Bill Callahan and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy reveal another new single from their ongoing weekly instalment of new covers. This week they head into cowboy song territory for a cover of Mike Burton’s Night Rider’s Lament, a song that has been covered by many – most notably Nanci Griffith and Garth Brooks. As with all this cover series, a guest artist is asked to join them and this week it is the turn of Drag City compadre Cory Hanson of Wand. An apt guest – his new solo album, set for release on 12 March, is titled Pale Horse Rider which was recorded in the desert surrounded by ‘6 foot tall sculptural psychotropic cacti’.
A perfect pairing is a joy to come by, and a blind pairing is even finer; here, a role of dice slides Bill Callahan into Jerry Jeff Walker’s big shoes to walk over an ethereal Mojave country take on Mike Burton’s classic cowboy tune, courtesy of Wand’s Cory Hanson, shape-shifting into his solo persona with ease, and giving Bill and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy plenty of room to display theirs too. Cover artwork by Aline Cautis, shown as part of the group show “The Monochrome Set”, at Soccer Club Club, October 2018.
Get it on Bandcamp: https://billcallahanbonnieprincebilly.bandcamp.com/album/night-riders-lament-feat-cory-hanson