Bill Callahan's "I've never had a deskjob" quip reminds me of the time I saw Smog perform in Leicester (UK), about 6 or 7 years ago. Between songs someone said " What do think of Leicester Bill?" And Bill said " Who comes from Leicester?" (or something like that), so I said " Englebert Humperdink". Bill said "Oh I've heard of him". I then said" What about Joe Orton" Bill said " Who's Joe Orton" And someone else shouted "A gay comedian". And Bill replied "Aren't we all"
On Bill's return to Australia after a decades absence, Bill took time tuning between songs. Some joker yelled 'We've been waiting a long time for this Bill!', his reply? 'Keep waiting'.
@COREY Callahan, if you're missing your Dad he's probably missing you too. Call him, tell him you miss him; hopefully the 2 of you can talk a lot more in between seeing each other. I sincerely hope this works out for you...
Since it isn't already listed in the video, the people performing are Bill Callahan - Vocals/Guitar Kris Youmans - Cello Andra Kulans - Violin Jaime Zuverza - Guitar Luis Martinez - Percussion
1) Jim Cain 2) Rococo Zephyr 3) Too Many Birds All from "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" the last LP. You're so lucky to have found this, as you can now discover his back catalog of 20 years!
I always come back here and hear this session before I go to sleep. "spend half of the morning just trying to get up, half the evening just trying to calm down"
Just an unbelievably gifted singer/songwriter. His storytelling, guided by his profoundly keen emotional intelligence, is some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing.
I agree. He was always good, charming, but he is near brilliant now, and I'm being cautious with my words. He has evolved so much in the last decade, I wonder ... where it will go? I am optimistic and excited. I mean, this album (Eagle) moves me like nothing else, but his latest is perhaps even more sophisticated, lyrically speaking.
been listening to Smog since Read Apple Falls. I bought it when I was 18 cuz I liked the cover art, had never even heard of the band. That was eleven years ago. I have all the Smog albums now. I love you Bill.
this guy is great but my bill was smog in the 90s and I was a teenage smog sewn to the sky, a stick-in-th-mud, an olive drab spectre, an ex-con....u get the picture.
il conserve un visage juvénile, adolescent... comme un jeune homme de 20 ans... sa voix rivalise de profondeur et d'une pudique expressivité (vous pensez à L. Cohen?.. moi aussi)... il a toujours été très assuré car il a une juste appréciation de sa valeur artistique... flegmatique, doté d'un redoutable humour à froid, il fait les choses à sa façon, selon sa personnalité... c'est une belle âme, un homme que j'aime et respecte. Je le considère comme un pilier, un phare de la musique américaine...
Man... there is something so mesmerizing about his voice.Great to hear someone singing down in this lower bass-baritone range, too. Love the instrumentation, as well.I get the feeling these songs are coming from a very deep place.
I saw Bill Perform in Northampton Massachusetts. After the show I was invited to meet him. I'm also a musician and performer. I consider him to be a great influence when I write and compose my own music. I appreciate how thoughtful and genuine his words and music are. Being able to shake his hand and tell him how much of an inspiration he is, introduced to me to an understanding of feeling nervous when meeting a truly talented human being.
Several times recently I've had my attention drawn to this rich velvet voice on the radio, had to stop whatever I was doing to wallow in the pleasure, then heard the name Bill Callahan mentioned. So I just had to look him up. Fab with the cello backing too.
If you've come to this video and are tempted to scroll past because it's not your cup of tea, I'd encourage you to listen a few times. Bill's music and this performance can really grow on you and leave a lasting, positive impact! xox
seems like the cello wasn't being recorded properly, which is really a shame. video in general lacks low-end as i'm assuming they were relying on it for that. great performance otherwise, though
So a friend of mine just mentioned Bill Callahan's name in passing and I had never heard of him. He didn't say anything about him, we were just talking about great musicians and lyricists, so I jotted the name down and here (or hear) I am. just from hearing this initial set, my life has just changed as it did the day I first heard Kris Kristofferson and Leonard Cohen. Hearing this in the wake of Niel Peart's death has me a bit emotional. Music is such a wonderful superpower.
