BILLY THE KID
Originally from Chicago's south side, Billy was surrounded by music from an early age, first with his mother's piano and then his brother's saxophone. He picked up the trumpet at age 8 and began studying classical trumpet technique, eventually finding his true love in the sounds of jazz and big-band swing. After attending New York University, Billy was picked up by the Daptone Records family to tour with the "Screaming Eagle of Soul," Mr. Charles Bradley, playing at some of the most prestigious theaters and festivals in the world. After spending 6 years on the road with Bradley, as well as touring stints with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Lee Fields & The Expressions and Mark Ronson, Billy founded Dala Records and began writing and producing his own soul-inspired compositions.
Using a 4-track cassette recorder, Billy produced and engineered John Fatum's debut LP as well as singles from Camellia Hartman and The Soulful Saints which now serve as the foundation of the Dala Records sound. After acquiring a Tascam 388 8-track tape machine, he pushed the Dala catalog even further with releases from The Rad Trads, Michael Harlen, Emily Rault, The Hook Brothers and his debut 7" single Pullin' on My Heartstrings. In 2018, Billy’s debut solo album, Stay Strong, showcased his rapid evolution in production, songwriting, arranging and vocal ability. Backed by members of The Extraordinaires, Antibalas, The Dap-Kings and The Rad Trads, Billy was able to craft songs boasting heavy horn sections, sweeping string melodies and a steady analog backbone courtesy of the Maestro Rhythm King, his trusty vintage drum machine made famous by the likes of Sly Stone and Shuggie Otis.
After exploring the sounds of psychedelia and soul on Stay Strong, Billy shifted his focus to the pop realm with his double single Live Freely / Hold Me Till Tomorrow. Taking cues from The Beach Boys, Emitt Rhodes and Paul McCartney, Billy let his voice shine, while also committing to a more pop-centric song structure. His next double single, Dreamin' of My Love / I Love You (Without A Doubt) found Billy taking himself back to his soul roots, with even lusher arrangements and vocal production.
While locked down in 2020, Billy dove into the wide world of vintage synthesizers and created an experimental EP called Explorations in ARP where he created grooves and cinematic soundscapes using only the sounds of his two vintage ARP synthesizers, the ARP Omni and ARP Axxe, and his trusty Maestro Rhythm Kind drum machine.
Now in 2025, Billy the Kid is back with a new collection of vocal-based original songs on his upcoming EP, Some Will Say. The EP was entirely self-produced, recorded and mixed by Billy the Kid (aka Billy Aukstik) and features Billy on most of the instruments as well. Joining him on the tracks are Ben Borchers on drums (The Shacks), Max Shrager on guitar (The Shacks), Kyle Lacy on guitar and Stephen Chen on Baritone Saxophone (Ghost Funk Orchestra). The majority of these songs were recorded straight to analog tape, the preferred workflow of Billy the Kid, and utilize many analog instruments and analog studio effects, giving the EP a natural and organic sound and feel.
Many of the songs were fully realized during Covid lockdown, including“All In A Feelin’”which speaks to those down times and the need for live music back in our lives. The title track“Some Will Say”is perhaps the odd-ball of the bunch and was recorded entirely on Billy’s iPhone microphone in his apartment as a result of his instant need to capture a feeling that hit him in his home during the pandemic. Both“Promises”and“Bridges”are based on Billy’s life and ooze that ‘70s pop singer-songwriter sound, while“Can’t Lose With You” was originally written for a friend to sing as part of a songwriter workshop, but Billy decided it was too good to give away so he recorded it himself.
