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“One of America’s most enigmatic singer-songwriters. Bill Callahan has frequently been hailed as the Leonard Cohen of his generation.” – The Telegraph
This is one we’ve been working on for a looooong time. At Split Works HQ, we cannot wait to share the beautiful music of Bill Callahan – once known as Smog – during a China tour that will span the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Ningbo. This prolific American singer-songwriter is known for setting poetic lyrics to a backdrop of simple yet profound melodies, sparking magical emotions in his listeners. Sometimes described as the “new Leonard Cohen” and often described as a “musician’s musician”, Bill will be accompanied by fellow guitarist Matt Kinsey onstage.
Bill Callahan’s singing is characterized by his striking baritone voice. Melodically and lyrically he tends to eschew the verse-chorus approach favored by many contemporary songwriters, preferring instead a more free-form approach that relies less on melodic and lyrical repetition. His generally dispassionate delivery of lyrics and dark irony often evoke complex emotional and lyrical twists and turns.
In the late 1980s, Callahan broke into the music scene with a lo-fi style of underground rock, putting out homemade albums recorded on four track tape recorders. He was a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment and much of his early output was instrumental – a stark contrast to the lyrical focus of his later work. After signing to the Drag City label, he started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records.
From 1993 to 2000, he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise’s John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. After this, Callahan returned to a slightly simpler recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting skills he had developed over the years.
In 2007, Bill Callahan parted with the “Smog” moniker and released the album Woke On a Whaleheart under his own name. Since then, he has released four more albums – the last of which, Have Fun With God, came out in January 2014.
Split Works welcomes you to experience one of this autumn’s most anticipated shows!
Bill Callahan China Tour Details
【BEIJING】
Date: November 21, 2014 Friday
Time：9pm
Door：130RMB
Presale: 100RMB https://yoopay.cn/event/BillCallahanBJ
Venue: Yugong Yishan
Address: 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng District (东城区张自忠路3-2号)
Support: Bian Yuan (边远)
【GUANGZHOU】
Date: November 16, 2014 Sunday
Time：8pm
Door：70RMB
Presale/Student: 50RMB
Venue: 191 Space
Address: 191 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong Road (Opposite Wuyang Metro Plaza, behind Tongren Tang), Yuexiu District 191space (越秀区广州大道中路191号)
【WUHAN】
Date: November 18, 2014 Tuesday
Time：9pm
Door：70RMB
Presale/Student: 50RMB
Venue: Vox Livehouse
Address: Guoguan Plaza, 118 Lumo Lu (Caojiawan Bus Station),Hongshan District (武汉鲁磨路118号国光大厦)
【NINGBO】
Date: November 22, 2014 Saturday
Time：9pm
Door：70RMB
Presale/Student: 50RMB
Venue: CMK Livehouse
Address: Qianhu Tiandi Plaza, 399 Qianhu Bei Lu, Yinzhou District, Ningbo (地址：宁波市鄞州区钱湖北路399号，钱湖天地广场)
【SHANGHAI】 (as part of the CONTEMPORALE Series)
Date: November 23, 2014 Sunday
Time：7.45pm*
*Performance will start promptly at 7.45. Please arrive 45 minutes prior to show time.
Price：130RMB
Presale: https://yoopay.cn/event/BillCallahan (first come first serve)
Location: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Hall
Address: 1380 Middle Fuxing Road, Xuhui District, near Baoqing Road (徐汇区复兴中路1380号，近宝庆路)
Links
Split Works official website：www.spli-t.com
Drag City official Bill Callahan webpage: www.dragcity.com/artists/bill-callahan
The Telegraph Bill Callahan interview: www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/10607463/Bill-Callahan-interview-I-knew-nothing-about-recording.html
Time Out Bian Yuan interview: http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Music/28653/Interview-Bian-Yuan.html
Bian Yuan Official Douban Site: http://site.douban.com/faraway/
About Split Works:
Split Works has been rocking in the free (ish) world since 2006. Working with inspirational artists from across the globe, the good people at Split Works HQ have been a key contributor to the continued rise of China’s music scene.
Split Works has launched four music festivals (with a 5th in the works) and promoted over 400 tours to 30 Chinese cities, always striving to stay true to a familiar refrain: the music has to be special, every single time. From Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Sonic Youth, from Thee Oh Sees to Mac Demarco and Shabazz Palaces, from Black Rabbit to JUE and Wooozy to More Music, we love music, we love China and we love you.
