
Radio and TV Highlights:
- #1 Folk/Roots CD of the Year (All Day Every Day) CBC Galaxie Satellite Network, 2002
- Top Canadian Artist on U.S. folk radio programs, October, 2002
- CBC National Radio, Richardson? Roundup/West Coast Performance, August, 2003
- CBC National Radio, This Morning with Shelagh Rogers, June, 2002
- A-Channel Winnipeg, Live TV Performance, October, 2003
- CBC National Radio, Madly Off In All Directions, November, 2002
- NPR, Live Interview in Montana, October, 2003
