Bio engl 2006 - Route66

INFO
BILLY BACON
AND THE FORBIDDEN PIGS
Agency & Mailorder
PA & Backline Service
Steigweg 17
D-88299 Leutkirch
Phone 0049 / (0)7561 / 71161
Fax 0049 / (0) 7561/ 72145
Mobil 0049 / (0)172 / 85 44 201
E-mail Route66-LA@web.de
www.Route66-LA.de
Singer/Songwriter and Bassist Billy Bacon founded The Forbidden Pigs in 1984.
Their musical gumbo is as unique as their name, drawing roots from all styles of American music. The
band's influences are: Jump/Swing, Tex-Mex, Country, Pop and Blues. The "Pigs" as their fans know
them are considered "The most versatile band in the land"and play in excess of 200 shows a year coast
to coast and overseas. They have released seven full length CD's to date, which are available worldwide.
Their newest CD "Pigs At the Zoo" is the soundtrack from the PBS series "Backstage Pass".
In the course of their recording history "The Pigs" have played host to a variety of noted guest
musicians including Grammy award winning fiddle player Michael Doucet, former James Gang leader and
current Eagle, Joe Walsh, Dave Alvin of The Blasters and X fame, Mojo Nixon, Singer/ Songwriting
legend Chris Gaffney, Guitar wizard Evan Johns and countless other world class musicians always ready
to join in on a "Pig's" recording session. This band has also been featured on several movie and TV
soundtracks including MTV and the offbeat hit Red Rock West.
However, the main attraction is of course, the live show. A live performance from the "Pigs" can be both
rip-roaring and heartfelt at the same time. The show is always energetic and sometimes reckless but
always guaranteed to get the audience involved. All of this is backed up with a counter punch of strong
songwriting, playing and singing. Billy Bacon's Forbidden Pigs are: Phil Shoemaker on guitar. Behind the
drum set is Justin G. Jones, who's steady beat completes the "Pigs" sound.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"This is a very 'Hip' band. Not many bands can do so many different styles and do them that well"
Jimmy Page
"I don't come to play with The Pigs because I'm a friend, but because I'm a fan. These guys are the
real thing"
Joe Walsh
"They are Los Puercos Fabullosos, I dig 'em"
Cesar Rosas, Los Lobos
"The Pigs are some of my favorite musicians. They are a real inspiration for us to write songs and play
harder"
Dave Gonzales,The Paladins
SOUNDTRACKS
Billy Bacon and The Forbidden Pigs are included on these movie and TV soundtracks
RED ROCK WEST - Starring Nicholas Cage and Dennis Hopper
BRAINSMASHER (A Love Story) (also titled; The Bouncer and the Model) - Starring Andrew Dice Clay
WATER AND POWER - Independent Film
MTV's THE REAL WORLD, MTV's ROAD RULES
Download presspics + bio + pressinfo under www.forbiddenpigs.com
Out Now: The New CD: Still Smokin’ After 20 years”
Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs have just released their milestone CD Still Smokin’ After 20 Years, and for
their fans it’s a damn near perfect compilation. It’s not a greatest hits – it’s simply a collection of some of
Billy’s Bacon’s notables that he has handpicked from his eight previous records, and some of the fan favorites that he has performed over the past 20 years. So this year he and his band set out to celebrate the
endurance and commitment they’ve made over those years to spread their Texmex-blues-abilly gospel to
people everywhere.
Against today’s vapid pop-music industry, The Pigs (as their fans know them) are a true cultural shakeup with
their unrelenting individualism. But regardless of their knack to stand out (and even though The Pigs have
toured relentlessly over the years) they unfortunately still remain under the radar. As the cover story of
3rd Coast Magazine’s April 2004 issue explains “…if you want poster children for neglected road warriors,
you could hardly do better than Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs. The trio tours virtually non-stop, playing
to capacity crowds, but you rarely come across any mention of them…”
Maybe that’s why Billy Bacon has been underappreciated. His ability to tour as much as 200 days a year, and
actually make a living doing it, has unfortunately at times portrayed them as just a bar band. On the contrary, he tours because he wants to take his one of a kind show to the rabid fans he has gathered in every
corner of the U.S. As his home town paper, the San Diego Union Tribune describes, “Some performers are
animated. Some are manic. But only a precious few play like they are truly possessed. Some call the music of
Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs roots rock, or rockabilly with a hint of the blues. However, there is so
much influence and variety in his music, labels can’t do the group justice… Whether he’s doing daredevil
jumps off the bass fiddle, crooning a heartfelt ballad or leading his troupe of seasoned musicians into an
authentic Mexican norteña classic, Bacon is wholly devoted to his craft.”
