From his days performing on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion as a member of Stoney Lonesome Bluegrass Band to the present, Bill has been compiling a large catalogue of his handcrafted, American, countrified, folk-rock songs. On the Hoffman guitar that his mother bought him for a high school graduation present Bill has penned songs that have become the stuff that dreams are made of.
Bill's songs have been:
Performed on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion
Been included on an album of children's songs, which also featured Suzzy Roche of the incomparable Roches.
Recorded by Kate MacKenzie and EmmyLou Harris
Nominated for a Grammy
Published in internationally acclaimed folk magazine SING OUT!
Bills songs tap into a well of emotions that range from seriously sentimental to whimsically sarcastic. Appealing to a wide range of audiences, whether you're seven or seventy Bill's songs feel comfortable the first time you hear them and grow on you more and more with each time you listen. And there's no doubt about it these songs will stand the test of time!
"Bill Geezy tore the place up!"
Jerry Jeff Walker/Singer-songwriter
A wellspring of roots/Americana music, Bill Geezy has produced another scraggly gem: the mandolin- and dobro-heavy EP "Exit Wounds." As one might gather, it's not exactly a party album, but it confirms Geezy's growing rep as a songwriter who at his best is reminiscent of John Prine. "I've never been a hobo, but sometimes a bum," he sings on the instant country classic "100 Times a Day," which is jaunty and upbeat compared with the devastating "Sweet Evangeline," a sordid story song of child sex abuse that ends in murder.
Mpls. Star Tribune/Tom Surowicz
Bill Geezy & The Promise Breakers make handcrafted countrified American folk/rock that exhibits both easy wit and folksy wisdom.... The interplay between Geezy's rustic blues/twang voice and Hoover's sly licks provide a tasteful concoction, enjoyable throughout The Orchid Lounge.
Miles of Music
Bill Geezy's masculine gravelly voice has the ability to deliver a song as smooth as silk. Clint Hoovers harmonica blowing is just outstanding and the songs for this album are as interesting as storytelling can get. A fascinating mixture of songs on this release that will not disappoint any type of music fan. Bill has done it with this new album. It's so real cool.
Five Stars, Roots Music Report
"One of the folk scene's underrated veterans, Bill Geezy, recalls the wit and gritty soul of John Hiatt"
Chris Riemenschneider, Music Critic for Minneapolis Star Tribune
"From the country-dance jam "WM seeking WF," to the blues-tinged "Shelbyville," Bill Geezy and the Promise Breakers' songs whir and chug like a train passing through the Southern swamplands. Geezy and Co. keep the lonely country landscape interesting with rich stories, warm vocals and Hoover's exploding harmonica bursts. You can almost feel the humidity and taste the country grit."
Molly Priesmeyer, Music Critic for Saint Paul Pioneer Press
Bill Geezy is the kind of poetic, storytelling songwriter whom you'd expect to find flourishing in hip Austin, Texas, or scuffling in Nashville. He's a witty wordsmith, an easy going melodist anchored in the folk tradition and an octave challenged yet charming singer who makes every lyric sound fly-on-the-wall natural. Think Butch Hancock, John Prine, Guy Clark - his best songs have that kind of depth, immediacy and clarity. Bill Geezy's album is loaded with great roots-rock!
Top Ten in How The Critics Voted, Tom Surowicz, Minneapolis StarTribune
"I love it, I love it, I love it!"
Kate MacKenzie, Grammy Nominated RedHouse Recording Artist
"Slide across the ox-blood colored, padded leather seats - tucked behind the round tables of the Orchid Lounge and order up a tall glass of Southwestern Blues. Bill Geezy & the Promise Breakers are headlining tonight and they're not going to disappoint you. Clint Hoover's harp is a perfect compliment to the grass roots sound of Bill Geezy's vocals. The last thing you'll want to say is, 'Check please'. "This thing just simply grows on you. You hear it once and you're saying, 'Hey, that's different.' You hear it twice and the lyrics start repeating themselves in your head. It starts taking over and you find yourself singing along... By the third go'round, you're thinking about heading to Arizona or Nevada or some lonesome border town just to see if you can find the Orchid Lounge. Whew! is it Hot in here?"
CD Review /The Best Li'l Harp House
"Bill's voice has a very rustic blues sound. This is a great Americana/Country album."
Greg Jackson, Acoustic Rainbow/Poetman Records
CD Review - Bill Geezy - Exit Wounds
Posted on November 23rd, 2008
Rift Magazine
By Jeremy Anderson
The imagery, tones, and cadences in Bill Geezy’s music stand in sharp contrast to what one might expect from a current Twin Cities based singer/songwriter. The raspy drawl of his voice and rhythmic, processional folk/country instrumentation sound reminiscent of some rugged Texan troubadours from decades past. Yet, Geezy shouldn’t be discarded as merely an imitator or throwback musician. On Exit Wounds, his latest release, Geezy has delicately crafted together a collection of songs that subtly carry forward the folk traditions of the past.
Geezy appears emotionally and artistically at odds with the constant changes of modern city life, clamoring through his music for the rustic frontier that excites him. The disparity of these two worlds fuels Exit Wounds. This theme is quintessentially exemplified with the metaphorical song, “Round Peg/Square Hole†and is more poignantly engaged in “A Hundred Times A Day,†in which Geezy describes daydreaming himself away from the city into imaginary western settings.
Geezy wants to live in a romanticized gutbucket world that no longer exists but resides in a world that is incapable of fully suiting him. His willingness to engage this conflict brings about his best songwriting attributes. Time is passing by and he is keeping up the best he can, through his music.
In “Pretty Pictures,†Geezy portrays uneasiness in which he witnesses his daughter grow into a woman. His sings, “By God, if I had it my way, I would turn back time to when you were young.†Geezy is a songwriter capable of diving into the complexity of his emotions, adding later in the song, “I know this might seem like a sad song / trust me darling, it’s really not / I just never been too good at changes / this time things are changing a lot.†The song is a touching, understated ballad that exemplifies the intricacies of Geezy’s artistry.
Bill Geezy’s music isn’t cutting edge and doesn’t have mass-market appeal. But in a way, that’s where its value lies. Much like A Prairie Home Companion, where Geezy has performed, his music provides a powerful link to the culture of America’s past. His stories seem applicable to any time period over the past fifty years; yet, his words remain relevant to today’s listeners. Things must change and Geezy helps ease us into the world of globalization, where technology evolves faster than we can ever keep up with. His words are straightforward, often contemplative, and strikingly authentic.
www.myspace.com/billygeezy
