BIG RAPIDS — For some, music is a quality pastime for enjoyment, for others, it’s a lifelong passion. Big Rapids native and musician Billy Craig’s extensive discography includes his newest album Black Swan Theory, one that exemplifies his concept of midwestern Americana sound.
Released on Oct. 22, the 14-track album blends acoustic and electric guitar-driven country rock and is inspired in part by the pandemic.
Craig, who grew up on Marion Avenue in Big Rapids, said music and songwriting have always been a big part of his life.
“I like to write a lot and record so that’s the bottom line, and it’s something I’ve been doing for a few years,” Craig said. “It wasn’t really aimed at being a pandemic thing, but a lot of it kind of has that feel. It really is just an album that met what this world’s been going through the last few years and with the pandemic. But really, I just like putting our product and songwriting inspires me.”
Craig's early love for music led him to playing at local parks, high schools, and more. By age 18, he was playing guitar on a short international tour with musicians from Detroit to Chicago. He moved from acoustic to electric guitar, developing his own sound, and eventually ended up on a much longer tour of the U.S.
He toured with several different bands, including a 28-piece band, a trio that consisted of Craig and his two brothers, and Michigan-based rock band, Brownsville Station.
Craig said his songwriting and personal style is derived largely from his experiences growing up and living in a midwestern culture in Big Rapids and the Detroit area.
“It’s not your typical Nashville country sound,” Craig said. “What I’m trying to do is break out in a way that the Bakersfield sound came out and create the Midwestern and rustbelt country, which is a bit edgier and a little rock-oriented. My roots are rock and roll, so it just comes out that way.”
“I come from the Great Lakes and I wanted to represent that,” he added. “I grew up with rock and roll, so my influences are from there and 70s singer-songwriters like Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, all the way to AD/DC and Van Halen. When you write songs, you don’t always have a choice on how they come out, they just come out the way they come out, especially when you perform them.”
Through ATM Records, Craig has released four other albums, including "Beyond the Pale,” his first instrumental album. He enjoys performing for his hometown and has done visits to local schools including two visits to Riverview Elementary in Big rapids to perform for students in 2013 and 2014.
Craig said that despite his rock and roll roots, the songwriting process starts with the basics.
“When I’m songwriting, I’ll often start with and use my acoustic guitar,” Craig said. “What comes out is what comes out, but to me, it's not representative of what’s coming out of Nashville and more what’s coming out of the Midwest. I think that we need to have that identity, especially out of Detroit.”
“When you think about Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, those are all blue-collar towns, and that’s the kind of album that I think I put out,” he added. “There’s a song on the alum called ‘Blue Collar,’ and the first song on the album ‘Let’s Get Along’ is going on one of the biggest country stations here in Detroit, WICD.”
Craig said his hopes for his latest Black Swan Theory album are that people are able to enjoy it.
“I just want listeners to regard it as a quality album,” Craig said. “Sitting down and putting on the headphones to listen, that’s what I’m thinking about when I record my songs, making something people can sit and listen to and appreciate. I want to put together a show, have hills and valleys like a rollercoaster, hit them hard at the beginning, and have some up and downs. It’s a good and interesting listening experience.”
Looking ahead, Craig said the pandemic has put a damper on a lot of the live music and concert schedules for many artists, but he has plans for creating a unique concert experience for fans.
“That is definitely one of my goals to tool up, and I have six albums to draw upon for a show, so I think I’ll be able to put together a really cool one,” Craig said. “I am going to put together a band, but a lot of that fell off because of the pandemic.
"It’s a different animal. This isn’t cover band world; this is an original project. And I’m lucky in that I have a pool of talent here in Detroit and some incredible players. When I put the band together, I think it’ll be a really good sound and it’ll be a real rock show. I know it’s coming with a flair of country, but I want to make sure my rock guitar is front and center.”
Black Swan Theory is currently available on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
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October 29, 2021 at 04:12PM
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