Q&A With Bill Ricky
Bill Ricky performing at Bearley's (Photo: Belinda Naugler Adams)
Fresh off the release of their debut, self-titled EP on September 13, local alt-country act Bill Ricky is quickly becoming one of the most exciting acts in the Halifax music scene. Formed just a year ago, they've already made a name for themselves with their blend of traditional country, blues, and folk and their can't-miss high-energy live shows. Leading up to their EP release, we caught up with Leigh, Nick and Zack to chat about the band.
Can you tell us where the band name comes from?
Leigh: Bill Ricky came from a couple of different places, one of them being that I wanted my nickname to be Ricky because I have an uncle named Ricky, and he's pretty cool. He's like my long-lost uncle… it’s a whole story. I also think first name/last name is a cool way to be a band, especially when you're kind of a collective band like we are. There’s been a couple of times at the last few shows where people will show up who haven’t heard of us or our music, and they think it's some old crotchety man that's going to go up on stage, like missing a couple of teeth and play some deep country and then it's us. That's a really fun surprise.
How did the band form, and how did you meet?
Leigh: There’s a bit of a longer timeline on that one. I was doing solo music for a couple of weeks. I was doing some festivals and things last summer. The fall came around, and we started jamming. We were going to record some songs together, and it just kind of fell into place. We played Local Fest, which was our first show as a group. Since then, we've been growing and playing more shows. So last fall was our first show as a band, but it wasn't something that I had ever really planned on doing.
Nick: Many people have played with Bill Ricky, probably 15 people or something like that. We pick people up along the way, and there are always people who fill in for different shows and stuff like that.
Who are the core band members, and what instruments do they play?
Leigh: We have a bit more of a core now. We recorded with a different core, but since then, we’ve picked up Zach, who plays pedal steel and banjo. He’s awesome; we’re very lucky to have him. Core members now, sometimes Nick on the bass. Me on rhythm guitar and vocals. We have a new drummer, Liv, on the fiddle and a couple of different bassists or lead guitarists, depending on who’s in town or who wants to play.
I saw on social media that your drummer got Billy Ricky tattooed on his feet. What’s the story behind that?
Leigh: So that’s our kid drummer. He’s from England, and he went back to England. He was here on an exchange, and his dad is the drummer for U.K. Subs, a big punk band in England. I don’t know if he knew what he was getting himself into with a country band… but we love him. He moved back to England and very promptly got the band name tattooed on both of his dogs.
Nick: He recorded our EP with us, too. It was crazy when I first saw it. I thought it was fake - photoshopped or something. It took me a few days to realize it was real and that he actually got it. It’s pretty great and a good profile picture.
You guys have a really cool sound. How would you describe it?
Leigh: Alt-country is the most general term, but there are some traditional country elements, and then there's a little bit of what I call woman rock… I think that’s a good word for that. I really like playing all the different genres within country, like blues, traditional country, rock, folk, whatever songs we're writing, we just play them live.
What can you tell us about the EP?
Leigh: The EP is called Billy Ricky. It’s self-titled. It's five songs. We recorded it at The Deanery Project out in Musquodoboit Harbour, which was so much fun because we pretty much had a whole summer camp. If anybody knows The Deanery, we had a whole summer camp to ourselves for three days, a sound studio, and an industrial kitchen. There were five of us, maybe six, that were out there recording. We pretty much recorded for 23-22 hours of the day on some of those days.
Nick: We didn't do too much pre-planning and stuff. We went into it not knowing how many songs the EP would be. We ended up recording eight, but you get in there and realize at the last minute that parts have to change or things should be different. It was kind of stressful at times, but it was like really fun, and we ended up with five songs that we like, so it was really great.
Leigh: We recorded it there, and the rest of the mixing was done at Fang Recording in Dartmouth. Then, the mastering was done in Toronto with Kristian Montano. The actual process of recording for me was very fun. We were outside, on the water… it was cool.
Nick: There was a big summer camp gong, and we hit the gong, and that’s in Born Again Jesus at the very end.
Can you tell us about the singles released so far?
Leigh: Born Again Jesus is our most rock-heavy song. I would say it’s kind of southern rock. It was a lot of fun to record. Every time we play it live, it’s so much fun because every instrument gets to go as hard as they want, which you don't always get in an alt-country band. Sometimes, we play toned-down, more melodic songs. That was one I didn't want to record or make a single… I didn't have that vision, but then Nick and our other friends and bandmates were like that song rocks.
