bill patton gets it on

in 2006 bill patton, a singer and guitar player up in seattle, a self-described sad bastard singer songwriter (sbss), issued a cd, gets it on, his first. part of the wry humor of his music - and it can be funny - derives from the tension of simultaneously conforming to and subverting the principles of the sbss genre, the sort of playfulness that shows up in the title and in the album cover (pictured); sbsses don't, as a general rule, get it on, and patton, at least in his cover picture, certainly looks the sbss part. all of which lend patton's music an unexpected, and appreciated, dimension.

take, for example, "dirty woman," the lead track of gets it on, a short, acoustic song, which, as you probably guessed, details certain romantic preferences and in the process sends up the traditional immortal love song: "i recognize you from the show, i'm glad that you could go. we play again on saturday, you can't make it that's okay."

bill patton - dirty woman

patton also plays guitar in or otherwise contributes to an impressive number of bands in the northwest, including another sbss, j.tillman. you can pick up a copy of his gets it on from cd baby.