Along with the irrefutable uniqueness of their shows, Billy Bacon’s timeless and passionate voice is portrayed
beautifully in every different style of song he sings. His penchant for mixing up genres comes from his
musical mentor Doug Sahm. When Billy formed The Pigs in 1984, Sahm was his primary inspiration.
Ironically, Sahm has been the only artist to cover one of Billy’s songs, Una Mas Cerveza. As once again
explained by 3rd Coast Magazine’s cover story, this fact “ is curious
because all his albums are goldmines of original songs with far more substance than might be expected given
the trio’s reputation as the premier roots party music band.”
Doug Sahm isn’t the only famous fan of Billy’s. There is also a host of others who are admirers that have
also played on his records including Joe Walsh, Michael Doucet, Dave Alvin, Mojo Nixon, Country Dick
Montana, Evan Johns, and Chris Gaffney. “I don’t come to play with The Pigs because I’m a friend, but
because I’m a fan. These guys are the real thing”, says Joe Walsh. “This is a very “HIP” band. Not many
bands can do so many different styles and do them that well” proclaimed Jimmy Page after The Pigs had
just finished playing a Mardi Gras show he attended in New Orleans.
And as another one of his friends (and Producer) Beat Farmer Buddy Blue puts it, “…if you haven’t caught
the Pigs live, I must insist that you do so at the first given opportunity. I’m at a loss to explain how Billy – a
short, portly, beer-swillin’ middle-aged guy (hey, he ain’t good lookin’ but he sure can play) – is able to engage
in the sort of onstage acrobatics that hallmark these shows, but it must be seen to be believed…bask in his
music’s bitchen-ness and you can pat yourself on the back for having the impeccable taste to support one of
America’s mystic musical treasures!
Review from: Country Standard Time | by Ken Burke
Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs - Still Smokin’ After 20 Years
Culled from Billy Bacon's 20-year odyssey with various Pigs lineups, this 21-song anthology provides the perfect introduction to a potent club act that has surprisingly stayed under the mainstream radar.Bacon possesses an appealing flair for imbuing every song - including rockabilly scorchers "Red Dress" and "Little Town
Fool" - with a heartfelt dose of Tex-Mex and blues. Whether nicking the Fabulous Thunderbirds' vibe for
party rockers "Battle with the Bottle" and "I'm a Fool" or latching onto Louis Prima style jump and swing
during "When It's Cold Outside" and "Jump for Jive," he sounds timelessly authentic. Other influences are
also given full Forbidden Pigs treatment as well. The Latin language tinged "Un Mas Cerveza" and "Hasta
Manana Iguana" boast an effervescent Sir Douglas Quintet production sense while "Valley's and Peaks"
smartly appropriates Creedence Clearwater Revival's sound. Moreover, "Clown" exhibits a passion for romantic 60s soul and Bruce Springsteen's working class irony neatly shadows "All I Really Want." Moreover, the
snappy "While the Wife's Away" and mortality conscious "Clock on the Wall," proves that Bacon is a topnotch country singer capable of raising a smile or tear at will. Of all the compilations released in 2004, this
one earns my highest recommendation.
Discographie:
Still Smokin’ after 20 years (Triple X Records, 2005)
Cloven Grooves (Swine Song Records, 2003)
Pigs At The Zoo (Live, Swine Song Records, 2001)
Pig Latin (Triple X Records, 2000)
Pork Que ? (Triple X Records, 1999)
13 Years Of Bad Road (Live, Swine Song Records, 1998)
The Other White Meat (Triple X Records, 1995)
Dressed To Swill (Triple X Records, 1992)