That's awesome! My sister gave me Bill's/Smog's "A River Ain't Too Much To Love", and it was two years until I listened to it. Now, nearly seven years later, I can't stop listening to it. Keep paying it forward!
Had he been writing during the golden age of great American singer songwriters, Callahan's name would have doubtless been mentioned in the same breath as Prine, Willie Nelson, Dylan, or even Neil Young (yeah he's Canadian), although Serge Gainsbourg (ok fine, French) is perhaps an even more apt comparison. Unfortunately singer-songwriter-storytellers expressing profound ontological reflections on the human condition are obsolete in an era where reflection is in the small glowing rectangle in your hand; music nowadays tends to be a selfie viewed through so many filter apps that the subject bears no resemblance to the real world. All that to say, thank god for Bob Boilen (whom I had the distinct pleasure of seeing discuss his book live with Sylvan Esso once) and the Tiny Desk Concert series, which allows endangered species such as Bill Callahan to thrive in their natural habitats. A Rococo Zephyr indeed.
I think it's fair to call Bill Callahan's work inconsistent. Some albums are hard to listen to. Even his good albums have tracks that miss the mark. The positive take on that is he only fails sometimes because he takes risks in his songwriting. Maybe he feels like he has nothing to lose since he's always been an underground artist. One thing I know for sure is when he gets it right it's a beautiful thing. His best songs have a haunting quality that stays with you forever - something few musicians will ever achieve.
I just saw them in Paris last Friday! It was perfect! Usually it's that a concert hall or such change the sound a bit ... But no, they played in perfect harmony and sounded like heaven.
Been listening to this for years now, stuff of dreams. Like Drake, the lyrics are timeless, could have been written a century ago, but still move you. Poetry really. The musicians are totally buzzing, in the moment, he's the pied piper man.
@tylermbussey Your response makes no sense to me. I comment that I enjoy music like Bill`s because it doesn`t use the artificial reality of auto-tune and you suggest that you hope he spites me by using auto-tune on his next recording? Hopefully you know what you mean `cause I recon no one else does. Tony
This is an instant trance inducing tune for my daughter. She's fifteen m onths old now and has consistently worked for at least 11 months. Thanks, mom (Tonya T) for finding it!
Bill Callahan's "I've never had a deskjob" quip reminds me of the time I saw Smog perform in Leicester (UK), about 6 or 7 years ago. Between songs someone said " What do think of Leicester Bill?" And Bill said " Who comes from Leicester?" (or something like that), so I said " Englebert Humperdink". Bill said "Oh I've heard of him". I then said" What about Joe Orton" Bill said " Who's Joe Orton" And someone else shouted "A gay comedian". And Bill replied "Aren't we all"
oh my god
On Bill's return to Australia after a decades absence, Bill took time tuning between songs. Some joker yelled 'We've been waiting a long time for this Bill!', his reply? 'Keep waiting'.
priceless.
Had a couple of Guinness with him in galway , roisin dubh pub. Rain on Lens end of tour.
A sensitive and observant guy and great musician.
I came here because I was missing my dad, Bill Callahan. Ended up loving the entire set.
Call him :)
@@billiondollardan perhaps he is no longer with us?
@@collinmc90 Bill Callahan is alive and well as of this writing.
@COREY Callahan, if you're missing your Dad he's probably missing you too. Call him, tell him you miss him; hopefully the 2 of you can talk a lot more in between seeing each other. I sincerely hope this works out for you...
Your dad is awesome. Please tell him his music saved me. Lots of love from Australia.
Since it isn't already listed in the video, the people performing are
Bill Callahan - Vocals/Guitar
Kris Youmans - Cello
Andra Kulans - Violin
Jaime Zuverza - Guitar
Luis Martinez - Percussion
hard to write something without sounding really cliche but I'm a big fan of this guy
same here.
never agreed with a comment more
1) Jim Cain
2) Rococo Zephyr
3) Too Many Birds
All from "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" the last LP.
You're so lucky to have found this, as you can now discover his back catalog of 20 years!
I always come back here and hear this session before I go to sleep.
