Sir Richard Bishop is about to drop another slab of American primitive fingerstyle guitar goodness upon us. The Portland-based performer will release his pleasingly titled new album Hillbilly Ragas on ye olde Drag City in September. Its opening track, "They Shall Take Up Serpents," also is well-named, and man, can this guy shred. Crucially, Bishop's acoustic guitar virtuosity serves the song here; it's a dynamic improvised composition that makes full use of his extremely fast fingers.
In his statement about the album, Bishop has thoughts about that "American primitive" phrase and how it relates his work here:
I've always felt that the majority of what is considered to be American Primitive music, while certainly based on historical American musical traditions, never really had any sounds that I personally thought of as being primitive — it always seemed too orderly, too developed, and too safe. Way too safe. I found that playing with a sort of reckless abandon was the best way to remain outside of the usual musical language found in this genre of music, while still being able to establish itself within its framework, through determination and force if nothing else. I had in mind an undiscovered "hillbilly" guitarist who had remained hidden in his own secluded backwoods; one who never heard about any traditional musical styles that he was expected to work within. So what we have here with Hillbilly Ragas are nine improvised pieces for solo acoustic guitar, each one representing a different excursion into the dark woods—the untamed explorations of a musical loner, an outsider, maybe even an undesirable, embodying a peculiar folklore and turning it into sound—creating his own American folk music in the process. He's still out there, fueled by his supernatural surroundings and a fuck-all attitude!
Watch Bishop's self-made music video below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "They Shall Take Up Serpents"
02 "Buzzard's Curse"
03 "Rhythm Methodist"
04 "Worn Slap Out"
05 "Pass the Juggernaut"
06 "Raw Eggs and Rooster Juice"
07 "Head Bone In The 'Tater Hole"
08 "Cuttin' The Shine"
09 "War Powder"
Hillbilly Ragas is out 9/26 via Drag City. Pre-order it here.