Nick: It’s the best one.
Leigh: Apparently, it’s the best one, so we did that and released it as a single. It’s so much fun. At the end, I’m screaming, and there’s a big gong noise… it’s just a good time. The next song that came out was Must Be Nice (To Be So Tough), and that’s a little slower and more of a sad ballad on the EP. That’s another one that I never thought I’d be playing live. That song started with me playing it acoustically on my living room floor one day - all sad. Then I started playing it at our jams, and it became a staple. I got some feedback about the song that I loved. A girl approached me after a show once and said they loved that song, and it made them cry. I was like, okay, well, it's nice if somebody can relate, you know?
Is that the songwriting process for all your songs - starting with you acoustically playing on your own and then bringing them to jam sessions?
Leigh: Sometimes. That's how it's gone for most of the songs on the EP, except for Born Again Jesus. That one was actually written in this room [Customer Service’s basement/jam space], and it was one of the old bandmates; Simon and Liam pretty much wrote that one together and then they sent me away to do lyrics. I did lyrics, came back, and it came together really easily. Sometimes we collaborate, and people come up with melodies and stuff.
Can you tell us about the EP cover? Is that a photo of you?
Leigh: Yes, it is. That's me as a tiny little cowgirl. I think I was 5 or 6 at a dance recital. One day, my mom sent me that photo, which I thought was the best. I was just getting into country music a couple of years ago, and I was like, it was the best photo I've ever seen, so it kind of became a Bill Ricky staple photo.
Leigh: The single artwork was done by my friend Sam Leverman. They did such a good job with pastels and clowny things… They're so good. Sam's very talented.
How will it feel to have the EP out there?
Leigh: I'm really excited. I feel like I’ve been talking about recording something like an EP, so or as a band or whatever, for a while. I think it’s going to be crazy to be able to hold it in my hands, put it on in the car, or listen to it whenever I want. I'm really excited for people to hear it. With its release comes opportunities to play festivals and other cool things, so it's all very exciting.
Nick: I'm also really excited about the variety of different songs we're going to have out, too, because Born Again Jesus is an upbeat and high-energy song, and then there are others that are more ballad-like and sad. It'll be nice to be able to share different songs.
You’re a relatively new band, but you have a good following. How does that feel knowing you have fans before your EP is even released?
Leigh: I find it crazy. We make our merch, and whenever we see someone wearing one of our shirts somewhere or wants to buy our shirts or anything like that, I find that crazy - Especially if I don't know them. I get a little giddy about it. I think it's been well received. I think people are here for the alt-country sound, and I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to play some of these shows because we are a new band. It's been fun. But yeah, it’s weird sometimes people sing our lyrics - but I find all that so cool.
Your merch is so cool. Can you tell us about it?
Leigh: I don't do all of them. Our good friends do a lot of them, and then I do some of them myself, but all of our merch is second-hand clothing that we vinyl print on. So there's all kinds of designs. There are great white sharks and Bill Ricky cowboys and cool little stars and stuff. All of the proceeds from that go to charities; usually, it’s Out of the Cold. Sometimes, we'll switch it up depending on the show, but it's not-for-profit merch.
If people want to listen to the EP when it comes out, how can we do that?
Nick: I think we'll probably make some cassettes, and yeah, that's probably the only physical copies we’ll make, but maybe some CDs if we get around to it. I feel like that would be cool. Maybe one CD and like 15 cassettes.
Would you sell those at shows?
Nick: Probably at a show, but for anybody in Halifax, send a DM, and we could drop it off, or you could pick it up, or something like that.
What about the digital release?
Nick: I think the only place it’s for sale is iTunes.
Leigh: I think it will be on every platform. I'm not sure about Bandcamp yet, but if you want to support us, you can come to our shows. You can support us by supporting whatever charity our merch is going to.
Listen to Bill Ricky’s self-titled debut EP - out everywhere now.
Upcoming shows
October 4, 2024 - The Seahorse Tavern with Noel Morgan & The Salty Groove and Lookout Tower
October 14, 2024 - Gobblefest Cape Breton
