The statesmanly Will Oldham, in all his many, many guises (iterations of Palace, Superwolf, Bonnie “Prince” Billy) has been as steady as a steady rock in the world of folk for nearly two decades, and his work both in music and in a variety of other multimedia ventures (you seen his Kanye video with Zach Galifianakis?) has made him one of the most far-reaching presences in the industry. And now he’s used his clout not only to conduct an epic interview with R. Kelly, but to enlist his new relationship with Emmett Kelly of the Cairo Gang to produce “Island Brothers,” a 7” devoted to Haiti in which all proceeds benefit water purification for those affected by last year’s earthquake. With so much to talk about, we called up Mr. Oldham for a lengthy chat—this, Part Two, discusses the Island Brothers/Edge Outreach charity mission and how you can help (hint: buy this), while Part One focuses on his encounters with celebrity interviewing. more ›

The statesmanly Will Oldham, in all his many, many guises (iterations of Palace, Superwolf, Bonnie “Prince” Billy) has been as steady as a steady rock in the world of folk for nearly two decades, and his work both in music and in a variety of other multimedia ventures (you seen his Kanye video with Zach Galifianakis?) has made him one of the most far-reaching presences in the industry. And now he’s used his clout not only to conduct an epic interview with R. Kelly, but to enlist his new relationship with Emmett Kelly of the Cairo Gang to produce “Island Brothers,” a 7” devoted to Haiti in which all proceeds benefit water purification for those affected by last year’s earthquake. With so much to talk about, we called up Mr. Oldham for a lengthy chat—this, Part One, focuses on his encounters with celebrity interviewing, and, coming next week, Part Two will go into detail on the Island Brothers/Edge Outreach charity mission and how you can help (hint: buy this). more ›

Drag City darling Will Oldham, aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, performed Friday evening at the Mohawk with Neil Hagerty's Howling Hex. Mixing old ("New Partner") and new tunes, Oldham wowed the sold-out crowd with a two hour set. Photos courtesy Nash Cook. more ›

This pair of Drag City folk heroes aren't the type of musicians to be taken lightly. more ›

As one might expect from an artist with quotes in one of a handful of his monikers, Will Oldham (aka Palace Brothers, Palace music, and Palace Songs) is a veritable peddler of musical red herrings. A good deal of Oldham’s charm is thanks to his tongue having taken up permanent residence in his cheek. more ›

Some of us haven't really caught our breath from Fun Fun Fun Fest, but that's just too damn bad because it's already time to start flipping out over various top 10 lists and yes, SXSW. more ›

What's more appealing than a beautiful girl singing Tom Waits songs? For some, nothing. Though much has been said (and speculated about) regarding Miss Johansson's decision to record an album of Tom Waits covers (well, there is one original tune on there, but you wouldn't be able to pick it out if you weren't at all familiar with Waits), the actual reviews are pretty much split down the middle. more ›

Gone are the sweet acoustic strum and the subtle country twang… Pink Nasty has graduated from Mule School. It took about a year and a half, but the pants-wettingly anticipated Mold the Gold has finally arrived. When the revving guitars of the opening track “I Don’t Know” give way to a lush, thoughtfully-produced sound, it’s plainly evident why fans had to wait so long for the sophomore release. Mold the Gold was an epic... more ›

If ACL fest hasn't caused you to hate music, you might want to check out this week's new releases: DJ Shadow The Outsider (Universal) DJ Shadow's latest offering has certainly managed to garner (perhaps more than) its fair share of critique, and for fans of Shadow who have been listening since Entroducing, it's fairly easy to see why. Outsider is, for the most part, DJ Shadow's most straightforward foray into hip-hop, and features an... more ›

Indie/hippie hobos nomads Brightblack Morning Light released their self-titled sophomore album just weeks ago, and while we didn't particularly care for it, others seem to generally dig 'em. The duo -- "Nabob" (Nathan Shineywater) and "Rabob" (Rachael Hughes) -- started back in 2002 with a split 7" shared with Bonnie Prince Billy (aka Will Oldham, among others). Since then, they've signed to Matador Records, toured with the likes of Joanna Newsom, Vetiver, and Gojogo, and... more ›