Myspace Backgrounds
Somewhere between the experimental improvisation of jazz and a tripped-out “do whatever you feel at any given moment†style of psychedelic prog-rock, the concept of genre becomes a ridiculously moot point. This in mind, trying to define the “Eskimos with Uzies sound†is an exercise in futility.The duo refuses to be pigeonholed by conventional labels. Equally at home with nearly every style of music, adept at both composition and improvisation, the Eskimos are diverse and innovative while still retaining their own distinct flavor.It is enough to say that they are cool on their own terms. Dig:The Reverend William Michael Stillwaters, vocalist, co-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, was born in Ashland, Kentucky on Feb. 7, 1977 and spent the first eight years of his life in a country hollow. He moved to Westerville, Ohio when he was fourteen and shortly thereafter began teaching himself how to play the guitar by strumming along with Neil Young’s “Decade.†An ordained minister who has also worked as a bouncer in a topless bar, he describes himself as eccentric, eclectic and easy-going.It was Jefferson Wilcox, co-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who gave the band its name (drawing it from a Charles Grodin quote). Wilcox was born in Columbus, Ohio, exactly one week before the good Reverend. By turns studiously aloof and uncompromisingly in-your-face, Wilcox uses his guitar to strong-arm you into submission. Wilcox is a descendant of Hungarian Gypsies, an award-winning photographer and once ranked third in the nation for tai-kwan-do.The duo met in the early nineties at a high school party when Stillwaters began hitting on Wilcox’s girlfriend. Eskimos with Uzies began several years later with the reunion of these acquaintances when they both showed up at a mutual friend’s house. The warm and witty chemistry between them was immediately apparent – amazing considering they’d lived less than two blocks from each other for nearly seven years.Prolific writers, the Eskimos already have nearly four albums worth of composed material completed and are known to be both consistent and emotional performers. Their first planned recording project, “Smut Bee Head Fuzz,†is a genre-spanning concept album with a dark, seething sexuality based around the recurring image of bees.The duo displays sophistication uncommon in the world of rock music, all the while retaining the wildly erratic, spontaneously deep, jazz-like immediacy of improvisation. They are men of many facets and the band is praised by sources as diverse as biker organizations and hip-hop icons like Bizzy Bone. Their appeal is just as wide and varied as their sound and they are appreciated by fans of almost every known traditional genre.Be Sure to check out Bill's solo project here: http://www.myspace.com/rushholler
