Billy Barule profile picture

Billy Barule

You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.

About Me


I try to play music every chance I get. Music is my life. Whether playing it, listening to it, seeing live shows, recording it, whatever . . . I currently play bass in a band called Catsplash. Check us out: catsplash.com or myspace.com/catsplash .
Also check out: Billy Barule: The Musical .
And, more recently, I am playing in this inbred, toothless, son-of-a-whore band:
The Righteous Hillbillies
I am also an avid motorcyclist (read: junkie). I presently ride a 1999 BMW R1200C every chance I get. I ride about 10K miles in an average year--not a ton, but nothing to sneeze at either. Please don't get the impression that I'm a "biker dude"--I hate black clothes and only wear leather for safety. Neither am I one of those geniuses that ride at 120mph in flip-flops, sweat pants and a tank top.
I really love to travel when time/money allow. Some of my favorite locales: Smoky Mts, Fla. Keys, Outer Banks (NC), New England, Seattle. Never been to Europe, but I want to. And I'd LOVE to go to Australia/New Zealand. I try to take a week off every year and go on a motorcycle trip. I've done trips to Texas; to TN/NC/SC; and around Lake Michigan with a stint along Lake Superior (2,001 miles my door to my door in 4.5 days. It rocked!).
I'm really not a very "hip" person, but sometimes I play one on TV.
I'm one of those simple outside, complex inside kind of guys. Stoic and somewhat cold at first glance, but actually I'm fiercely loyal and nice to a fault. I'm pretty atypical for a late-twenties male (crap, I'm 30 now . . . do I have to resort to the dreaded thirtysomething?): I'm not into watching sports; I don't wear jeans; I don't drive a crappy sports car or exhibit any other "meathead" tendencies (other than my motorcycle addiction, that is) . . . I have a wonderful son named Carter that I hang out with every other weekend (which is not nearly enough).
Oh, and I can't f'ing stand "reality" TV. I'm not watching it until "The Running Man" is a real show (which I am willing to wager will happen in our lifetime).
And for the record, my real last name is not "Barule." A prize* to anyone who gets the reference (it's pretty easy).
Hint #1
Hint #2
*By prize I mean my heartfelt applause.
Ah, fuck it. Here is the answer:

My Interests

music (playing, listening, recording, breathing), motorcycles, movies, hiking/camping, mountain biking, racquetball, good beer, cigars, sunsets, facial hair (my own), crosswords and reading.

I'd like to meet:

meh.

Music:

Catsplash!
The Righteous Hillbillies!
I'll listen to almost anything except modern country (G. Brooks, T. Keith, et al--blech!!) Top 40, or modern R&B.

Aimee Mann
Air
Alice In Chains
Aphex Twin
Audioslave
Beastie Boys
Beatles
Beck
Bob Mould/Sugar
BT
Built to Spill
Chris Whitley
Crooked Fingers/Eric Bachmann
 David Byrne/Talking Heads
David Holmes
Depeche Mode
Devotchka
Dire Straits
eels
Elliot Smith
Flaming Lips
Geggy Tah
Grant Lee Buffalo
hefner
Hendrix
Iron & Wine
James Brown
Jethro Tull
Kruder and Dorfmeister
Led Zeppelin
Leo Kotke
Lyle Lovett
Massive Attack
Modest Mouse
Morphine
My Morning Jacket
Ned's Atomic Dustbin
NEU!
NIN
Nirvana
Orb
Paul Simon
Pearl Jam
Peter Gabriel
Phish
Pink Floyd
Rachael Yamagata
Raconteurs
Radiohead
Rage Against The Machine
REM
Robbie Robertson
Rolling Stones
Rogue Wave
Rush
Seal
Secret Machines
Serge Gainsbourg
Snow Patrol
Soul Coughing/Mike Doughty
Soundgarden
St. Germain
Stereolab
Sufjan Stevens
Stevie Wonder
Sting (old)/The Police
Stone City Stragglers
Tom Waits
Tool
U2
Ween
White Stripes
Who
XTC
Zappa
Zero 7

Movies:

Netflix rules. If you use it, be my "friend" Pi, Fight Club, Snatch, Magnolia, American Beauty, Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Boondock Saints, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Napoleon Dynamite, Donnie Darko, Children of Men, once, No Country For Old Men
All Coen Bros., Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Kevin Smith and most Robert Altman (RIP) movies.

