Meet the man of your nightmares. No, not Freddy, Billy Lowry! Whose new single, “Nightmares,” was released weeks ago on 07-21-2023. To say the least, it has been warmly received. Almost feels like instantly, yielding 18k streams on Spotify alone (to date), a soiree of radio play (including topping Indie Top 20 charts in some cases), as well as positive reviews on other indie music blogs.
Mr. Lowry has made a nice splash with his latest rockin’ single. Musically, the sound is frantic, and the composition is comprised several twists and turns in movement. Billy delivers his vocals in an emotional… dramatic… if you will, fashion that is reminiscent of some of the most expressive classic rockers in history. That in and of itself should be enough to warrant checking it out.
As it turns out, however, there’s even more neat behind-the-scenes lore to unpack regarding Billy’s first official release since 2021’s full-length album “All The Same Monster.” One big example being that the artwork for the single was created by none other than Cris Kirkwood of the legendary band Meat Puppets! I’ve followed his music for a while, been a longtime fan, and am fortunate enough to know him well enough to coarse him into exploring some of these interesting tidbits about the new single here today in a Q&A. First things first though, check out the new tune:
STREAM “NIGHTMARES” ON SPOTIFY NOW!
Another thing I admire about Billy Lowry as an artist is how supportive he is in the various communities of independent music. He’s the kind of guy that gives you the shirt off his back if you need it. It totally wouldn’t be out of the norm to catch him sharing other people’s music and being a collaborator on other people’s tracks. Just one example, he is part of the “gang vocals” at the end of Mr. Oddzo’s “In the House.”
He’s always one to chip in if needed, whether that’s sharing another artist’s music or jumping on a track. I had the most excellent opportunity to interview him for an upcoming radio show broadcast for my Podcast and like me, I’m sure you will find his background in the entertainment industry quite remarkable. Here is the transcribed “print” version of the interview. Stay tuned to NAS Radio for the entire conversation in full context (airing 09-08-23, 5 a.m. & 1 p.m. EST)!
Let’s pretend I’m new to your music. You meet me and say, “Hi my name is Billy Lowry and I create music.” What is the first song you show me and why?
Well shoot, I appreciate that. I wish I could play some older songs from projects I USED to be in, but you know how that goes, projects where before we get the chance to hit “record” the band would break up. So many songs that were never recorded. I was in a group called “Future?” that did Rock with EDM and that band did pretty well. Still good friends with Greg who founded that band, and he played his great synth work on my full-length album.
Of mine, I guess I’d pick “Actors,” probably because I just really like the guitar solo on that song, it’s kinda quirky. It’s about these guys I knew when I went to ASU that were mostly all image, they were in fact actors who were just playing music. I was going to school for acting at the time.
The artwork is incredible for “Nightmares,” and it also has an incredible backstory in and of itself. It was painted by Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets. How did that come about and how did you meet Cris?
He is definitely a unique individual. He uses these different color tones that change based on the lighting of the room, really cool stuff I have from him around the house. I’ve been pals with Cris for 15…20 years maybe? And I met him thru a mutual friend of ours Dave at a “Doctor Dave” party. And Cris had found out who my grandfather was, and he was a fan of him.
My grandfather used to do a local kids show on television for about forty years called “The Wallace and Ladmo Show.” Anyway, there was a theater/stage version of the T.V. show, where I got to play my grandpa, I got to play Wallace in the play, so I asked Cris if he was interested in doing a bit from that show since he was a big fan of the show and he actually ended up being in several bits, several runs of the show, we played a couple different theaters.
I’ve had my own personal spin on what I think I hear in your music influence-wise, as well as others who have written about you and/or produced you. Who would you say are the biggest influences on the way you write music?
Anything Mike Patton related I am a diehard fan. As a guitar player, it’s Zappa, Brian May, Jimmy Page, everything from the 70s. My goal has always been to kinda blend all of those into one type of guitar style. For singing? I’d say hands down Chris Cornell. Funny story, I hope you don’t think I’m name dropping even though I clearly am *laughs* but I actually knew Chris Cornell really well as a little kid.
He used to be a dishwasher, and then waiter at a place called Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle. In the mid to late eighties my dad was his boss there as a restaurant manager. I remember he’d always be like, “my band’s going to be famous,” and they’d be like, “yeah, yeah right kid.” Then, ya know, he did, and they were like, “holy…” ya know? And my dad he’s gotten me backstage to see Soundgarden many times, including Lalapalooza.
What is next? The old cliched question. What big things are coming? As the bands these days say.
A track called “Rabbit Hole” I can’t wait to record, which think it’s the best thing I’ve done so far! There’s just lots of piano and guitar notes playing at the same time. It’s kinda like a bit of Jerry Lee Lewis with heavy guitars.
Tell me about the music scene in Phoenix! What kind of cool things are happening? What’s the scene like? Are there things you wish were different about it?
It’s O.K. The music scene here used to be really cool. In the 90s you could go to this place called Long Wongs in Tempe and see bands like The Gin Blossoms and the Refreshments before they were really made it big. It kinda seems like when the 2000s came, everything is either really heavy Death Metal or like background mood music. I guess there’s some cool stuff, festivals still. I got to play the Mason Jar once and that was really cool.
Did you play all the instruments on the new single?
I did! I did in fact play all the instruments on “Nightmares.”
What is your advice for other independent artists navigating this complex music industry? What kind of resources would you recommend? Be it educational, technical, gear-wise, etc.?
Don’t fall for scams! There are so many payola scams. I got scammed a couple years ago for a “Capitol Records” label thing where they needed a “processing fee,” of $150. And of course, my dumba$$ fell for it. Just yesterday on Instagram some guy named “Paul” was asking for $200 to be featured in a “Billboard” article. When you check out his profile, he has one post and it’s of his cat. Not that I have anything against cats, but…
Van Halen or Van Haggar? Set the record straight. If that is indeed a necessary thing.
**laughs** well, shoot. Uh, we’ll go with Van…. Van Morrison.
What is the thing you like best about the NAS community?
“The Community itself really. The fact that we support each other, share each other’s music to wider audiences on social media. Without that sense of community, I’d probably just play video games or something else. It’d almost feel pointless.”
Don’t forget to support this project and follow Billy Lowry on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. You can also visit their official website. If you enjoy their music and can provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
It also helps to stream and share their music; you can find it in the following Playlists: Fresh Singles, Alterindie State Of Mind, Sickest & Dopest, and Unknown But Essentials!
Remember that you can always find me here AMS Radio for all my social media and collaborations.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and brand-new music, subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers, and follow the Playlist with all the artists we have presented here!
If you enjoy this track don’t forget to give it + when you’re on Spotify and add it to your favorite playlist. This little action not only saves the track on your music library but also helps the artist, you know that the game’s name for us is “support”. Thank you!!!
This is truly an honor being featured in so many different ways ! And what a fun interview 🙂 let’s def do another interview on a future release!! You all are the best 🙂
Sounds like a plan!!!