INFO BILLY BACON Agency & Mailorder PA & Backline Service Steigweg 17 D-88299 Leutkirch AND THE FORBIDDEN PIGS Phone 0049 / (0)7561 / 71161 Fax 0049 / (0) 7561/ 72145 Mobil 0049 / (0)172 / 85 44 201 E-mail [email protected] www.Route66-LA.de Singer/Songwriter and Bassist Billy Bacon founded The Forbidden Pigs in 1984. Their musical gumbo is as unique as their name, drawing roots from all styles of American music. The band's influences are: Jump/Swing, Tex-Mex, Country, Pop and Blues. The "Pigs" as their fans know them are considered "The most versatile band in the land"and play in excess of 200 shows a year coast to coast and overseas. They have released seven full length CD's to date, which are available worldwide. Their newest CD "Pigs At the Zoo" is the soundtrack from the PBS series "Backstage Pass". In the course of their recording history "The Pigs" have played host to a variety of noted guest musicians including Grammy award winning fiddle player Michael Doucet, former James Gang leader and current Eagle, Joe Walsh, Dave Alvin of The Blasters and X fame, Mojo Nixon, Singer/ Songwriting legend Chris Gaffney, Guitar wizard Evan Johns and countless other world class musicians always ready to join in on a "Pig's" recording session. This band has also been featured on several movie and TV soundtracks including MTV and the offbeat hit Red Rock West. However, the main attraction is of course, the live show. A live performance from the "Pigs" can be both rip-roaring and heartfelt at the same time. The show is always energetic and sometimes reckless but always guaranteed to get the audience involved. All of this is backed up with a counter punch of strong songwriting, playing and singing. Billy Bacon's Forbidden Pigs are: Phil Shoemaker on guitar. Behind the drum set is Justin G. Jones, who's steady beat completes the "Pigs" sound. QUOTABLE QUOTES "This is a very 'Hip' band. Not many bands can do so many different styles and do them that well" Jimmy Page "I don't come to play with The Pigs because I'm a friend, but because I'm a fan. These guys are the real thing" Joe Walsh "They are Los Puercos Fabullosos, I dig 'em" Cesar Rosas, Los Lobos "The Pigs are some of my favorite musicians. They are a real inspiration for us to write songs and play harder" Dave Gonzales,The Paladins SOUNDTRACKS Billy Bacon and The Forbidden Pigs are included on these movie and TV soundtracks RED ROCK WEST - Starring Nicholas Cage and Dennis Hopper BRAINSMASHER (A Love Story) (also titled; The Bouncer and the Model) - Starring Andrew Dice Clay WATER AND POWER - Independent Film MTV's THE REAL WORLD, MTV's ROAD RULES Download presspics + bio + pressinfo under www.forbiddenpigs.com Out Now: The New CD: Still Smokin’ After 20 years” Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs have just released their milestone CD Still Smokin’ After 20 Years, and for their fans it’s a damn near perfect compilation. It’s not a greatest hits – it’s simply a collection of some of Billy’s Bacon’s notables that he has handpicked from his eight previous records, and some of the fan favori- tes that he has performed over the past 20 years. So this year he and his band set out to celebrate the endurance and commitment they’ve made over those years to spread their Texmex-blues-abilly gospel to people everywhere. Against today’s vapid pop-music industry, The Pigs (as their fans know them) are a true cultural shakeup with their unrelenting individualism. But regardless of their knack to stand out (and even though The Pigs have toured relentlessly over the years) they unfortunately still remain under the radar. As the cover story of 3rd Coast Magazine’s April 2004 issue explains “…if you want poster children for neglected road warriors, you could hardly do better than Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs. The trio tours virtually non-stop, playing to capacity crowds, but you rarely come across any mention of them…” Maybe that’s why Billy Bacon has been underappreciated. His ability to tour as much as 200 days a year, and actually make a living doing it, has unfortunately at times portrayed them as just a bar band. On the con- trary, he tours because he wants to take his one of a kind show to the rabid fans he has gathered in every corner of the U.S. As his home town paper, the San Diego Union Tribune describes, “Some performers are animated. Some are manic. But only a precious few play like they are truly possessed. Some call the music of Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs roots rock, or rockabilly with a hint of the blues. However, there is so much influence and variety in his music, labels can’t do the group justice… Whether he’s doing daredevil jumps off the bass fiddle, crooning a heartfelt ballad or leading his troupe of seasoned musicians into an authentic Mexican