All proceeds from Prayer, In Tribute to Bill Rieflin, by Chris Connelly and Jessica Gallo, will be donated to the Floyd & Delores Jones Cancer Institute at the Virginia Mason Foundation. Read more about this project by clicking below.
Bill Rieflin, of Minstry, REM, Swans, The Humans, King Crimson and many other great bands, would have been 60 today.
Happy Birthday Bill, we are thinking of you. Click below for a special video clip by Don Gunn. Click here for a tribute from Magnet Magazine, and here for another video, by Steve Ball.
Out now digitally, 21st Century Schizoid Man from Toyah & The Humans. This is the final recording the late Bill Rieflin collaborated on with Toyah. Click below for download and streaming links.
Seriously amazing. Seven minutes of magnificence! We miss you Bill.
These look gorgeous! Following the fantastic solo Toyah vinyls earlier this year, come four Toyah & The Humans vinyls. All four vinyls are also released on July 3rd 2020. Click below for order links.
The three studio albums by Toyah & The Humans – We Are The Humans, Sugar Rush, Strange Tales – make their vinyl debut on 180g heavyweight coloured translucent vinyl. Strange Tales now closes with the previously unreleased 7-minute 21st Century Schizoid Man, the last track Toyah and Bill Rieflin recorded together.
The full 2010 concert album Live At Scala is released for the first time in its entirety, featuring a cover of Purple Haze alongside songs that later appeared on Sugar Rush but were not yet recorded at the time of the gig.
Catch up with Toyah & Chris Wong’s special live event from earlier today. This included the World Premiere of new track 21st Century Schizoid Man, a Bill Rieflin Tribute and a Live Q&A.
Join Toyah & Chris Wong for a special live event 11am, Sat 2nd May on Twitter (or Facebook). World Premiere of new track 21st Century Schizoid Man, Bill Rieflin Tribute, unseens videos, Live Q&A – ask your question using #askToyah – Click below for further details.
Tune into Toyah’s official Facebook at 11:00am on Sat 2nd May for a special live hour with Toyah & Chris Wong. There’ll be some announcements, a chance to ask questions plus content you’ve never seen before.
Terrible news! Bill Rieflin of Nine Inch Nails, Swans, REM, Ministry, King Crimson, The Humans has died at the age of 59.
The interview with Toyah and Bill Rieflin, which aired on Monday night on Severn FM’s The Encyclopaedia of Rock, is now available to listen to online.
Beginning at approximately 43 minutes into the programme. Toyah talks the history of The Humans, and the album Strange Tales – with a play of the wonderful Amnesia – The second part of the interview, which includes Bill Rieflin explaining how he initially became a member of The Humans, begins at approximately 59 minutes in and runs for around 12 minutes.
• Listen here. (Click on 13/04/15 Aerosmith Von Hertzen Toyah and The Humans)
Toyah and Bill Rieflin were interviewed on The Encyclopaedia on Severn FM tonight.
The radio station has a “Listen Again” function at their website so the interview/show may possibly become available sometime this week.
Toyah has tweeted a couple of photos of The Humans in rehearsals for their tour this afternoon: “YIPEEEE! We r back 2gether again and sounding awesome xxx“. View the full version of both at Twitter. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)
• BRFM: Bill Rieflin Interview: Monday at 10am we chat to Bill Rieflin in advance of Toyah and The Humans show in Swansea, The Garage Blues Club April 17th – Visit their website…
• ‘Dear Mr. Le Bon’ – A Pensioner Writes: Letters to pop stars regarding their work from a retired member of the public with genuine replies from the artists themselves – There’s a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to publish a book related to “The Letters of Wilf Turnbull and Derek Philpott” – View the campaign…
• The Letters of Wilf Turnbull and Derek Philpott: Dear Toyah, Re: I Want To Be Free – Read their letter to Toyah…
• This Is Not Retro: Toyah To Tour With The Humans in April: Toyah has announced a short UK tour with her project The Humans starting at Uckfield’s Trading Boundaries on April 11th – Continue reading…
• DGM Live: Robert Fripp has updated his online diary today and reveals the titles of three new tracks currently under construction at this week’s King Crimson rehearsals – Continue reading…
• Western Gazette: Your Stage Round Up: Toyah Willcox, Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, 7.30pm: Toyah will be performing a full set with her band, featuring songs from In The Court Of The Crimson Queen along with classic hits and fan favourites. There is a special local link as Toyah has been married to local musician, founding member of King Crimson and highly acclaimed guitarist and musician Robert Fripp, for the past 28 years – Continue reading… (this gig took place last night)
Tickets are on sale for all six dates of The Humans forthcoming UK Tour, Telling Strange Tales. Playing Uckfield, Gloucester, Southampton, Swansea, London and Chatham between 11th and 19th April. View more info/ticket links by clicking below.