"spend half of the morning just trying to get up, half the evening just trying to calm down"
♡
I
I love
I love the
I love the last
I love the last song
I love the last song on
I love the last song on this
I love the last song on this set.
You and me both
@@napoleonwilson6499 Don't you mean
You
You and
You and me
You and me both
?
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
Just an unbelievably gifted singer/songwriter. His storytelling, guided by his profoundly keen emotional intelligence, is some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing.
Oh, he's a side-mouth singer - I never knew that...
Lol yeah I didn't either!!!
Maybe the most underrated lyricist ever.
Lamooo some
He paints scenes so simply, blackbirds, dancers, summer job on the boats , all vivid
Not surprised at all that he dated Joanna Newsom at one point
I agree. He was always good, charming, but he is near brilliant now, and I'm being cautious with my words. He has evolved so much in the last decade, I wonder ... where it will go? I am optimistic and excited. I mean, this album (Eagle) moves me like nothing else, but his latest is perhaps even more sophisticated, lyrically speaking.
uhh hear d of isaac brock.
/... he kinda,,,
uhh,,,
invented it...
Alright, so which intern dropped the wide angle lens?
lol
:) :) :) hahahahahahahha
I think they dropped all the lenses
Potato cam!
I Love how it looks painful for him to sing. Like he's really singing from his heart
Sadism right there!!
Music like this can save the world...rest in peace my dear friend Jonas.❤️
Get Bill Back on the Tiny Desk!
He just did today. In his yard
In case things go poorly
And I’ve not returned
Remember the good things I’ve done...
Heartbreaking
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
…Done me in” my favorite part. Adds a whole new layer
In my opinion, Bill has the greatest voice that's ever been recorded, ever.
***** The first song absolutely kills me. I am Jim Cain.
+chud jackson he really is like the white morgan freeman tho.
Aged to perfection, like fine wine. I'm amazed that he can sing in such a low register and still retain so much control.
This may be out of left field, but what about that fellow in the Crash Test Dummies?
Fair Point!
The man is unreal and not to mention, the band that supports him is equally impressive.
No songwriter has ever been more proficient in reading my mind.
Da Baby
If you play Bill's songs at x2 speed, they're actually quite cheery
Roll over Leonard Cohen, and tell Nick Cave the news.
been listening to Smog since Read Apple Falls. I bought it when I was 18 cuz I liked the cover art, had never even heard of the band. That was eleven years ago. I have all the Smog albums now. I love you Bill.
I saw him on that tour in a tiny ass club in New Orleans. So good.
I remember seeing him at union chapel in London maybe in 1997.
cammy, dat'd be RED apple falls, sheesh, c'mon cammy
Wonderful. What a lonesome voice. I think "Too Many Black Birds" is my favorite, so far. Just getting into this guy's music.
I will listen to this set for the rest of my life, first came here in 2011. I love living!
mrsinn The same here
♥️
lol @ Tiny Desk's description on this one
this guy is great but my bill was smog in the 90s and I was a teenage smog sewn to the sky, a stick-in-th-mud, an olive drab spectre, an ex-con....u get the picture.
still one of the best tiny desk sessions
Atenderwillowbranch....................Flo-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-tin'.... on me... So good
This is too good to be real, What a voice my friends, he is unreal 💥 I just love his music
Just heartbreaking-ly lovely. Bill never fails to make my heart swell.
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼💜🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
Beer, thank you.
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
No please come to New York and I'll be there. June is wide open for us, we have 3 concerts in May to attend.
@@IbrahimDashtiMusic
@@joannhickey8051 Hopefully you will someday🌼🌹🌺. How long have you been a fan of mine?
the reincarnation of Nick Drake? So good people still dare to make this kind of music
wow. you are right! I didn't think about it until I read your comment.
Woah holy shit, same thing here
Uh...what? He's twice as old as Nick Drake...
Broken Wave you must be thinking of the wrong person
Stephen Thompson's favorite moment at 11:46
***** I bet it was someone off to the side. I don't think it was a band member.
Annette peacock
That Jim Cain always brings tears to my eyes, well played Mr. Callahan
He uses the same singing expressions that Joanna Newsom uses. My heart...
nope they did indeed. they even played together onstage. check out their gorgeous rendition of ‘sycamore’ live.
