Billie MacGowan

[Billie]

Howyeh
My band being in stand-by mode, I decided to go solo, strongly inspired by Billy Bragg attitude and sound.
Billie is my "acquired" name (I've an Italian name, but everybody seems to be more comfortable calling me Billie)
MacGowan is an obvious tribute to one of my favourite bands (guess which one )
I opened a space on MySpace, and uploaded a song that you might as well have heard in other versions.

Here's to you
http://www.myspace.com/billiemacgowan

[territa]

I like it. Will there be more?

[Fionn MacCool]

Really liked the song mate. You don't really sound Italian at all, which I imagine you'd take as a compliment seeing as you weren't trying to sound it!

Look forward to hearing more.

[Billie]

I like it. Will there be more?

oh, yes. I've done some other cover version, as well as some songs of my own (some that I played with my band and some that I wrote specifically for this project).

You don't really sound Italian at all, which I imagine you'd take as a compliment seeing as you weren't trying to sound it!

I'm lucky: my mother taught English and she had English friends, so I was quite used to hear English even though I didn't understand it, as a child. But when I studied it i found it quite easy. Been in the UK and Ireland loads of times, used it at work, and my sister's husband is American, so I've had the chance to use it (and I'm also fond of watching movies and reading books in English). I am quite proud of my accent, so thanks for the compliment!

[Billie]

ok, here's to you

Dark End of the Street
Another cover to unveil my soul influences

Career Opportunities and Janie Jones
Two Clash covers. There's some mistakes and I do believe the singing is not so good, but I rather improvised them

St.Precarious
That is a song of mine. It talks of precarious jobs and lack of opportunities for the youth, which is quite a problem in Italy, as it's getting very difficult for young people to be able to exploit fully their potential.

Revolution is Like the Wind
Another song of mine. It gets inspiration from the assault a gang of nazis led against a boy, who got killed and takes the title from a song of a neo-nazi band. I want to precise that I have no nazi sympathies or ideas. It talks about gang mentality, and the intolerable habit of dusting off old flags, football colours, or pieces of clothing as an excuse for violence.

Quality is shite, and the songs aren't half as cured as Dirty Old Town was. The two songs I wrote were actually versions I played to be able to work on them properly, so there's mistakes I didn't want to erase or so. But I just felt like putting them online. Hopefully I'll record them with a better quality soon

[Pyro]

Pretty good Billie! Those Clash songs are great, especially Janie Jones - doesn´t sound like you're trying hard to be Joe-like, yet there´s a lot of energy in it, innit?

At Dirty old cu...ehm, town - I don´t really like the rhytm, I prefer relaxed one of (for example), the Pogues, but it´s probably a matter of preference.

[Billie]

Want to get both this solo project AND my band Pressure Drop AKA (likely to get a new name, as well as a new drummer) back on the tracks again. I finally fixed my electric guitar and had its pickguard painted by a very artistic friend of mine called Jimmy. I wanted to show you all the result, which I think is magnificent. I thought that the guitar (bought second-hand, 100 €, got it for more than six years now, I think) still needs a name. Thought Som-Yat-Zu would be brilliant indeed, but I'm too scared it might mean something like "my feet stink"!

[firehazard]

Just finally got round to having another listen, Billie, and you've done some really good stuff there.
And that's one cool guitar too.

Keep up the good work, look forward to hearing some more.

[CraigBatty]

That is some seriously GREAT shit, Billie. I tips me lid to you.

When you tore into Dirty Old Town, I got the same pleasure I do listening to Mr Bragg. Nice one. And one of my all-time favourite songs too, you fecker! Now I'll have to put off recording it myself for a few years (phew ) until all the fuss over your version dies down.

You should set up on Reverbnation.com too. It's SO much more comfy out in the green-room there (the user features are HUGE).

Look forward to seeing, hearing and enjoying much more of that stuff you do.

Keep it going,
Craig
http://www.reverbnation.com/fintan

[Billie]

That is some seriously GREAT shit, Billie. I tips me lid to you.

When you tore into Dirty Old Town, I got the same pleasure I do listening to Mr Bragg. Nice one. And one of my all-time favourite songs too, you fecker! Now I'll have to put off recording it myself for a few years (phew ) until all the fuss over your version dies down.

You should set up on Reverbnation.com too. It's SO much more comfy out in the green-room there (the user features are HUGE).

Look forward to seeing, hearing and enjoying much more of that stuff you do.

Keep it going,
Craig
http://www.reverbnation.com/fintan

Thanks Firehazard and CraigFintan now I'm getting my music back on the tracks, playing a bit more by myself. I'll check reverbnation out, and will be working on a couple tracks soon...in the spare time I get from looking for a job! I hope to get better versions of "Revolution is like the wind" and "St. Precarious" soon, as well as a couple new songs of mine, apart from those cover versions (I also have "Sittin' on the dock of the bay" somewhere among my files)...

[Welshie]

Nice one Billie
Cheers
Aled

[Billie]

I followed Craig's advice, and here's my ReverbNation profile: http://www.reverbnation.com/billiemacgowan
I finally managed to put on a couple tracks (I had recorded them at 48 kHz, and it only accepts 44.1), and, as promised, I put on my version of "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay", which I previously never put on MySpace.
I hope to be able to record and put on some tracks of mine, as the tracks online now are only covers.

And, for the news, yesterday a drummer finally contacted me, and I hope the band we'll be able to get back on the tracks in a month's time, if the drummer is OK. Really looking forward to it, the guitarist and I have rehearsed a lot of The Men They Couldn't Hang songs and "Johnny Come Lately", as well

[firehazard]

I followed Craig's advice, and here's my ReverbNation profile: http://www.reverbnation.com/billiemacgowan
I finally managed to put on a couple tracks (I had recorded them at 48 kHz, and it only accepts 44.1), and, as promised, I put on my version of "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay", which I previously never put on MySpace.
I hope to be able to record and put on some tracks of mine, as the tracks online now are only covers.

And, for the news, yesterday a drummer finally contacted me, and I hope the band we'll be able to get back on the tracks in a month's time, if the drummer is OK. Really looking forward to it, the guitarist and I have rehearsed a lot of The Men They Couldn't Hang songs and "Johnny Come Lately", as well

Can't make that reverbnation site work on my comp. Get a load of nonsense about popups on it. All seems too complicated to function.
But the news sounds good, Billie. Enjoyed what I've heard on your myspace, and look forward to hearing more

[Billie]

Can't make that reverbnation site work on my comp. Get a load of nonsense about popups on it. All seems too complicated to function.
But the news sounds good, Billie. Enjoyed what I've heard on your myspace, and look forward to hearing more

Yes, I'm noticing a couple problems with the player-
I'll upload the new track on myspace next week and let you know