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Bill Mallonee has been lauded as one of the 100 greatest living songwriters by Paste Magazine and honored by Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Billboard, and more. Before “Americana” was even known as a musical genre, his Athens GA band Vigilantes of Love was helping to define it. Later, with albums produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M., Mark Heard, Jim Scott, and Buddy Miller, it seemed all but inevitable that Bill and his band of outlaws would break through to the big time (whatever that means.) Instead, over thirty years into his career, Mallonee is duking it out, still taking things into his own hands – keeping it all painfully and beautifully real.

On this episode of the True Tunes Podcast, we are joined by one of the true “lifers” of the modern roots music scene. With over 70 albums under his belt – and no indication that he intends to slow down any time soon, Mallonee has become a sort of digital troubadour: an online busker. In this expansive conversation, we learn about his musical roots, his circuitous path through the music industry, and his lingering belief in the power of authentic songs.

Full Show Notes, Music List, and archival video are available HERE or at TrueTunes.com/VOL

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Bill Mallonee Song List

Find Bill’s Music at BillMalloneeMusic.com (CD and LP)

Digital downloads at https://billmalloneemusic.bandcamp.com/

 

Opening segment

Bill Mallonee Band – You Give It All Your Heart (The Nashville NPR Session)

Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love – It’s Not Bothering Me (Audible Sigh Deluxe Edition)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – Baby I Was Lucky (To Get Out of There Alive) (A Clamoring of Ghosts)

Vigilantes of Love – Real Down Town (Killing Floor)

Vigilantes of Love – Resumé (Welcome to Struggleville)

Vigilantes of Love – Runaway Train (Welcome to Struggleville)

Vigilantes of Love – Welcome to Struggleville (Welcome to Struggleville)

Vigilantes of Love – Could Be a Lot Worse (Live at Cornerstone 1998, courtesy Bruce Neher)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – The World’s Tip Jar (The Rags of Absence)

(Tag: Real Down Town – Blister Soul)

 

Set One

Bill Mallonee – Shadow Canyon (Instrumental version) (Ghost Waltz / WPA 15)

Vigilantes of Love – Who Knows When the Sunrise Will Be (V.O.L.)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – You Old Cow-Puncher (Lead On, Kindly Light…)

Vigilantes of Love – Double Cure (Band version) (V.O.L.)

Vigilantes of Love – Losin’ It (Jugular)

Vigilantes of Love – It’s Alright, Doctor (Driving the Nails)

Vigilantes of Love – Strike While the Iron Is Hot (Killing Floor)

Vigilantes of Love – Tracing It Back to Its Source (Cross the Big Pond)

 

Set Two

Vigilantes of Love – Making It Up As We Go Along (Summershine)

Vigilantes of Love – Tempest (Blister Soul)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – Face of the Clock (Forest Full of Wolves)

Vigilantes of Love – Welcome to Struggleville (Welcome to Struggleville)

Vigilantes of Love – Last To Know (Struggleville rehearsal session)

Vigilantes of Love – I Can Explain Everything (Welcome to Struggleville)

Vigilantes of Love – Glory and the Dream (Welcome to Struggleville)

Vigilantes of Love – Real Down Town (Blister Soul)

Vigilantes of Love – To the Roof of the Sky (To the Roof of the Sky)

Vigilantes of Love – Taking On Water (Slow Dark Train)

Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love – Black Cloud O’er Me (Audible Sigh Deluxe Edition)

Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love – Resplendent (Audible Sigh Deluxe Edition)

Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love – Solar System (Audible Sigh Deluxe Edition)

Vigilantes of Love – Galaxy (Gonna Be Alright) (Summershine)

 

Set Three

Bill Mallonee Band – You’ve Still Got the Devil Left to Pay (The Nashville NPR Session)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – Nothing Here Was Ever Meant to Last (The Rags of Absence)

Bill Mallonee – ‘Til Your Heart Got In the Way (Here It Opens With A Prayer, But It Closes With A Song)

Bill Mallonee – Cave In (Faith Seeking Understanding, Or the Other Way Around) (Here It Opens With A Prayer, But It Closes With A Song)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – Hide Me In the Darkness (Lands & Peoples)

Bill Mallonee – Tumble Weed Dreams (Here It Opens With A Prayer, But It Closes With A Song)

Bill Mallonee – If My Heart Is Broken (My Spirit’s Not Far Behind) (Here It Opens With A Prayer, But It Closes With A Song)

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers – Trimmed & Burning (Forest Full of Wolves)

 

Soapbox

Vigilantes of Love – Skin (V.O.L.)

Bill Mallonee – Best Seat In the Room (exclusive instrumental mix) (Original version on A Clamoring of Ghosts)

 

Closing

Phil Keaggy & Rex Paul – Full Circle (True Tunes podcast theme version)

IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE, don’t miss:

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Michael Roe Did It For Love (Pt.2)

The Beautiful Mystery of Terry Scott Taylor (Part 1)

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Renaissance Man Jimmy Abegg

Ep 15 Buddy Miller: Learning To Listen with Big Ears

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Audiofeed Festival Lineup Announcement and Interview

Terry Scott Taylor’s Beautiful Mystery

Natalie Bergman’s Jesus Music for a New Generation

Myron Butler and the Legacy of Andrae Crouch!

Andy Zipf Solo Acoustic Performance on True Tunes @45RPM

45RPM: Phil Madeira and Love Songs

Bruce Cockburn: Kicking at the Darkness for Fifty Years (and counting!)

From The Vault: Michael Been of The Call

Marc Byrd (Hammock, God of Wonders, etc) 

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Phil Madeira on Expanding Horizons

Kevin Max Considers Boundaries

See the full list of previous episodes HERE