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
Such solid music. Thanks Bill and band.
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
worst shot tiny desk ever. maybe best performance ever
This si still my favorite performance. Bill was at his best here.
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌺💜🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
Too Many Birds is about the grackles in the Hancock H-E-B parking lot in Austin
Probably uncommon grackles.
Fucking hell, man. Your gorgeous baritone, beautiful lyrics, wonderfully sensitive accompaninament here. Superstar stuff :o)
Gostaria de ter o Bill cantando todas as noites pra mim. A voz dele eh maravilhosa!!!
il conserve un visage juvénile, adolescent... comme un jeune homme de 20 ans... sa voix rivalise de profondeur et d'une pudique expressivité (vous pensez à L. Cohen?.. moi aussi)... il a toujours été très assuré car il a une juste appréciation de sa valeur artistique... flegmatique, doté d'un redoutable humour à froid, il fait les choses à sa façon, selon sa personnalité... c'est une belle âme, un homme que j'aime et respecte. Je le considère comme un pilier, un phare de la musique américaine...
C'est l'un des plus beaux commentaires que j'ai jamais lu! Vous avez une belle sensibilité face à la compréhension de Callahan et sa musique!
Man... there is something so mesmerizing about his voice.Great to hear someone singing down in this lower
bass-baritone range, too. Love the instrumentation, as well.I get the feeling these songs are coming from a very deep place.
nice performance but is this dude 14 or 43
I saw Bill Perform in Northampton Massachusetts. After the show I was invited to meet him. I'm also a musician and performer. I consider him to be a great influence when I write and compose my own music. I appreciate how thoughtful and genuine his words and music are. Being able to shake his hand and tell him how much of an inspiration he is, introduced to me to an understanding of feeling nervous when meeting a truly talented human being.
Well I used to be kind of blind, and now I can sorta see... Thank you, Bill, for sharing with us.
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
Several years ago in Phoenix. ❤❤❤
@@MarilynChileseHatch Wow🌼🌹 that's great. Where are you supporting from?
Utterly, absolutely, hammeredly, had me rooted to the spot. As exquisite a performance as we could expect in this age of instant gratification.
Several times recently I've had my attention drawn to this rich velvet voice on the radio, had to stop whatever I was doing to wallow in the pleasure, then heard the name Bill Callahan mentioned. So I just had to look him up.
Fab with the cello backing too.
I just found this band on Austin radio, I listen while getting ready for work
cheers bill you bellend great music
Astral Weeks ...Tim Buckley...and now you...took me awhile..but glad to meet you 26/12/22
Silly Bird. You. Can't. Only. Stop. Your. Heart. Beat. For. One. Heart. Beat!
Thanks for this journey, Bill
If you've come to this video and are tempted to scroll past because it's not your cup of tea, I'd encourage you to listen a few times. Bill's music and this performance can really grow on you and leave a lasting, positive impact! xox
The Richard Burton of the male singing voice.
BRILLIANT comment
wonderful great singer Bill Callahan what a voice wow
@sam11goewey It's also true, God admits that he's only a word, if you read closely...
inspired and beautiful
this makes my heart happy
He looks oddly younger now a days
seems like the cello wasn't being recorded properly, which is really a shame. video in general lacks low-end as i'm assuming they were relying on it for that. great performance otherwise, though
Holy musical genius Batman!!!!!!! This band is awesome. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
wet
Damn . What a voice . what a dude . Can I drink a beer with you Bill .
So a friend of mine just mentioned Bill Callahan's name in passing and I had never heard of him. He didn't say anything about him, we were just talking about great musicians and lyricists, so I jotted the name down and here (or hear) I am. just from hearing this initial set, my life has just changed as it did the day I first heard Kris Kristofferson and Leonard Cohen. Hearing this in the wake of Niel Peart's death has me a bit emotional. Music is such a wonderful superpower.
That's awesome! My sister gave me Bill's/Smog's "A River Ain't Too Much To Love", and it was two years until I listened to it. Now, nearly seven years later, I can't stop listening to it. Keep paying it forward!
