Missing You – Billy Dettmer – 2018 Songs of loss, hope, change and re-imagining. There is an incredible feeling of satisfaction when you actually finish anything. Completing a new album, patting a group of songs on the head and saying 'off you go then, do your best' is challenging, to say the least. This is my art, a large chunk of my life. 18 months work in the studio. I'm putting it on the table for you to dig into. Hanging it on the wall for you to stare at. Hoping you get the point. In fact one song, My Love's Canvas, is actually about getting the point of a work of art. Aside from my musical endeavours, I've worked the streets of Melbourne in one form of ambulance or another for 35 years. To be a good Ambo, I had to learn all the skills. To become a better guitarist, I had to play with great people and learn from them. To become a better songwriter, I needed to explore and examine, listen and then create. I had to learn the skills. In this very Australian, Melbourne based album, put together from so many songs and poems over a long career, I give a nod to the great songwriters and players I’ve been educated by; those we aspire to emulate, while maintaining our individuality and creative autonomy. Never the world’s greatest singer or guitarist, I’ve found joy and expression from writing and telling stories. My hope is that within this cocktail you taste an awful lot of Little Willy (Me) mixed with a squeeze of Dylan, a dash of Paul Kelly, a splash of Eric Bogle, a fifth of Tom Waits, a jigger of Van Morrison, a drop of Don Mclean, a measure of Paul Simon, a few drops of Leonard Cohen, a whiff of Joni Mitchell and a pluck of Mike McLellan. My cellar’s full of these and so many others. I don’t shy away from plumbing the depths of these poets… there’s been plenty of starry, starry nights… lots of red, red wine and … there have been dumb things… Regrets… I’ve had a few. But these are your songs now. This new album, Missing You, takes you on a journey through the streets of Melbourne, Australia, across decades of stories. From the moment at the start when the candle is lit, until it's blown out at the end. The songs will hopefully carry you through a range of emotions. You'll hear the sounds of the street, the birds in the air. You'll hear my ambulance. You join Ronald Ryan, the last man hanged in Australia, during his last minutes. I have a small, select group of musicians with me but hoped, though this collection, to showcase my story-telling, poetry, guitar, bass and harmonica playing. It was important that I played everything I could. all the guitar work, apart from Pete's beautiful slide playing, is mine. Sarah Gardner lifts Paul's Song to heights I hadn't imagined. I asked Pete Fidler to join me on slide on this number and imagined a musical sound on the track, where Ry Cooder meets Daniel Lanois. I hope the song leaves you wringing wet. Old mate Jimi Hocking from Australia's 'Screaming Jets' joins me on Mandolin on a number of tracks adding a feel and a memory of my old days, as a kid with the Victoria Banjo Club. Mike Rudd from Spectrum adds harmonica and vocals to 'The Last Steps' (of Ronald Ryan) - Ryan was the last man executed in Australia in 1967. Greg Champion adds his first Bass sessions to the mix. My mum died last year and although expected, you’re never ready. I used to describe her as a cross between Marie, the mum on Everybody Loves Raymond and Mrs Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances. The loss was bigger than anticipated. I couldn’t have recorded without her small legacy. It’s thanks to mum and my dear old dad that I became a musician at all. You will hear the song I played at mum’s funeral, which is also the last I ever got to play for my dad before we lost him, all those years ago. I dedicate this collection to Keith and Gwen and thank them for all they did. Recorded and mixed by Ben Hense at Beat Tank Productions, Montmorency The Musicians (in alphabetical order) Paul Bennett (Violin) Track 5. Greg Champion (Bass) Tracks 3, 9, 11, 12. Billy Dettmer (Guitars, Harmonica, Bass, Percussion bits and pieces... except where listed.). Pete Fidler (Slide Guitar/Dobro) Tracks 4, 8 and 9. Sarah Gardner (Vocals) Tracks 1, 4 & 10. Ben Hense (Bass) Tracks 1, 10 & 14. (Keys/Percussion) Track 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14. Cherry Hense (Violin) Track 5 Jimi Hocking (Mandolin) Tracks 6, 10. Mike Rudd (Vocals) Tracks 9 and 12, (Harmonica) Track 9 My guitars are made and maintained by Cargill Guitars – Seaford, Victoria Missing (adjective) – (of a thing) not able to be found because it is not in its expected place. (of a person) absent from a place, especially their home, and of unknown whereabouts. You – (pronoun) ..... ♡ All songs