norteña classic, Bacon is wholly devoted to his craft.” Along with the irrefutable uniqueness of their shows, Billy Bacon’s timeless and passionate voice is portrayed beautifully in every different style of song he sings. His penchant for mixing up genres comes from his musical mentor Doug Sahm. When Billy formed The Pigs in 1984, Sahm was his primary inspiration. Ironically, Sahm has been the only artist to cover one of Billy’s songs, Una Mas Cerveza. As once again explained by 3rd Coast Magazine’s cover story, this fact “ is curious because all his albums are goldmines of original songs with far more substance than might be expected given the trio’s reputation as the premier roots party music band.” Doug Sahm isn’t the only famous fan of Billy’s. There is also a host of others who are admirers that have also played on his records including Joe Walsh, Michael Doucet, Dave Alvin, Mojo Nixon, Country Dick Montana, Evan Johns, and Chris Gaffney. “I don’t come to play with The Pigs because I’m a friend, but because I’m a fan. These guys are the real thing”, says Joe Walsh. “This is a very “HIP” band. Not many bands can do so many different styles and do them that well” proclaimed Jimmy Page after The Pigs had just finished playing a Mardi Gras show he attended in New Orleans. And as another one of his friends (and Producer) Beat Farmer Buddy Blue puts it, “…if you haven’t caught the Pigs live, I must insist that you do so at the first given opportunity. I’m at a loss to explain how Billy – a short, portly, beer-swillin’ middle-aged guy (hey, he ain’t good lookin’ but he sure can play) – is able to engage in the sort of onstage acrobatics that hallmark these shows, but it must be seen to be believed…bask in his music’s bitchen-ness and you can pat yourself on the back for having the impeccable taste to support one of America’s mystic musical treasures! Review from: Country Standard Time | by Ken Burke Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs - Still Smokin’ After 20 Years Culled from Billy Bacon's 20-year odyssey with various Pigs lineups, this 21-song anthology provides the per- fect introduction to a potent club act that has surprisingly stayed under the mainstream radar.Bacon pos- sesses an appealing flair for imbuing every song - including rockabilly scorchers "Red Dress" and "Little Town Fool" - with a heartfelt dose of Tex-Mex and blues. Whether nicking the Fabulous Thunderbirds' vibe for party rockers "Battle with the Bottle" and "I'm a Fool" or latching onto Louis Prima style jump and swing during "When It's Cold Outside" and "Jump for Jive," he sounds timelessly authentic. Other influences are also given full Forbidden Pigs treatment as well. The Latin language tinged "Un Mas Cerveza" and "Hasta Manana Iguana" boast an effervescent Sir Douglas Quintet production sense while "Valley's and Peaks" smartly appropriates Creedence Clearwater Revival's sound. Moreover, "Clown" exhibits a passion for roman- tic 60s soul and Bruce Springsteen's working class irony neatly shadows "All I Really Want." Moreover, the snappy "While the Wife's Away" and mortality conscious "Clock on the Wall," proves that Bacon is a top- notch country singer capable of raising a smile or tear at will. Of all the compilations released in 2004, this one earns my highest recommendation. Discographie: Still Smokin’ after 20 years (Triple X Records, 2005) Cloven Grooves (Swine Song Records, 2003) Pigs At The Zoo (Live, Swine Song Records, 2001) Pig Latin (Triple X Records, 2000) Pork Que ? (Triple X Records, 1999) 13 Years Of Bad Road (Live, Swine Song Records, 1998) The Other White Meat (Triple X Records, 1995) Dressed To Swill (Triple X Records, 1992) Una Mas Cerveza (Triple X Records, 1989) Una Mas Cervesa (Single, Vinyl, Triple x Records, 1989) Contact + Further Info www.forbiddenpigs.com www.Route66-LA.de Tourdates Sept/Oktober 2001 Tourdates April / Mai 2003 Fr 14.05.04 Kirchheim-Bolanden (D), Zum Weissen Ross Di 01.04.03 München (D), Hideout Sa 15.05.04 Babenhausen (D), Eddy's BaRock Mi 02.04.03 Landshut (D), Jimmy's So 16.05.04 München (D), Rattlesnake Saloon Do 03.04.03 Pontresina (CH), Hotel Saratz Fr 04.04.03 Chur (CH), Safari Beat Club Sa 05.04.03 Munderkingen (D), Musiknacht Tourdates Juli / August 2004 So 06.04.03 Tübingen (D), Ammerschlag Mi 09.04.03 Pfaffenhofen (D), Stockers Do 10.04.03 Ingolstadt (D), 1516 West-Park-Bräu Fr 11.04.03 Leutkirch (D), Bocksaal Sa 12.04.03 Garching (D), Musiknacht So 13.04.03 Singen (D), Exil Mi 16.04.03 Pfullendorf (D), Deutsches Haus Do 17.04.03 Lorsch (D), Musiktheater Rex Sa 19.04.03 Hamm (D), Nacht der Clubs So 20.04.03 Antwerpen (B), Crossroads Mi 19.09.01 Nonnenweier (D), Anglerheim Mo 21.04.03 Bonheiden (B), Den Bromfiets Do 20.09.01 Walldorf (D), Kulturwerk Fr 21.09.01 Hachenburg (D), Bongo Bongo Mi 23.04.03 Aarschot