No stranger to us at Amplify Magazine, Chicago-based artist Evidence of a Struggle is back with his high-octane single ‘Keep It’, breaking all the rules in just the right way. Going against the trend seen on his debut album of mainly instrumental offerings, this particular track sees multi-instrumentalist Rev. Billy Simmons reveal himself a bit more – this time on vocals. Here, spoken-word poetry bares its soul, a journey from hushed whispers to a tempestuous roar.
The accompanying animated video was created by fellow Chicago visual artist John Airo, who authored a whole series of videos in support of the 13-track debut album ‘Evidence of a Struggle’, released in late 2023,
Masterfully combining the creative textures of art rock with the non-conformist attitude of alternative music, Evidence of a Struggle crafts a world of sound that is both intricate and deeply engaging. Rev. Billy creates lush, cinematic, beautiful and sometimes chaotic compositions.
Rev. Billy explains, “I decided to sing or rather read and yell on ‘Keep It’ because life has recently brought many subtle and not-so-subtle signs to my attention. It was showing me that it isn’t this perfect, beautiful dream and that many of us have stopped listening and seeing. We’re taking and not giving, and like I, many have stopped talking, and it’s become murderous. I’ve been acutely aware for a long time that we’re not really listening, not seeing… Most of us don’t see or hear each other, nature or our bodies. We employ so many outside elements to help us ignore all those things right in front of us that are harmful, uncomfortable, and damaging.”
Launched in 2020 with Rev. Billy playing every instrument and recording from The Glue Factory studio, he joined forces with renowned sound engineer Sanford Parker (Voivod, Russian Circles, Yob, Eyehategod, Wovenhand, Darkthrone) for additional production, recording and mastering. The resulting album is a worthwhile journey, blending numerous sub-genres of the alternative music realm.
“This music was inspired by what was going through my mind during the pandemic. It’s all a declaration of solidarity. Some heavy stuff happened right at the beginning of lockdown – with the world, with family, friends, and personally – that affected my outlook on life and how finite and fleeting it is. I realized how fortunate I was to do every little thing that I could do and that it wouldn’t last forever. I was creating music to show people that, even though everyone was going through a tough time, we could still create, share and communicate musically with people and work things out,” says Rev. Billy.
“At that time, everyone was telling everyone else what was right and what was wrong, trying to tell people what to do, and not just for their safety, but because they didn’t conform to their way of thinking. There was so much chatter. It was like a bad dream and I didn’t want to become a part of that. I wanted to let the music paint a mental picture as an act of support for whoever listened – in whatever voice spoke to them personally. But then I felt like I also needed to start to use my voice to say the things that I think needed to be said (and let my music with my voice speak to the people it needs to speak to).”
Transforming into a musical chameleon at night, Rev. Billy’s day to day entails running Rev. Billy’s Chop Shop, a salon with a creative space that regularly showcases artists’ work (declared by Chicago Reader as the city’s best gallery). Earlier in his journey, Rev. Billy collaborated with RCA artist Ké and artists (like Urge Overkill) on Touch and Go, and other majors like BMG and Universal.
Evidence of a Struggle’s next album involves numerous notable artists, including drummer Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey, of1000faces, Garbage, Filter) and bassist Alan Berliant (Chris Connelly, Mavis Staples, Saint Asonia), in addition to Solomon Walker (Liz Phair, Bryan Adams, Morrissey, Eastern Shadows, Year of the Rabbit).
‘Keep It’ is available as a standalone single via Bandcamp. The ‘Evidence of a Struggle’ album is also available via Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
CREDITS
All music written by William P C Simmons V (aka Rev. Billy)
Performed by William P C Simmons V (aka Rev. Billy)
Produced by Sanford Parker
Loveless Publishing ASCAP
Videos by John Airo
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Discover more about Evidence of a Struggle
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