 Bill K grew up in NC. He started developing an interest in playing piano at age 6 but it didn’t go so well. He had a renewed interest in piano after discovering a copy of The Beatles album, "Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band", hidden among the classical music LPs in his parent’s cabinet. This time he re-started music, and though piano didn’t last long (it got swapped for guitar around college years) love of music, particularly The Beatles music, has been a lasting effect. As years went on Bill went through periods of waxing and waning involvement in various musical projects. In Bill’s words, Only in the past few years has the full realization of the precariousness and precious nature of life viewed paradoxically against the repressive energy with which most people limit their lives compelled me to become an active performer."
For the last couple years Bill’s been living in the Philly, PA region and playing to mass crowd gatherings across the northeast. Bill has played for over 25,000 people in the last year. With his band, "Dog’s Run Free," as well as at frequent solo performances, Bill has continued to acquire a steady stream of good reviews, outstanding memories and many fantastic new friends. You may have heard some of Bill’s original songs, such as: "Win This Race", "Impossible Is Not A Fact", "Free Smiles", "Particle in a Box" "Speed Monkey" as well as his latest creations: "I’m havin’ a better day than Paris(Hilton)", "Unstoppable Forces" and "The Wind." The highlight of Bilk’s summer thus far has been performing for the LOVE PARK SUMMER LUNCHTIME CONCERT SERIES (twice actually)...says Bilk, "Never have I felt so much love and acceptance when presenting my own material as I have down in the heart of Philadelphia...to hear my songs reverberating off the skyscrapers and feel the acceptance of the city was a sublime and marvelous experience I will never forget... To think back to a few years ago when I was learning to perform, by playing in the street just blocks away and subway stations underneath this very same spot, somehow makes it all feel very unreal." Bilk performed at large crowd gatherings such as: The Wilmington Marathon, Penn’s Landing, Wilson Farm Park Amphitheatre Summer Concert Series, Wilmington’s St Anthony’s Festival, and The Philadelphia Distance Run. In my mind, says Bill K, "The two local venues that have gone out of their way to make me feel like I’m at home away from home when I perform are: Burlap and Bean Coffee (in Newtown Square) and = MILKBOY COFFEE = (in Brynn Mawr).Bill also plays area open mics occasionally where local fans truncated his sign in name of Bill K. to the abbreviated name Bilk by which he is sometimes better known. OK by me, says Bill who has recently been building a website named BILKMUSIC.com
Bills works have been included in the soundtracks of multiple motion pictures such as the 2005 release, Perimeter Run which won an award at the Hawaii Film Festival. Additionally, Bill recently finished creating an entire soundtrack and score for a film entitled, Facing Tomorrow. The movie, conceived of by local area resident Joe Spampinato, was filmed in New Zealand. The raw edginess of the movie which deals with such issues as isolation, loss, life values and suicide, gave a strong emotional base from which I was able to draw on when creating songs, says Bill. I think this made for some interesting material. Granted a few of the songs were a bit darker than I would normally shoot for, but they were necessary for the picture. Also, I balanced them with some more positive material which is more my usual style. Most of the work of creating these arrangements was done in Bills home studio using multitrack recording, but the most fun part of the project for Bill was the full-scale recording sessions. The musicians met in a 300-year-old Friends Meeting House in Newtown Square. Film crews were also present and the sessions have been aired on Comcasts Channel 2 Public Access Channel. Some of the music developed for this project developed a place in the newly released music album: From Monkey With Love" by Bilk, released on the Philadelphia based: "Dogs Run Free" Label. The album is currently on sale online...see link above to CD Baby.
Bill’s concerts are a truly eclectic blending point of classic jazz, rock, blues, reggae, poetry, literature and raw emotion. His musical heroes include The Beatles, Cole Porter, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, and Jack Kerouac (ok so Jacks not really technically a musician). You will definitely not hear the same old songs at a BILK Show. States Bilk, "I usually strive to re-invent a standard if I’m going to do it at all. Who wants to hear the same thing the same way for the hundredth time? I strive to get the audience to feel that they are a part of the music and that the music is relevant to now. George Gershwin had it right when he said that, "True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans. My time is today."
more music and pics ...maybe video...etc...coming soon...stay tuned.
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