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| Billy Howerdel @ the Independent (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Billy Howerdel may not be a household name to many, but that’s about to change after last week's release of his first solo album What Normal Was (link). And Howerdel wasted no time to launch a tour that featured San Francisco’s Independent as the first date! Luckily, we were able to catch the show last night and for those of you reading this from outside the Bay Area, you're in for a treat if he's coming to your town. Be sure to click the link above for a full list of his current tour dates!
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| Billy Howerdel @ the Independent (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
For those of you not already familiar with Billy, he got his start as a guitar tech for bands such as Faith No More, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, and Tool. And it was that last band that catapulted Billy’s career when he founded A Perfect Circle with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan on vocals back in 1999. APC’s released a handful of albums, but Billy decided to create another side project back in 2008 called ASHES dIVIDE. That project was essentially solo Billy under the ASHES dIVIDE moniker so it was curious to me that his latest album, What Normal Was, was released under his own name and not under Ashes. Either way, you’ll love his new album if you’re a fan of APC and The Cure — rich tones from each echo through the new album while Billy’s vulnerably soft vocal textures ring through with a just a touch of Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan in the distance.
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| Billy Howerdel @ the Independent (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
For the live show and touring band, Howerdel’s assembled a 4-piece backing band comprised of Nylo on keyboards, Greyson Nekrutman on drums, Eliot Lorango on bass, and Danny Lohner on guitar. He joked that he only met the Eliot a week ago and asked if he could remind him of his last name during the introductions. Whether he was kidding or not, it was a funny moment that broke the intensity of the evening.
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| Nylo on keyboards @ the Independent (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Although they mixed up the order of the songs from What Normal Was, the band played through the full 11-song album and included a token ASHES dIVIDE song for the die hard Billy fans. At the mid-point of the set, Billy also joked that he had to go take a piss and left the stage, which allowed the Greyson to break into a drum solo to pass the time.
Overall, take a listen to the new album and if you like it, the live performance is a faithful reproduction of the album material. The band was focused on the music with very little to distract from the performance. Billy didn't employ a background video screen as the opener VOWWS did, and the overall light show (as with most shows at the Independent) was pretty stripped down with only a few LED par cans that did a decent job of highlighting Billy and Nylo with some nice lighting effects. Considering A Perfect Circle would typically play arena-sized venues, this is your chance to catch the driving force behind that band play his solo material in a relatively small setting.
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| Danny Lohner @ the Independent (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
And although I mentioned his name above, the biggest surprise -- at least it was to me -- was realizing Danny Lohner was on rhythm guitar. It was only at the end of the show when Billy finally introduced the full band before "Stars" that he mentioned Danny's name. I hadn't recognized him up to that point, and frankly, he was off in the shadows on the far left of the stage throughout most of the night anyway, that I hadn't realized who he was. And in addition to introducing Danny, Billy mentioned how Danny also contributed to the What Normal Was album, and I'm pretty sure Billy said that the album couldn't have happened without him. If Danny's name didn't ring a bell, he was a guitarist for NIN for over 10 years and was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Trent and several other key members of NIN during the pandemic. I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing that Billy may have been Danny's guitar tech back in the day when Danny was playing with Nine Inch Nails. It's only fitting that Danny's back with Billy now and contributing to both Billy's album, and also this tour. It was great to see him and I only wish I had realized who he was earlier in the night to try and get some better shots of him playing!
Ultimately, the show was great and do yourself a favor and take a listen to Billy's new album. Better yet, check out his tour dates and be sure to catch him if and when he comes to your town! Thanks for reading and be sure to follow us on social here: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter.