Get up close and personal: Wechat (@splitworks), Facebook (splitworks), Instagram (@splitworks), Twitter (@splitworks), Weibo (@splitworks潮流音乐), Douban (Split Works) and www.spli-t.com[:zh]
作为美国最传奇的歌手之一，Bill Callahan一直以来被誉为是这一时代的Leonard Cohen。 —— The Telegraph
这一次，我们迫不及待地将Bill Callahan美妙的音乐分享给大家。这位以醇厚男中音迷倒众人的前Smog乐队主唱将会在北京、广州、武汉、宁波举行四城巡演，最后参加上海的当代变奏系列活动。Bill Callahan是一位多产的的美国创作型歌手，擅长以简约而深刻的旋律承载诗意清雅的歌词，与听众产生丰富的情感共鸣，我们亦能从他的作品中看到Leonard Cohen和Tom Waits的影子。Callahan这次的中国之行将偕同吉他手Matt Kinsey一起登台演出。
在美国的Lo-Fi/Indie圈，Smog无疑是个传奇的名字，乐队主脑Bill Callahan惯用一台家用四轨录音机录制的作品曾感动和启发了无数乐迷和乐手，而他之后与著名美国独立厂牌Drag City长久稳定的合作关系也成了独立界的一段佳话。自1988年出版首张卡带作品以来，Smog乐队共发表十多张专辑，作为低保真（Lo-Fi）音乐的代表，被载入独立音乐史册，低调神秘，特立独行。
在以Smog的名义做了20年音乐之后，Bill Callahan于2005年决定启用自己的本名发表作品。Callahan自己的音乐，和Smog时期多少有些不同。当年对四轨机的迷恋和固执，到现在被相对更好的录音所替代；从当年坚持用一种乐器演奏一支曲子，到现在略显丰富的配器；更重要的，是比起那些年的迷幻少年心气，如今忧郁敏感的低沉吟唱更加令人沉醉。不过，即便是这样，Bill Callahan的作品里依然延续着晚期Smog的作品里那些福音，灵魂以及流行音乐色彩。在大部分作品里，Callahan的个人音乐以原声音乐为主，配上坦诚深情的演唱，有时甚至加上优雅的弦乐伴奏。但他也时不时会给乐迷带来一些惊喜，比如在2011年的专辑《 Apocalypse》里，他就加入许多带有浓烈美国乡村和布鲁斯韵味的歌曲，而这不喜欢按理出牌的做法，正是使得Callahan可以从众多的创作歌手中脱颖而出，令人一听难忘的关键所在。
脱离Smog乐队之后的Bill Callahan会给我们带来什么不一样的惊喜呢？这也是最令人期待的。让我们演出现场见！
演出信息
【广州站】
日期：11月16日 周日
时间：20:00
票价：50元（预售/学生）/ 70元（现场）
场地：191Space
地址：广州大道中路191号（五羊新城广场对面，同仁堂后面）
【武汉站】
日期：11月18日 周二
时间：21:00
票价：50元（预售/学生）/ 70元（现场）
场地：Vox Livehouse
地址：鲁磨路118号国光大厦
【北京站】
日期：11月21日 周五
时间：21:00
票价：100元（预售）/ 130元（现场）
预售链接：https://yoopay.cn/event/BillCallahanBJ
场地：愚公移山
地址：张自忠路3-2号
暖场嘉宾： 边远
【宁波站】
日期：11月22日 周六
时间：21:00
票价：50元（预售/学生）/ 70元（现场）
场地：CMK Livehouse
地址：钱湖北路399号，钱湖天地广场
【上海站】（“当代变奏”系列活动之一）
日期：2014年11月23日 周日
时间：19:45
票价：130元（预售/现场）
官方网络预售：https://yoopay.cn/event/BillCallahan
实体预售：上海交响音乐厅
地点: 上海交响乐团音乐厅 演艺厅
地址: 徐汇区复兴中路1380号，近宝庆路
相关链接
Split Works 官网：https://spli-t.com
Bill Callahan 的Drag City主页：www.dragcity.com/artists/bill-callahan
The Telegraph 对Bill Callahan 的采访：www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/10607463/Bill-Callahan-interview-I-knew-nothing-about-recording.html
Time Out 对边远的采访：http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Music/28653/Interview-Bian-Yuan.html
边远豆瓣小站:http://site.douban.com/faraway/
关于Split Works
Split Works是一家基于上海和北京的外资音乐演出公司，一直和诸多国际品牌进行合作，始终围绕音乐、品牌、创意和青年文化组织和推广各类活动。2006年成立至今，Split Works已为Sonic Youth、Diplo、Owl City、Jose Gonzalez、Ghostface Killah、Andrew Bird等众多艺术家举办过中国及亚洲地区的演出，并成功举办了2007年 “十跃”音乐节以及2011年在北京上海跨城上演的黑兔音乐节。从2009年起，Split Works每年春季主办的《觉》音乐+艺术节是一个为期三周的，将国内外的优秀音乐人、创意艺术家和爱好者聚集在一起的开源城市音乐艺术节。
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