Bloodshot Bill rocked Cornwall Saturday night

Article and Photos by Jason Setnyk

Cornwall Ontario – The one-man rockabilly band, Bloodshot Bill, returned to Cornwall for a concert on July 2nd at Lola’s Pub. This time, however, he didn’t play solo. He was joined by the Hick-ups.

It was a full house for the concert on Saturday night, and some in the audience were dancing along to the tunes.

“It was a great night! How could I describe it other than to say, absolutely stellar! Two high energy sets of Rockabilly madness and Bill’s one of a kind vocals had the crowd dancing all night long,” said promoter Robin McRae.

Bloodshot Bill, the Montreal musician, with his iconic slicked grease hair, has been entertaining audiences since 1998.

His rockabilly image is distinct, but the motivation behind his look isn’t fashion oriented, he just wears what he likes.

“I’m not exactly sure what my image is, I just do what I like,” said Bloodshot Bill. I am sure that I could put out a disco album and people would still call it “wild rockabilly” just because,” observed Bloodshot Bill.

Over the span of 18 years Bloodshot Bill has improved as a musician, but he still stays close to his musical roots.

“I think, hope, my playing has improved. I never took proper lessons for anything so it took me a while to figure stuff out and get my own thing going. Also, the sound of my recordings has improved a lot, at least to my ears, over the last 6 years. I’m still playing and recording the same kinda stuff as when I started,” Bloodshot Bill reminisced.

Bloodshot Bill plays his own unique brand of raw and raunchy rock and roll with just a guitar and a stomp board. He plays his guitar through a custom made Richtone Amp which adds richness to his unique sound and rhythms.

He has 11 full length albums, and 22 other albums (singles, EP’s, and split albums) that have been released throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada. These are places he still tours frequently by train, plane, bus, or car.

In April, his most recent release, “Guitar Boy” came out on Norton Records.

“I’m really happy with it. From the sound, songs and sequence, down to the great cover art, I’d highly recommended it,” Bloodshot Bill declared.

Opening the concert was Doctor MoM.

“Doctor MoM was the perfect choice to open the show, with a Nirvana influenced grunge/rock, foundation shaking 45 minutes of fury. Thank you to all who came out to support the ever growing music scene in town. Who says nothing happens in Cornwall,” promoter Robin McRae added.