original and (C) William J Dettmer 2018 Home – excerpt from Irish Heartbeat (Van Morrison) Too Young To Worry Then – excerpt from Worried Man Blues (Trad – Woody Guthrie) Photography on Instagram. Chat with me Facebook. Songs and poetry on SoundCloud p. PO Box 1481 Frankston Vic 3199 Australia e. bdettmer@optusnet.com.au Reviews The music of Billy Dettmer has been described as containing the colours of Australia’s John Williamson, Paul Kelly and Eric Bogle. One reviewer rated his “I got A Right to Sing the Blues” up there with Van Morrison’s raw edged and earthy soul searching best. This excerpt from Tommy Emmanuel’s mgr of 10 years The world is full of guitarists, singers, poets and raconteurs… many who label themselves ‘entertainers’. But rarely do I come across an artist who can truly claim to be just that… a real (in this case meaning honest) entertainer. In fact to just listen to a CD or tape by Bilyl Dettmer means you only get part of the picture. I had to sit in an audience at a Billy Dettmer concert to fully appreciate his talent. Drawing from a rich tapestry of experiences, Billy somehow manages pull them together and present commentaries on life in a way in which I believe, everyone can truly relate and empathize. Whether it is tragic or funny, an everyday occurrence or something really special, Billy has the gift of recreating the moment and sharing it with his audience. Everyone should experience a night with Billy Dettmer Ron Leigh A review of the Live album - hermoso es! Live at Beaches of Mornington. South Oakleigh-bred, Frankston-based Bill Dettmer has been playing live since he was a seven-year-old member of the Victorian Banjo Club. This, his third recording and his first CD, is proof of the polish that comes from three decades of performance. Apart from the good-humoured introduction by Harvey Hedgehog, nothing here is raw or rough. Accomplished playing, especially from Dettmer, lead guitarist Felix Lonel and Garry Sanders on sax, gives the strong, all-original material every chance to stand in most company. The jaunty Long Way to Go opens with an affirmative spirit that never leaves an album that can be, in turns, lost, lonely, angry, wry, grateful and wistful. The mix of styles moves easily among folk, blues, country and occasional tastes of jazz. Wherever they might end up, the songs begin as a tribute to family and the fraternity of musicians. Never Kick Your Teddy is a hilarious ditty to Dettmer's son, which would make it on a Play School compilation. The beautiful It's Come To This, At Last is an unforgettable tune while Sad Women, Big Losers, The Heartbreaks, You And Me sets a buddy song to a country refrain. The ambitious Water is the album's most original tune; a complex piece set to a superb lyric. The assertive I Got A Right To Sing The Blues would sit easily on Van Morrison's ‘Too Long In Exile’ with its seven minutes of punchy grunts and growls. This album gives you fine songs and exceptional playing with a feel so live that you can almost smell the smoke and touch the tables made tacky by beer. You beauty! say the Mexicans, it's a beautiful thing! Hermoso es! Paul Isbel - City Search Music Reviews. The following are excerpts from reviews and press articles ranging back over the years - Bill's extensive musical ability, combined with his sensitively written lyrics, and poetry, will be sure to inspire, entertain and delight. Bill is winner of seven Australian Songwriters' Association Awards for his material, including the Rudy Brandsma Perpetual Trophy for contribution to live music; the Snowy River Country Music Festival Award; the Banjo Patterson Poetry Award. Independent News Clever Frankston guitarist, singer, songwriter and poet who has helped launch careers and organise dozens of concerts for others. Frankston Standard. The former ambulance officer turned poet, singer/songwriter, band manager and sometime teacher whose brief these days extends to visiting schools as a specialist teacher to talk to students about life issues such as violence and drugs. Standard News Ambulance officer by day and tireless folk music activist by night, Mr Dettmer has just found wider recognition by winning seven Australian Songwriters' Association awards. About 750 people entered the annual Australia-wide competition, in which Mr Dettmer received six trophies and the Rudy Brandsma Award for his effort. Standard. His poetry and songs deal with subjects ranging from social issues, war and child abuse, to observations of the environment, beauty, love, people and places, everyday life, and events he has had to deal with as an ambulance officer. In between the ballads, bush songs, blues and today's pop, his comments are humorous, but right to the point. Education Victoria