About Bill Mallonee

Bill Mallonee/Vigilantes of Love                                              

Americana/Folk-Rock/Indie-Folk/Country-Alt

Athens, Ga. / Santa, Fe, NM

-Review Quotes-

#65 in Paste Magazine’s “100 Greatest Living Songwriter’s” Poll

“Bill Mallonee… [has] remained fascinated with the shadowy emotional toils and struggles inherent in the American experience, compelling, insightful, [he] continues to probe through Americana rock and roll proving that sometimes the only story worth telling is that of the journey.”  – Rolling Stone 

“The poetry and intelligence of Bill Mallonee’s songs rivals Dylan’s, and the spirituality and inspiration of them is like the timeless hymns. He’s one of my favorite all time artist.”
-Buddy Miller (No Depression Magazine’s Artist of the Decade) 

“…the best folk-rock act nobody’s ever hear of… The intelligence and intensity of Mallonee’s writing has elicited comparisons to Dylan from his loyal underground admirers. Given the consistency and quality of Mallonee’s work over eight albums, he is arguably the first writer since John Prine to make the comparison plausible.” – New York Press 

“Amber Waves,” is Mallonee’s 50th. He offers a view of the American Experience that is both grim, insightful & exalted. Delivered with layered guitars, bass & drums, it is an Americana triumph. Mallonee is a national treasure and he shows no signs of letting up.”
~ DownTheLineZine 

“Dylan-tinged vocal and introspective lyrics that spin out big-picture stories imbued with chilling small details.”  – Billboard

“Killing Floor,” Mallonee’s 3rd album, produced by Mark Heard & REM’s Peter Buck, charts at #27 on Paste Music Magazine’s “Top 100 Albums of the 90’s.”

“I daresay there’s no musician more consistently brilliant and yet at the same time more consistently overlooked than Mallonee. As prolific as he is proficient, the onetime leader of the equally astute Vigilantes of Love continues to fly below the radar despite an ever growing catalogue available solely from his website. Look there and the number of offerings is practically overwhelming, each a worthy acquisition for anyone aspiring to be a completist. Now the focus turns on his latest, the utterly compelling Amber Waves, a collection of rugged heartland anthems that strikes an instant impression. Mallonee — as always — seems incapable of hitting a bum note, or, for that matter, crafting a melody that’s anything less than instantly memorable. Calling Amber Waves an instant classic is hardly hyperbole. The fact is, the same can be said about anything in his vast catalogue. The world ought to start catching up, and Amber Waves is an ideal place to start.” (www.billmalloneemusic.bandcamp.com)  ~ Lee Zimmerman/No Depression Magazine contributor

 

“Mallonee’s songs give words to shadowy fears of intimacy, of it’s loss, even of the value of what he feels compelled to do.” – USA Today

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Paste Music Magazine, in a 2006 poll conducted by both writers and artists, listed Athens, Ga. musician Bill Mallonee as #65 in their “100 Best Living Songwriters.” Mallonee, the lyrical and musical source behind the Americana indie band Vigilantes of Love, started playing music in the early 90’s. his deep love for Dylan, Neil Young and other artists and authors of the “American experience” left an indelible mark on his writing and vocal delivery. “Being a son of the South, it’s hard not to be surrounded by the beauty of things fractured and incongruous. It’s the stuff of real songs. You learn a lot by embracing life from the inside of a van traveling across America, playing shows, meeting folks and taking notes on how it all affects your spirit.”

Mallonee, and his wife singer/songwriter Muriah Rose, live in New Mexico these days. They tour about 125 dates a year. Mallonee writes about 60 songs a year, releasing an average of 4 Eps a year under the moniker “Woks Progress Administration.” He also releases a full-band studio album yearly. (“He is one of the most prolific songwriters in America.~ PASTE Magazine.)

 

Mallonee has been privileged to play with many great artists (see list below). He has toured extensively here in the U.S. and in the United Kingdom where BBC Radio 2 has played much of his work. His collaboration with Buddy Miller (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle) in 2000 produced “Audible Sigh,” an Americana Top 5 in the UK in 2000. Mallonee has had songs on various prime-time TV networks and digital online services. Recently he toured with blue-eyed soul rocker Edwin McCain who covered two of Bill’s songs “Babylon” and “Welcome to Struggleville” in 2006.

 

Artists Bill has performed with:

Buddy Miller
Mark Heard
Bruce Cockburn
Over The Rhine
Jars of Clay
Peter Buck (REM)

Jim Lauderdale

Allejandro Escavado

Dave Bazan (Pedro the Lion)

Victoria Williams

Mark Olsen (the Jayhawks)
Matthew Ryan

Will Kimbrough

Dwight Yokum

Emmylou Harris

Edwin McCain

Sean Mullins

Peter Case

Sufjan Stevens

Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket)

Derek Webb

Eric Peters

North Mississippi Allstars

Pierce Pettis

Pedro the Lion

Denison Witmer

Peter Mulvey                                    

Gin Blossoms

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To hear Bill Mallonee’s music, go to:

Music site ~ billmalloneemusic.bandcamp.com

Official web site ~ billmalloneemusic.com