While, in the last several years, the guitar isconsidered “more in terms of its limitations than itscapabilities, BILL HORIST [explores] the guitar’scontinued presence as a vital and still challengingform of musical expression.” (Willamette Week-May,1998). Since moving to Seattle in 1995, BILL HORIST hasestablished himself as a notedimproviser/composer/performer along the West Coast andbeyond. In the past decade, he has appeared on over40 recordings and has performed almost 700 concerts inCanada, Mexico, Europe, Japan and throughout the US. Bill has performed and/or recorded with Bill Frisell,Wayne Horvitz, KK Null, Matt Chamberlain, TreyGunn(King Crimson), Chris Cutler, Kawabata Makoto(AcidMothers Temple), William Hooker, Trey Spruance(MrBungle/Secret Chiefs 3), Eugene Chadbourne, TatsuyaYoshida(Ruins), Shazaad Ismaily, Climax Golden Twins,Haco, Illusion of Safety, Saadet Tuerkoez,Planktonman(Nortec Collective), Jack Wright, AmyDenio, Uchihashi Kazuhisa, Steve Fisk, ReggieWatts(Maktub), Anla Courtis (Reynols), Luigi Archetti,Michael White, Christoph Gallio, Eyvind Kang, PaulRucker, Lesli Dalaba, Paul Hoskin, Thomas Dimuzio,Wally Shoup, Jessica Lurie, Mason Jones, Jeff Grienke,and Tucker Martine as well as members of Earth, TheBoredoms and Larsen among others. Horist has toured and recorded with a number ofhis own bands including Nobodaddy, Phineas Gage,Axolotl, UnFolkUs, Zahir, Tablet and Nervewheel. Hecurrently performs with Master Musicians of Bukkake,Ghidra and the Paul Rucker Ensemble in addition toseveral periodic collaborations. As a solo artist, Bill’s improvised, preparedguitar work is informed by Hans Reichel, Fred Frith,and Henry Kaiser, but shows a unique style andpersonality. He has received critical praiseinternationally from periodicals including The Wireand Alternative Press, and several of his recordingshave made critics’ year-end lists. Bill was featuredin the March 2007 issues of Guitar Player Magazine andEarshot Jazz Magazine. In 2005 and 2006, he wasnominated for "Jazz Artist of the Year" (despite histotal inability to play jazz!) and "Guitarist of theYear" respectively by the Seattle Weekly. He hasappeared at numerous festivals includingTaktlos(Zuerich), Spring Reverb(San Diego/Tijuana), Big Sur Experimental Music Fest(Big Sur),YamaguchiUniversity Festival(Yamaguchi) Mission Creek MusicFest(San Francisco), Seattle Improvised Music Fest,AntiMatter Fest(Vancouver) and Olympia ExperimentalMusic Fest. He was the recipient of the 2006 GAPgrant, 2005 Artist Trust Fellowship, the 1997 Jack Straw Artist Assistance Program Grant and has doneseveral presentations and workshops at schools fromfirst grade to college-level, including the Universityof Calgary, Seattle Art Institute, Martin Luther KingElementary (Seattle), the Experience Music Project andBig Picture School for at-risk youth. Bill improvises and composes for film, dance andtheater as well. In the Fall 2002, he was composer inresidence at the Banff Centre for the Arts where hedeveloped a solo guitar score for University ofCalgary choreographer, Davida Monk's "Lyric". Billcontinues to work with Calgary's M-Body Dance company. Additionally, Horist works as sideman forrecording and performing. He has worked with Kinski,Jessica Lurie, Two Loons for Tea, Elizabeth Carpenter,Mische Eddins, Paul Rucker, Rollerball, Sulpher, JohnSchuller, Karl Stevens and Nancy Martin among others. For more info, e-mail flattopbix@yahoo.com.SELECTED DISCOGRAPHYFULL-LENGTH RECORDINGS-Sleep Hammer- Bill Horist/Marron; Public Eyesore(2006)-Live at Radio Student Ljubljana - OvO/Bill Horist;Friends and Relatives Records (2006)-Northwest Music- Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo/BillHorist; Final Muzik (2006)-Lyric/Suite- solo recordings; Accretions (2004)-Strawberry Skinflint- Ghidra (Wally Shoup, BillHorist, Mike Peterson); Sol Disk (2003)-Interstellar Chemistry- KK Null/Bill Horist; BetaLactam Ring Records (2002)-Zahir- Lesli Dalaba, Bill Horist, Randall Dunn;Endless Records (2002)-KK Null/Bill Horist- split 10” clear vinyl; TortureMusic Records (2001)-Songs from the Nerve Wheel- solo recordings; UnitCircle Rekkids (2000)-Continentes- Luigi Archetti, Uchihashi Kazuhisa, BillHorist; self-produced (1999)-Black Helicopters- FIN live on KCMU; self-produced(1998)-UnFolkUs- eponymous CD; Unit Circle Rekkids (1998)-Soylent Radio- solo and duet recordings; Unit CircleRekkids (1997)-Phineas Gage Travelling Sideshow- eponymous CD;self-produced (1997)-Duh Evolution- NOBODADDY live at 10 Weston;self-produced (1995)-Guitometry- solo and ensemble recordings;self-produced (1993) Additionally, Bill Horist has appeared on over twenty releases.
