Billie and Andy Bliss at home. Photographs by Terry Rayment.
Local musician Billie Bliss has moved north in Mich. to Traverse City and this self-proclaimed “small town” girl is finding inspirations through new sources. She is one of the many emerging singer-songwriters who are echoing the soulful sentiments of the sixties through her art. There seems to be a renewed interest in the fundamentals of music and the pure expression of feeling lost on listeners in the recent decades. Playing folk music with her husband and guitarist, Andy Bliss, Billie cites this union as "wonderful and honest." Her husband who also plays the mandolin, is one half of a pair of sensitive souls echoing the artistic give and take of lovers James Taylor and Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, but with an apparent ease not often seen in the music realm.
“I don’t think there is a stronger bond you can feel with someone than when you are playing music with them…it is our best form of communication,” says Bliss.
Bliss’ powerful piece titled Alice, is a take on the Lewis Carroll character. She sings, “help me from falling into dark black holes,” with a voice of a much older and wiser woman, not a doe-eyed 24 year-old with the unassuming presence. This haunting piece is not the only literary inspiration in Billie’s repertoire. She cites Sylvia Plath and Irvine Welsh as great influences, as well as the seasons, and her womb. “I have written my fair share of woe is me songs while I was in fact in a great mood,” says Billie who fittingly longs to learn to play the evocative cello.
Her wise beyond her years understanding of what truly matters is further evident by her commitment to her equally young lover through marriage and close bonds with family, friends, and relatives. While the rest of the world is spinning into the material, Billie seems to balance her Internet searching via her phone with a natural and organic way of being, that almost seems simply a part of history and no longer the norm. This singer-songwriter has an apparent understanding of the real essentials of life and hopefully her music relays the lost message to the masses in the near future. We aren’t bound to outside influence. Bliss’ body is adorned with the Nietzsche quote, “Without music, life is a mistake.” The strongest message her persona and music emanates is that we are essentially here to love and music just may be the quickest vehicle.
“As far as the music industry right now, I used to have a longing to be a part of it, but not so much anymore. It’s all about what you wear, who you date, and not so much about the actual music anymore, “said Bliss. She further elaborates on style, saying one should present their personal style and not a crafted one. She won’t deny the importance, as she further states, “Part of Kurt Cobain’s allure was his appearance, was it not? I mean, look at the guy!”
Friends, family, and fellow musicians have many things to say about the talented singer. “In high school we'd go to her house after school all the time and a few of us girls would beg her to play Jewel and Ani Difranco on the piano and sing for us. She was very shy and would have us sit in the living room (a different room) while she sang. Her voice and talent would bring tears to my eyes,” said friend Nikki Maxfield, of Lapeer, Michigan, which is Billie’s hometown. Her sister Tessa Rayment recalls a “nutty” sibling “who always wanted to be famous.” Kevin Hearn, of the Barenaked Ladies, described her first album, as “haunting and beautiful,” and numerous others have commented on how moved they were seeing Billie perform at venues in Mackinac Island and Traverse City, Michigan.
Billie is on hiatus with scheduled shows as she and her husband are expecting a child soon, a little girl, who is aptly named Lennon. She says, “Rest assured, we’ll be back.” Until then you can check out Billie’s music web site through MySpace and bask in the sounds of a girl, her poems, and her piano.
Here and there we are presented with a female singer-songwriter that stands out from the rest and heralds in a new respect for the craft, the culture, and the feminine mystique. Regina Spektor comes to mind, but yet she doesn’t evoke the one-woman movement and force that was an early-nineties Tori Amos. “I am really inspired by the, I am woman, hear me roar” mentality, says Bliss, who counts Amos along with Courtney Love, and fellow folk babe Ani Difranco as her biggest influences.
Billie may be a relative unknown in regards to the music industry, but she is creating little earthquakes in the sound spectrum, even if only from her comfy home in northern Mich.
Andy and Billie Bliss. Personal photograph.
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=HPszvIK3dYjEO-H4RXyA_N4il1ngG68LVfpKDnZPgp5iVZklsH6eeOMgGHq&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b833248354cf50881e4ea372b2a42d76305e03018dc2a2bc7
MySpace Site:
http://www.myspace.com/billieblissmusic
Fast Asleep video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbE1HKgPKYE
Live Music Venues in Traverse City:
http://www.traversecitynightclubs.com/
Back to Black cover video:
http://www.vimeo.com/1205650
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