Bill Kelliher
Encyclopedia
Bill Kelliher is a guitarist in the Atlanta
heavy metal
band Mastodon
. He is a native of Victor, New York
. He shares guitar duties with Brent Hinds
, playing mainly complex rhythm
parts. Kelliher is married, with two young sons—the eldest one named Harrison, after Harrison Ford
of Star Wars
fame. He is also a Star Wars
enthusiast, with a large collection of action figures and other merchandise from the franchise.
On June 12, 2007, Hinds and Kelliher won the Metal Hammer
Golden Gods award for best shredders, Mastodon's first ever award.
On November 3, 2008, Kelliher was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis
during the European Unholy Alliance Chapter 3 tour they participated in. The band continued on tour as a trio, while his condition improved. Kelliher was more recently hospitalized in April 2010 while on tour with Baroness
, again with pancreatitis likely induced by Kelliher's heavy drinking. In an interview with Kerrang! Magazine, Kelliher explained that he is committed to maintaining his sobriety, though it is difficult. On May 25, 2010, Mastodon announced that they would cancel their upcoming summer tour in Europe from June 5 to July 3 so that Bill could recover better from his pancreatitis.
Custom in a Silverburst finish. He has been seen using other Les Paul Customs in Ebony and Alpine White during the band's 2009 tour with Dethklok. He has also used 3 Gibson explorers: a vintage explorer cmt in tobacco burst and 2 more modern models in black and white, 2 custom Yamaha SGBs and a First Act custom 9-string Silverburst DC Lola, which was built for usage on Mastodon's album Crack the Skye
. He also recently (02/2010) took delivery of a Morgan Guitar Works Bird of Prey - a silver futuristic flying V. Kelliher used Laney amplification at one time (specifically, the VH100R head), after that he played a Marshall JCM 800 Kerry King signature. Since 2010 Bill and his bandmate Brent Hinds went on playing the Orange Thunderverb series. He can also be seen playing through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier in the bonus features of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters DVD. Kelliher's pedal board includes an Ibanez Tube King, a Boss TU-2 Tuner, an MXR M-135 Smart Noise Gate, and a Digitech Jamman Looper Pedal.
Like his bandmate Hinds, Kelliher also utilizes three tunings in Mastodon: D Standard on the Les Paul (E Standard down one whole step, D G C F A D), Drop C on the Yamaha SGB (Drop D down one whole step, C G C F A D), and another tuning similar to Drop C, but with the low E tuned down to A on the Explorer (A G C F A D).
Bill Kelliher is a longtime user of Seymour Duncan pickups. He uses the SH-6 Duncan Distortion model in the neck and bridge position of his Les Pauls.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
. He is a native of Victor, New York
Victor, New York
Victor is a town in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 9,977 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Claudius Victor Boughton, a hero of the War of 1812.The Town of Victor contains a village, also called Victor...
. He shares guitar duties with Brent Hinds
Brent Hinds
Brent Hinds is an American guitarist/singer best known as a member of the Atlanta, Georgia metal band Mastodon, in which he shares guitar duties with Bill Kelliher and vocal duties with Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor....
, playing mainly complex rhythm
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
parts. Kelliher is married, with two young sons—the eldest one named Harrison, after Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
of Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fame. He is also a Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
enthusiast, with a large collection of action figures and other merchandise from the franchise.
On June 12, 2007, Hinds and Kelliher won the Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
Golden Gods award for best shredders, Mastodon's first ever award.
On November 3, 2008, Kelliher was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis or acute pancreatic necrosis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. It can have severe complications and high mortality despite treatment...
during the European Unholy Alliance Chapter 3 tour they participated in. The band continued on tour as a trio, while his condition improved. Kelliher was more recently hospitalized in April 2010 while on tour with Baroness
Baroness (band)
Baroness is a band from Savannah, Georgia whose members grew up together in Lexington, Virginia.-Formative years:Baroness formed in mid-2003, founded by former members of the punk/metal band Johnny Welfare and the Paychecks...
, again with pancreatitis likely induced by Kelliher's heavy drinking. In an interview with Kerrang! Magazine, Kelliher explained that he is committed to maintaining his sobriety, though it is difficult. On May 25, 2010, Mastodon announced that they would cancel their upcoming summer tour in Europe from June 5 to July 3 so that Bill could recover better from his pancreatitis.
Equipment and style
Kelliher uses several guitars in Mastodon: his main guitar is a Gibson Les PaulGibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
Custom in a Silverburst finish. He has been seen using other Les Paul Customs in Ebony and Alpine White during the band's 2009 tour with Dethklok. He has also used 3 Gibson explorers: a vintage explorer cmt in tobacco burst and 2 more modern models in black and white, 2 custom Yamaha SGBs and a First Act custom 9-string Silverburst DC Lola, which was built for usage on Mastodon's album Crack the Skye
Crack the Skye
Crack the Skye is the fourth studio album by American sludge metal band Mastodon, released on March 24, 2009 through Reprise Records. It features seven tracks and runs at 50 minutes and 6 seconds. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. In...
. He also recently (02/2010) took delivery of a Morgan Guitar Works Bird of Prey - a silver futuristic flying V. Kelliher used Laney amplification at one time (specifically, the VH100R head), after that he played a Marshall JCM 800 Kerry King signature. Since 2010 Bill and his bandmate Brent Hinds went on playing the Orange Thunderverb series. He can also be seen playing through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier in the bonus features of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters DVD. Kelliher's pedal board includes an Ibanez Tube King, a Boss TU-2 Tuner, an MXR M-135 Smart Noise Gate, and a Digitech Jamman Looper Pedal.
Like his bandmate Hinds, Kelliher also utilizes three tunings in Mastodon: D Standard on the Les Paul (E Standard down one whole step, D G C F A D), Drop C on the Yamaha SGB (Drop D down one whole step, C G C F A D), and another tuning similar to Drop C, but with the low E tuned down to A on the Explorer (A G C F A D).
Bill Kelliher is a longtime user of Seymour Duncan pickups. He uses the SH-6 Duncan Distortion model in the neck and bridge position of his Les Pauls.