Bent Horseshoe: Bill Hickman

Bill is a Wellington musician who has played the club twice before and many people commented on his great voice.

He writes a lot of his own songs and does some well chosen covers.His style is difficult to pinpoint but leans towards country with a bit of rock and folk.

This time he is with Dusty Burnell a great mandolin player and lap steel player.

Bill Hickman is an intense, lyrical singer/songwriter from Wellington. A long serving stalwart of New Zealand stages, Bill has played in bands (The Shot Band, Billy Bones, Parcel of Rogues and King Lazy) and as a soloist all over the country and further abroad. A self-described ‘folkie with a chip on his shoulder’ Bill’s songs run the gamut from murder and outlaws to absent friends, love and gratitude.

With a strong, gravel dragged voice and country inflected acoustic guitar; fans of Warren Zevon, Johnny Cash and Townes van Zandt will find touchstones in his songwriting and selected covers. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a set of gentle melancholy, however, Bill's primary approach is ‘gutsy’. He has done his time howling above the clamour and is always capable of stepping it up a notch when the occasion or story requires.

For this March 14th performance at the Bent Horseshoe Bill will being playing alongside multi instrumentalist Cameron 'Dusty' Burnell. A member of the Frank Burkitt band and Wellington's T-Bone trio, Dusty has performed all over the world and brings his Mandolin, lap steel, guitars and lonesome harmony to Bill's tunes for a special duo.