Television:

I've recently gotten out of the habit of watching too much TV. Some shows that I have enjoyed more recently: Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 30 Rock, House, Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica (the new SciFi one). Old favorites: The Simpsons, Family Guy, The West Wing, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Scrubs, Adult Swim on Sunday nights (Aqua Teen, Harvey Birdman, Sealab, et al), Discovery/History channels, Chappelle's Show
Oh, and I like Lost, too . . . fucking Lost; it makes me crazy. I made the mistake of renting the first two seasons, and now I'm hooked. It's like crack in A/V form.

Books:

Chuck Palahniuk; Tom Robbins; Kurt Vonnegut; Tom Clancy (yes, I'm a geek); Stephen King's Dark Tower series and related books.
New fave author is Christopher Moore . I've read Lamb. The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (It was f'ing brilliant and hysterical!), Practical Demonkeeping (very clever and funny), The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, The Stupidest Angel, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Bloodsucking Fiends.
I really liked Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch series (Night Watch, Day Watch and Twilight Watch).

Heroes:

David Byrne, Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin, Geddy Lee, Bob Mould, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Lennon/McCartney, Waters/Gilmour, Walter Murch, Brian Eno

My Blog

Hobnox Audio Tool

from: http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/free-music-stud.html Free Music Studio Means No More Excuses By Eliot Van Buskirk May 12, 2008 | 10:50:42 AMCategories: Digital Music News, Music Software a...
Posted by Billy Barule on Fri, 16 May 2008 06:31:00 PST

OK, Ill bite. Mandys survey

So, you’re supposed to fill in the first thing that comes to mind.  I left them all blank in case anyone wanted to copy and paste it to fill in their answers before reading mine.  Don&...
Posted by Billy Barule on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PST

Again and Again

Only Bob can deliver like this.    Goddam if it doesn’t get me every time I hear it. It began some time last weekThe feeling that most everything was changingFo...
Posted by Billy Barule on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:53:00 PST

David Byrne’s Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists  and Megastars

I love David Byrne.  This is a bit long, but a good read . . . from: http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_b yrne?currentPage=all David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emer...
Posted by Billy Barule on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:37:00 PST

Love of the Loveless

I love eels.  They have a great juxtaposition of depressing lyrics and poppy melodies.  Musical/emotional speedballing . . . Some of my favorites: "Love Of The Loveless" - eels (from ...
Posted by Billy Barule on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:07:00 PST

The Genius of the Crowd

I've always dug Bukowski, but ashamedly, I haven't read that much of him--I need to read more.  Thanks to Jon for clueing me in to this wonderful poem.The Genius Of The Crowdby Charles Bukowskith...
Posted by Billy Barule on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:50:00 PST

Irony

Isn't it ironic that one person can make you the happiest, as well as the saddest, that you have ever been in your entire life?I guess we try to take some solace from the happy times and try to grow f...
Posted by Billy Barule on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:13:00 PST

reactable

reactable: basic demo #1..>..>..>AdblockAdblockAdblock The reactable, is a multi-user electronic music instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface. Several simultaneous performers shar...
Posted by Billy Barule on Tue, 01 May 2007 04:41:00 PST

The Problem With Music

Stole this from sqaureball. The Problem With Musicby Steve Albini Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagin...
Posted by Billy Barule on Tue, 20 Mar 2007 01:41:00 PST

Wolfgang's Vault

A kick-ass concert-streaming site.  Very cool.  Need to register, but it's free.  Currently listening to Zep live in '69 at the Fillmore West.  Good sound quality, too--right off t...
Posted by Billy Barule on Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:18:00 PST