Local musician Kirk Williams trades in metal for folk with the release of his new LP under the name Lish Bills.
Williams, 36, has been a staple of the Chico music scene for nearly two decades, but this is his first solo album.
“I'm just real happy that we finally finished this thing. It's been a long time in the making,” Williams said. “And I hope people enjoy it.”
The album, “All Love and No Heart,” showcases Williams' talent and features nine distinct tracks.
Williams has been musically inclined from an early age, but it wasn’t until the age of 12 that he settled on the guitar as his instrument of choice.
“I still remember it being really hard when I first started doing it. I couldn't do it, and I couldn't get a chord to work,” Williams said. “But then eventually it did. And then I just kept playing and wanting to get better.”
Williams was influenced by the burgeoning nu-metal genre during his teenage years, including bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Papa Roach.
“Me and a couple of other kids at the Chico Junior High, started a band called Brain in a Cage, and we started playing shows around town,” Williams said.
The band was still too young to participate in the music scene on their own.
Fortunately, his friend's mom helped book them at local venues, including Red Room, the now-non-existent Riff Raff, and the beloved Tower Records.
Williams continued to improve his skills by taking a job at Chico’s The Music Connection during his high school years. He currently still teaches guitar there.
"It's just such a cool thing to be one-on-one with somebody and help them figure out how to get better at that instrument and help them troubleshoot what's going on with it," Williams explained. "And when you see somebody finally get that little breakthrough and be able to do something, seeing their satisfaction is satisfying for me, too."
Williams's latest venture, Lish Bills, started as a side project while playing in the heavy metal band Armed for Apocalypse.
It was important for Williams to find his independence as an artist.
“I felt like I needed something I could do without anybody else, and so it's just a purely solo project, Williams said. “Maybe occasionally, with some other people playing with me.”
Although the work is primarily solo, Williams enlisted a roster of all-star local musicians to help with his project. Surrogate frontman Chris Keane engineered the album, while Bogg’s Gavin Fitzgerald plays bass and The Shimmies’ Jack Gingerich hits the drums. Bruce MacMillan is on steel guitar, and Erin Lizardo from Pheasant Club is on backing vocals.
“All Love and No Heart” is now available on streaming platforms and the Lish Bills website. Lish Bills will also play at the 1078 Gallery in Chico on May 17.
