Check out the music page for lyrics/samples/mp3s.

Studio Session Work

I'm always bangin' out somethin' for somebody... vocals, organ, guitar, bass...whatever I can talk them into. Here are some samples.

I'm also doing whole songs and whole CDs for folks in my home studio these days.

Look on the shows page for live dates.

Bio

Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Billy Gewin has been making music in the Atlanta area for the last 15 years. As the cliché goes, after the usual stint with cover bands and supporting roles playing other writers' music, a girlfriend encouraged him to pursue his own writing, with a specific goal of publishing a CD of his own material. Billy has since met that challenge three times with no sign of slowing down.

Billy prefers to align himself with artists who have spent most of their careers challenging the mainstream: songwriters/composers like Shawn Colvin, Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, Ben Folds, Paul Westerberg and George Gershwin; and groups like U2, Steely Dan, Cold Play, and Wilco.

The first thing you notice about Billy's songwriting is his unselfconscious and honest lyrics. Next is the range of accessible melodies and cascading harmonies that aren't afraid to start below the staff and work their way well above and back down again. Lastly, this is not music for the lowest common denominator.

His first self-produced CD released in 1999 was with power pop trio "The Geckos". It was a collection of hilarious odes to paranoia, UFO's, overweight lovers, and sperm donors, anchored by prolific guitar/bass/drum playing, and carefully augmented with clever keyboard and horn embellishments, rich harmonies and an occasional, unexpected "left turn of arrangement".

In 2001, Billy released his first true solo release "Good, Smart Bear" exhibiting a more organic, mature sound and style, exploring everything from failed relationships to immigration policy. The CD's title (a nod to author John Irving) and opening lines set the stage for the more thoughtful and literary allegory that he has continued to perfect:

     In saying the city's the same as me
     I'll tell you something about this town
     And if I don't get lost in my own analogy
     I'll tell you something about me

While still chock full of musical "Easter eggs" for the more than casual listener, emphasis was placed on the songs themselves rather than on musical acrobatics.

If "Good, Smart Bear" was lyrically more introverted, his 2006 release, "Hodges Shan't Be Shot", was a more extroverted affair touching on themes of outreach, interpersonal connection, responsibility, love, empathy, cynicism and hope - at times angry, and at others, tongue in cheek. Standouts include the CD's opener "Don't Let Me Down" with its sing-along chorus, the socially conscious yet hilarious lament "Fat Americans" and the powerful harmonies on the a cappella, call-and-response "Sugarland."

So, what's in store for 2010? "I'll be doing a lot of recording for other people, and of course I'm really excited about promoting River Of Stone, the new disc. These new tunes are a little less jazzy and a little more twangy," says Gewin. "Lyrically, the new stuff is somewhat more heavy, with themes having to do with profound loss and recovery. It's about looking trouble in the eye and trying to do the best you can with what you have to work with in difficult situations. It's not all bummer stuff, though! I'm hoping I can get some of the tunes used in movie soundtracks." The CD will also include his first recorded cover song - Elvis Costello and Aimee Mann's "Telescope".

- Marc Desandre