Una Mas Cerveza (Triple X Records, 1989)
Una Mas Cervesa (Single, Vinyl, Triple x Records, 1989)
Contact + Further Info
www.forbiddenpigs.com
www.Route66-LA.de
Tourdates Sept/Oktober 2001
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
19.09.01
20.09.01
21.09.01
22.09.01
So
Mo
Di
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
23.09.01
24.09.01
25.09.01
26.09.01
27.09.01
28.09.01
29.09.01
So 30.09.01
Nonnenweier (D), Anglerheim
Walldorf (D), Kulturwerk
Hachenburg (D), Bongo Bongo
Nieuwenhove (B) (Privat),
Don Gilberto's Borderline Cantina
Antwerpen (B), Crossroads Cafe
Ruiselede(B), Banana Peel
Suhl (D), Gambrinus
Ravensburg (D), Zehntscheuer
Ulm (D), Cafe Wintergarten
Altdorf (D), Jimmy's Cafe
Babenhausen (D),
Musiknacht, Eddy's BaRock
Saulgau (D), Franziskaner
Di 02.10.01 Isny (D), Musiknacht,
Schwarzer Adler
Mi 03.10.01 Kaufbeuren (D), Uncle Satchmo's
Do 04.10.01 Achern (D), Zum Wagen
Fr 05.10.01 Bremen (D), Meisenfrei
Sa 06.10.01 Hoya (D), Blues At Church
So 07.10.01 Olsberg (D), Gasthof Schlüter
Mo
Di
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
So
Mo
08.10.01
09.10.01
10.10.01
11.10.01
12.10.01
13.10.01
14.10.01
15.10.01
Ingolstadt (D), Bluesfest Neue Welt
München (D), Hideout
Saulgau (D), Franziskaner
Fellheim (D), Sticks
Habach (D), Village
Lindenberg (D), Bleifrei
Tübingen (D), Ammerschlag
Salzburg (A), Rockhouse
Tourdates April / Mai 2003
Di
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
So
01.04.03
02.04.03
03.04.03
04.04.03
05.04.03
06.04.03
München (D), Hideout
Landshut (D), Jimmy's
Pontresina (CH), Hotel Saratz
Chur (CH), Safari Beat Club
Munderkingen (D), Musiknacht
Tübingen (D), Ammerschlag
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
So
09.04.03
10.04.03
11.04.03
12.04.03
13.04.03
Pfaffenhofen (D), Stockers
Ingolstadt (D), 1516 West-Park-Bräu
Leutkirch (D), Bocksaal
Garching (D), Musiknacht
Singen (D), Exil
Mi
Do
Sa
So
Mo
16.04.03
17.04.03
19.04.03
20.04.03
21.04.03
Pfullendorf (D), Deutsches Haus
Lorsch (D), Musiktheater Rex
Hamm (D), Nacht der Clubs
Antwerpen (B), Crossroads
Bonheiden (B), Den Bromfiets
Mi 23.04.03 Aarschot (B), Café d’Elf Ure Mis
Do 24.04.03 Comines (F),
Maison Musicale Le Batutilys
Fr 25.04.03 Outreau (F), B-52 Tex-Mex
Sa 26.04.03 Hekelgem, Afligem (B), Zaal Avilo
So 27.04.03 Olsberg (D), Gasthaus Schlüter
Mi 30.04.03
Do 01.05.03
Fr 02.05.03
Sa 03.05.03
04.05.03
Mo 05.05.03
Fr 14.05.04 Kirchheim-Bolanden (D),
Zum Weissen Ross
Sa 15.05.04 Babenhausen (D), Eddy's BaRock
So 16.05.04 München (D), Rattlesnake Saloon
Tourdates Juli / August 2004
Do
Fr
Sa
So
Mo
08.07.04
09.07.04
10.07.04
11.07.04
12.07.04
Bremen (D), Meisenfrei
Seelbach-Wied (D), Rotes Haus
Wendelstein (D), New Orleans Festival
Runding (D), LiederbühneSo
Fr 16.07.04
Hohenwart (D), privat
Sa 17.07.04
Salzburg (A), Rockhouse
Do 22.07.04
Mi 07.05.03 München (D), Rattlesnake Saloon
Fr 23.07.04
Do 08.05.03 Aalen (D), Podium
Sa 24.07.04
Fr 09.05.03 Lindenberg (D), Kura Kura
So 25.07.04
Sa 10.05.03 Ravensburg (D), Zehntscheuer
So 11.05.03 Saulgau (D), Franziskaner
Mi 28.07.04
Do 29.07.04
Mi 14.05.03 Eisenach (D), Schorsch’l
Fr 30.07.04
Do 15.05.03 Göttingen (D), Irish Pub
Sa 31.07.04
Fr 16.05.03 Hamburg (D), Downtown Bluesclub
Sa 17.05.03 Schloß Zeil (D), Grüner Baum
Mi 04.08.04
Do 05.08.04
Fr 06.08.04
Tourdates April / Mai 2004
Sa 07.08.04
So 08.08.04
Pontresina (CH), Hotel Saratz
Uttwil (CH), Strandbad
Runding (D), Liederbühne - Biergarten
Tübingen (D), Ammerschlag
Salzburg (A), Rockhouse
Peer (B), R & B Festival
Brakel (D), Albrock Festival
Fellheim (D), Freighttrain
Tettnang (D), Bäumle
Babenhausen (D), privat
