Bill Fox
Encyclopedia
Bill Fox was the lead singer and guitar
ist of the three-piece Cleveland
, Ohio
, garage pop
band The Mice
, which existed from January 1985 to 1988. They released two albums, For Almost Ever and Scooter (re-released by Scat Records as For Almost Ever Scooter in 2004), and were a major influence on the burgeoning Ohio power pop
scene, including Dayton
's Guided by Voices
.
Years later, Fox released two solo albums, Shelter from the Smoke (originally released in 1996 on Fox's-Helen(a)Rimac's Cherry Pop label and re-released by SpinArt in 1997) and Transit Byzantium (SpinArt, 1998).
After his brief West Coast tour for the latter album, Fox promptly quit the music business and remained disconnected from all media contacts regarding his music for nearly a decade. Fox is the subject of a long article by Joe Hagan in the June/July 2007 issue of The Believer
, in which he is referred to as "one of America’s greatest contemporary songwriters."http://www.believermag.com/issues/200706/. Hagan set out to make contact with Fox and get an answer to the question "Why Did Bill Fox Stop Playing Music?" Though he did not meet Fox, he did get his answer.
Hagan's article made a large impact on past and present fans of Fox to rediscover his music. Reportedly the article prompted some iTunes royalties that have inspired Fox to both allow the reissue of his solo albums and begin performing again.
On April 3, 2008, Scat Records
announced Fox agreed to allow them to re-release both of his albums on vinyl and CD. Robert Griffin, owner of Scat Records, told cleveland.com what Fox thinks of the reissues: "He just thinks they're music, and God, if some of these weird people still want to buy 'em, OK, let's print some more up."
The reissue of Shelter from the Smoke was released late 2009, adding three tracks from Fox's short-lived early 1990s group The Radio Flyers, as well as both songs from the 1995 Bird of the World 7" single.
In 2009, Fox commenced playing again in Cleveland and area. In May of 2010, he headlined at the 16th anniversary concerts of Kelp Records
, based in Ottawa, Canada. Fox headlined at anniversary performances in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
On June 8, 2010, alternative rock
band Nada Surf
released a cover of Fox's song "Electrocution" on an album titled if i had a hifi
1995 Bird of the World
1996 Shelter from the Smoke (Cherry Pop release 15 tracks)
1997 Shelter from the Smoke (SpinArt release 18 tracks)
1998 Transit Byzantium
1998 I Stayed Up All Night Listening To Records (Compilation)
2009 Shelter from the Smoke (Scat reissue 23 tracks)
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist of the three-piece Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, garage pop
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band The Mice
The Mice (band)
The Mice were a young Cleveland-based power-pop trio active in the mid-80s. Brothers Bill Fox and Tommy Fox played with Bill's high school friends and performed music in various minor and untitled lineups...
, which existed from January 1985 to 1988. They released two albums, For Almost Ever and Scooter (re-released by Scat Records as For Almost Ever Scooter in 2004), and were a major influence on the burgeoning Ohio power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
scene, including Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
's Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
.
Years later, Fox released two solo albums, Shelter from the Smoke (originally released in 1996 on Fox's-Helen(a)Rimac's Cherry Pop label and re-released by SpinArt in 1997) and Transit Byzantium (SpinArt, 1998).
After his brief West Coast tour for the latter album, Fox promptly quit the music business and remained disconnected from all media contacts regarding his music for nearly a decade. Fox is the subject of a long article by Joe Hagan in the June/July 2007 issue of The Believer
The Believer (magazine)
The Believer is a United States literary magazine that also covers other arts and general culture. Founded and designed in 2003 by the writer and publisher Dave Eggers, it is edited by Vendela Vida, Heidi Julavits and Ed Park...
, in which he is referred to as "one of America’s greatest contemporary songwriters."http://www.believermag.com/issues/200706/. Hagan set out to make contact with Fox and get an answer to the question "Why Did Bill Fox Stop Playing Music?" Though he did not meet Fox, he did get his answer.
Hagan's article made a large impact on past and present fans of Fox to rediscover his music. Reportedly the article prompted some iTunes royalties that have inspired Fox to both allow the reissue of his solo albums and begin performing again.
On April 3, 2008, Scat Records
Scat Records
Scat Records is a St. Louis, Missouri-based independent record label. It was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1989, and many of the bands released on the label are originally from Ohio....
announced Fox agreed to allow them to re-release both of his albums on vinyl and CD. Robert Griffin, owner of Scat Records, told cleveland.com what Fox thinks of the reissues: "He just thinks they're music, and God, if some of these weird people still want to buy 'em, OK, let's print some more up."
The reissue of Shelter from the Smoke was released late 2009, adding three tracks from Fox's short-lived early 1990s group The Radio Flyers, as well as both songs from the 1995 Bird of the World 7" single.
In 2009, Fox commenced playing again in Cleveland and area. In May of 2010, he headlined at the 16th anniversary concerts of Kelp Records
Kelp Records
Kelp Records is a Canadian record label based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was formed in March 1994 by Jon Bartlett in Fredericton, New Brunswick....
, based in Ottawa, Canada. Fox headlined at anniversary performances in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
On June 8, 2010, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
released a cover of Fox's song "Electrocution" on an album titled if i had a hifi
Discography
For discography of The Mice, see The Mice1995 Bird of the World
- 01. Bird of the World
- 02. I May Never Know
1996 Shelter from the Smoke (Cherry Pop release 15 tracks)
1997 Shelter from the Smoke (SpinArt release 18 tracks)
- 01. Over And Away She Goes
- 02. Appalachian Death Sigh
- 03. Sara Page
- 04. Lonesome Pine
- 05. Get Your Workingman's Things
- 06. Let In The Sun
- 07. Way Way Down
- 08. Singin' A Melody
- 09. I'm Not Over Loving You
- 10. Junked Lot Serenade
- 11. Jordan Is Hard Road To Travel
- 12. You Can Tell Me All Night Long
- 13. Let's Be Buried Together
- 14. Love Ain't No Feeling
- 15. Brittany Goes Right Down
- 16. A Little More Rain
- 17. Since I've Been Gone
- 18. Baystorm
1998 Transit Byzantium
- 01. From a Dark Night
- 02. Down To Babylon
- 03. I'll Give It Away
- 04. Thinking of You
- 05. Lay You Down
- 06. Song of a Drunken Nightingale
- 07. Quartermaster's Wintertime
- 08. Sycamore
- 09. Mary of the Wild Moor
- 10. All Dried Up
- 11. Dixie Darling
- 12. My Baby Crying
- 13. Burning Down a Snowflake
- 14. Bonded To You
- 15. Saga of Bus Station Joe & Rag Luck Addie
- 16. Portland Town
- 17. For Anyone That You Love
- 18. When I Blow
1998 I Stayed Up All Night Listening To Records (Compilation)
- 2. Electrocution (mislabeled as Eclectrocution)
2009 Shelter from the Smoke (Scat reissue 23 tracks)
- 1-18. (same as SpinArt release)
- 19. Bird Of The World
- 20. I May Never Know
- 21. Andnowagain
- 22. Grand-Ville Blues
- 23. Don't Lean On My Door, Fever