Fripp, Buck, and Others Make Slow Music
Viewed through a wide-angle lens, the line that runs through Bill Rieflin’s projects seems to follow the trend of many musicians who came out of the punk era. There’s the furious, angst-driven beginning that coasts steadily downward into calmer, more middle-of-the-road fare.
In the case of Rieflin, the 53-year-old musician made a name for himself in the late ’80s when he joined forces with industrial-rock carpet bombers Ministry and Revolting Cocks, while also helping form the equally brutal collective Pigface. So his moving into the world of straightforward rock like the Minus 5 and R.E.M. (he was their drummer from 2003 until the band split up in 2011) might seem like he’s gone soft in his later years.
• Continue reading at The Portland Mercury.
A great new interview with Bill Rieflin, by The Seattle Times, ahead of next week’s The Humans/Slow Music US live dates in Seattle and Portland.
It’s Bill Rieflin times two at Slow Music and Humans show next week | Concert preview
Bill Rieflin will be on double duty next week when he appears at the Triple Door on April 14 and 15. The multi-instrumentalist, who boasts a wide-ranging resume (Ministry, R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, Robyn Hitchcock), will headline both shows with his improvisational group Slow Music, which also includes legendary English guitarist Robert Fripp, as well as playing in the evening’s opening act, the Humans, which features Fripp’s wife, English singer/actress Toyah Willcox.
“Believe me, it’s not my idea,” Rieflin said of the double billing. It all began when Rieflin was recently out dining in London with Fripp, Willcox, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck (another Slow Music member), and Young Fresh Fellows/R.E.M. guitarist Scott McCaughey.
• Continue reading at The Seattle Times.
There’s now a dedicated section at The Official Toyah Willcox Website for The Humans: With the great response to Get In Your Car, the third album just about to be released and live dates in America in April… it’s a busy time to be Human! Click below to visit.
Not strictly Toyah news but she is mentioned in the article, as is fellow Human Bill Rieflin.
King Crimson unveil new-line up and 2014 tour plans
Robert Fripp has unveiled a new incarnation of King Crimson.
Speaking to Uncut, Fripp said: “King Crimson is returning to active service. We are on-call to be ready for a live performance on September 1, 2014. Seven members. Four English, three American. Three drummers. It’s a different configuration of King Crimson than before. Some are familiar names, maybe more than others.”
This line-up – the 8th in the band’s history – will be Fripp, Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Mel Collins and Jakko Jakszyk.
• Continue reading at Uncut.
A great new interview with Bill Rieflin from NPR Music’s ‘The Record’.
Talking Shop With Bill Rieflin, Journeyman Musician
This is a songs-oriented record, but the instrumentation is unusual. Explain why you decided to be a singer and two basses (augmented by other things, including Robert Fripp’s guitar).
The fact is, I didn’t decide anything. It was all Toyah’s doing. For some reason, out of the blue, she asked if I wanted to play bass with a new project. After recovering from the sheer confoundment and confusion, I said, “OK.” I had no idea why she would want a drummer to play bass. The concept of voice and two bassists as the musical core of the group is solely hers. Being that it’s her vision, I can’t exactly tell you the “why” except to say that, as a singer, I’m told, it’s much nicer to sing without having to fight over guitars and drums eating up all the frequencies they eat up. From this basic trio grows further augmentation and adornment. As the producer, I will usually fill in where I see fit, adding musical highlights and emphases. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to show off. Robert joined us on this record as a continuation of touring we did together last year, so this was a natural step.
• Read the full interview with Bill at the ‘NPR Music’ website, here.