I remember when his latest album came out they were playing it at a local record store and, like four people asked who it was.
Glad I stumbled upon this page, totally made my day!
beautiful voice, great musicians.... Soft, deep, soulful...
He's great. Not sure why so the press goes on and on about his "baritone" voice. Very few baritones would be comfortable singing so low. He's a bass.
I still love to come back to this video and enjoy listening to Bill.
This is beautiful. Top quality dreamscapes
The filming quality is pretty grotty, but it doesn't matter at all if you listen to the songs
Wonderful, thanks for sharing NPR, not to be ungrateful but why is this in 360p?
they deleted all too many birds from youtube. Most sadness day
I had never seen a video of Bill Callahan before...not what I expected. I love the somber look on his face. Every word seems labored. But it works.
Had he been writing during the golden age of great American singer songwriters, Callahan's name would have doubtless been mentioned in the same breath as Prine, Willie Nelson, Dylan, or even Neil Young (yeah he's Canadian), although Serge Gainsbourg (ok fine, French) is perhaps an even more apt comparison. Unfortunately singer-songwriter-storytellers expressing profound ontological reflections on the human condition are obsolete in an era where reflection is in the small glowing rectangle in your hand; music nowadays tends to be a selfie viewed through so many filter apps that the subject bears no resemblance to the real world. All that to say, thank god for Bob Boilen (whom I had the distinct pleasure of seeing discuss his book live with Sylvan Esso once) and the Tiny Desk Concert series, which allows endangered species such as Bill Callahan to thrive in their natural habitats. A Rococo Zephyr indeed.
Dane Ratliff don’t forget David Berman
Is that Bobby Weaver from thepAperchAse on bass?
Wow. This guy, huh?
Ha, the watch beeping at 11.48. Bill's not happy.
Love the way he sings out the corner of his mouth
So happy to be listening 💕
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
Wow this is beautiful, thanks to NPR for showcasing real talent
like how he doesnt respond to the 'desk job' jibber jabber
love his poetry style:)
that first song is really sweet
I think it's fair to call Bill Callahan's work inconsistent. Some albums are hard to listen to. Even his good albums have tracks that miss the mark. The positive take on that is he only fails sometimes because he takes risks in his songwriting. Maybe he feels like he has nothing to lose since he's always been an underground artist. One thing I know for sure is when he gets it right it's a beautiful thing. His best songs have a haunting quality that stays with you forever - something few musicians will ever achieve.
love bill love
His voice , a blend of Willie Nelson and Frank Sinatra.
With a touch of Hoyt Axton....
Incredible! Bill is smiling!
The quality of this video is very good! Thanks for sharing!
This reminds me of my buddy Dylan
I just saw them in Paris last Friday! It was perfect!
Usually it's that a concert hall or such change the sound a bit ...
But no, they played in perfect harmony and sounded like heaven.
Ok, I bought the three albums one minute ago!
I'm glad I have the same vocal register and almost the same voice than Bill :')
Been listening to this for years now, stuff of dreams.
Like Drake, the lyrics are timeless, could have been written a century ago, but still move you.
Poetry really.
The musicians are totally buzzing, in the moment, he's the pied piper man.
RUNNIN THRU THE 6 W MY WOES
@@dongvermine lol
This is just beautiful. Bravo!
Still fantastic, to this day. My fave. Love you lots, Bill.
@tylermbussey Your response makes no sense to me. I comment that I enjoy music like Bill`s because it doesn`t use the artificial reality of auto-tune and you suggest that you hope he spites me by using auto-tune on his next recording? Hopefully you know what you mean `cause I recon no one else does.
Tony
This is an instant trance inducing tune for my daughter. She's fifteen m onths old now and has consistently worked for at least 11 months. Thanks, mom (Tonya T) for finding it!
Am so happy and thankful for the sweet and endorsing comments from my beloved fans🌼❤🌷🥀have you been to any of my concerts?
This is the most beautiful live performance I have ever seen. Bill has gone from brilliant to even more brilliant.
deeply calming