Saulgau (D), Franziskaner
Koskenkorva (Fin), Koskenkuohu
Helsinki (Fin), Storyville
Hanko (Fin), Makasiini
Turku (Fin), Hogfarm Festival
Habach (D), Village
Lindau (D), New Orleans Bar
Laax (CH), Fat Tire Festival
Laax (CH), Fat Tire Festival
München (D), Rattlesnake Saloon
Tourdates Juni/Juli 2002
Tourdates Juni / Juli 2005
Do 02.06.05 Ingolstadt (D), Westparkbräu
Fr 03.06.05 Filisur, Bellaluna (CH), privat
Sa 04.06.05 Bischofszell (CH), Festival
Fr
Sa
So
Mi
Fr
Sa
So
14.06.02
15.06.02
16.06.02
19.06.02
21.06.02
22.06.02
23.06.02
Wangen (D), Bodega Bar
Saulgau (D), Franziskaner
Einsiedeln (CH), Blues & Dixie Festival
Habach (D), Village
Schloß Zeil (D), Grüner Baum
Ravensburg (D), Virginia Saloon & Bar
München (D), Hideout
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
So
Mo
26.06.02
27.06.02
28.06.02
29.06.02
30.06.02
01.07.02
Hamburg (D), Downtown Bluesclub
Bielefeld (D), Extra
Olsberg (D), Gasthof Schlüter
Zottegem (B), More Blues Festival
Antwerpen (B), Crossroads
Ruiselede (B), Banana Peel
Do 04.07.02 Pontresina (CH), Hotel Saratz
Fr 05.07.02 Montreux (CH), Jazz Festival
Scène de la Rouvenaz
Sa 06.07.02 Wombrechts (D), Classic Bikes
So 07.07.02 Ellerazhofen (D), Alcazar
Open-Air-Tex-Mex-Brunch
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
So
10.07.02
11.07.02
12.07.02
13.07.02
14.07.02
Konstanz (D), Rheinterassen
Pfullendorf (D), Deutsches Haus
Lorsch (D), Musiktheater Rex
Runding (D), Liederbühne Robinson
Babenhausen (D),
Eddy’s Barock - Open Air
Fr
Sa
So
Mo
Di
02.04.04
03.04.04
04.04.04
05.04.04
06.04.04
Gotha (D), Londoner
Reitwein (D), Zum Heiratsmarkt
Berlin (D), Garbaty
Eisenach (D), Schorsch'l
Suhl (D), Gambrinus
Do
Fr
Sa
So
Mo
Di
08.04.04
09.04.04
10.04.04
11.04.04
12.04.04
13.04.04
Arosa (CH), Hotel Eden
Arosa (CH), Hotel Eden
Lugano (CH), Mamy Jazz Club
Lugano (CH), Mamy Jazz Club
Fellheim (D), Freigttrain Bar
Ulm (D), Charivari
Fr 16.04.04 Chur (CH), Safari Beat Club
Sa 17.04.04 Lindau Musiknacht (D), Z'samm Bar
Support: To Be 4 You
Di
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
20.04.04
21.04.04
22.04.04
23.04.04
24.04.04
München (D), Hideout
Habach (D), Village
Ingolstadt (D), West-Park-Bräu
Eichstätt (D), Zum Gutmann
Garching (D), Musiknacht
Do 29.04.04 Wendelstein (D), New Orleans Festival
Fr 30.04.04 Leutkirch (D), Walpurgisnacht 2004
Sa 01.05.04 Saulgau (D), Franziskaner
Sa
So
So
Mo
08.05.04
09.05.04
09.05.04
10.05.04
Hekelgem-Afligem (B), Zaal Avilo
Breda (NL), Classic Cars 13:15
Antwerpen (B), Crossroads Cafe 17:00
Ruiselede (B), Banana Peel
Do 13.05.04 Lorsch (D), Musiktheater Rex
Mo
Di
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
06.06.05
07.06.05
08.06.05
09.06.05
10.06.05
11.06.05
Helsinki (Fin), Storyville
Helsinki (Fin), Storyville
Tampere, (Fin), Telakka
Kokkola (Fin), Corner´s
Raahe (Fin), Rytmikellari
Nedervetil (Fin), Cafe 13
Di
Mi
Do
Fr
Sa
14.06.05
15.06.05
16.06.05
17.06.05
18.06.05
München (D) , Hideout
Habach (D) , Village
Fellheim (D) , Freighttrain
Splügen, Vals (CH), Music Club G's
Einsiedeln (CH), Music-Festival
Do
Fr
Sa
So
23.06.05
24.06.05
25.06.05
26.06.05
Landshut (D), Jimmy's
Chur (CH), Safari Beat Club
Wohmbrechts (D), Classic Bikes
München (D), Rattlesnake Saloon
Mi 29.06.05 München (D), Oklahoma
Do 30.06.05 Vöhringen (D),
Clubhaus Illertalcowboys
Fr 01.07.05 Ellerazhofen (D), Alcazar
Sa 02.07.05 Babenhausen (D), Eddy`s Barock
So 03.07.05 Tübingen (D), Ammerschlag
Do
Fr
Sa
So
07.07.05
08.07.05
09.07.05
10.07.05
Czluchow (PL), Americana Festival
Charzykowy (PL), Americana Festival
Szczecinek (PL), Americana Festival
Tczew (PL), Americana Festival
Route 66 - Dates 2001 -2005