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Thursday,
January 26
8pm |
$20 |
Jill Sobule
|
www.jillsobule.com |
Jill Sobule is a very funny, smart, and provocative
singer-songwriter who is perhaps best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a
Girl", and her song "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless.
Her folk-inflected compositions alternate between amusing ironic, story-driven
character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s
American songwriters as Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III,
Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. We had the pleasure of hearing her last year as
she shared the bill with Cheryl Wheeler. Sobule has released 5 studio recordings
plus numerous self produced recordings available for download and has worked
with or shared the stage with such like minded artists as John Doe, Billy Bragg,
and Warren Zevon.
"Jill Sobule can claim her place among the stellar New York
singer-songwriters of the last decade. Topical, funny and more than a little
poignant... grown-up music for an adolescent age."
- Jon Pareles New York Times
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Friday,
January 27
8:30pm |
$20 |
The Dean-O-Holics
Rat Pack Tribute Show
|
www.dean-o-holics.com |
The atmosphere? Pure Las Vegas, Nev, circa 1960. The
Summit....Swingin', smoke-filled and flowin' with booze, broads and pallies, a
gasser of a time and a sound that will knock you right outta your Mary Janes.
The act? Strictly Rat Pack; Frank, Dean, Sammy and the gang, backed by the The
Swingin' Lil Big Band. It's live. It's 18 karat fun, baby. It's the Dean-O-Holics.
The Dean-O-Holics, for two years running winners of the National Rising Star
Award for best Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin tribute band, are selling out
performances everywhere, including Frank's old place, the Sinatra Showroom at
Lake Tahoe's Cal-Neva Resort. They turn every event into an electric occasion,
bringing back the cool like you haven't heard it since the days of the last
great show biz party. From the crooning to the gags, the dancing and the hip
sounds of musical director John Wilder and his baby grand piano, backed by a
rhythm and horn section.
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Thursday,
February 2
8pm |
$20 |
Carolyn
Wonderland
|
www.carolynwonderland.com |
Texas’ Carolyn Wonderland has the goods. A triple
threat with her diverse songwriting, soulful vocals, and guitar goddess status -
all featured on over twenty CDs, six of which are her releases - she has a
pedigree in this business that’s hard to match. A bit of a renegade, she likes
to incorporate elements of Blues, Country, Swing, Zydeco, Surf, Gospel, Soul,
and some nights, maybe even a Cumbia into the musical mix. Recent years have
seen her stretching out musically working some expert whistling and scat singing
into her shows. In addition to her trusty guitar,”Patty”
Carolyn has been regularly playing her trumpet,
and even occasionally the accordion, mandolin, or keys.
She has toured with acts like Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter… sat in
with String Cheese Incident, Robert Earl Keen, and Los Lobos ;co-written
songs with Cindy Cashdollar, Candye Kane, Sarah Brown and Guy Forsyth.
“When she blisters the guitar and cocks her head fetchingly to sing her songs
like ”I’m Innocent,” she stands in the good company of Sue Foley, Debbie Davies,
and Bonnie Raitt. But when she whistles, as she does with disarming ease on
another of her compositions “I’m the Man,” or picks up
the trumpet,she’s one of a kind Margaret Moser.",
Austin Chronicle
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Friday,
February 3
8:30pm |
$20 |
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Candye Kane |
www.candyekane.com |
Blues singer Candye Kane has been called a survivor,
a superhero and the toughest girl alive. (All are also titles of her self-penned
songs.) They are apt descriptions of the jump blues singer, songwriter and
mother of two from East Los Angeles who has earned this moniker the hard way.
Nominated for five National Blues Foundation Awards (Best Contemporary Blues
Female 2011) winner of ten San Diego Music Awards, starring in a sold out stage
play about her life and beating down pancreatic cancer in the last two years,
Kane is one tough cookie. She has performed worldwide for presidents and movie
stars but her path to success was not always glamorous or easy.
Candye became a teenage mother, a pin up cover girl and a punk rock, hillbilly
and blues-belting anarchist all by the time she was just 21 years old. Ten cds,
six record labels, millions of international road miles and countless awards
later, Miss Kane has proven to be a true survivor as she scrambled her way to
the top of the roots music heap, creating a world renowned reputation that has
spanned two decades. On stage Kane is a colorful mixture of the traditional and
the eclectic, singing blues and gospel as well as rock with a punk attitude all
while bedecked in bright colored feathers, sequins and rhinestones. Let's just
say Kane's performance is Mississippi by way of Las Vegas with a quick stopover
in San Francisco.
Candye Kane's most recent release, her eleventh,, is Sister Vagabond hot on the
heels of her last release. Superhero, nominated for Best Contemporary Blues CD
of the year.
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Saturday,
February 4
8:30pm |
$15 |
California
Honeydrops
Arran Harris and the Farm Band |
www.cahoneydrops.com
www.greenstringfarm.com |
Digging deep into the roots of American music, The
California Honeydrops embrace the traditions of Blues, Gospel, Second Line New
Orleans Jazz, and early R&B. With stellar performances of traditional material
as well as their own innovative music, The California Honeydrops get people out
of their seats and onto the floor, dancing, sweating, and singing along. Since
their formation 4 years ago in the subway stations of Oakland, CA, The
California Honeydrops have completed 6 European tours, spread honey on crowds
throughout the US, and recorded 2 full length albums of original music, all
without the help of a record label or major booking agency. Their secret? An
irresistible sound that blends the energy and intimacy of a street performance,
undeniable talent and musicianship, and the soul and fervor of a spiritual
street parade. Playing first is Arann Harris and the Farm Band from Petaluma.
Arann and the band play very danceable original and traditional blues, jazz, and
general uptempo roots music. The show is lively and very fun as lead singer and
front man Arann Harris sings, dances, talks with the audience and more likely
than not gets most of the audience dancing like a chicken at one point in the
show. The band, Jason Carr- Double Bass, Nick Rupiper- Drums, Chris Vibberts-
Electric guitar, banjo, lap steel and Harris on vocals and acoustic guitar is a
truly engaging and swinging roots quartet. This should be a great night of two
exciting Bay Area roots music bands.
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Wednesday,
February 8
8pm |
$15 |
Honey Island
Swamp Band
|
www.honeyislandswampband.com |
The Honey Island Swamp Band came together after 4
friends were marooned in San Francisco after Hurricane Katrina devastated New
Orleans. Amidst the chaos, they formed a band, got some gigs, and their "Bayou
Americana" sound was born, reminiscent of forefathers and influences such as
Little Feat, The Band, Taj Mahal, Earl King, Jerry Garcia, Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown, Gram Parsons and Jimmy Reed. Their eponymous EP was recorded in 2006 at
famed studio The Plant in Sausalito, CA, and was received so well that they all
decided to continue the band upon moving back home to New Orleans in 2007.
Wishing Well, the band's first full length album (produced by Tom Drummond of
Better Than Ezra) won "Best Blues Album" of 2009 from OffBeat Magazine, which
has also honored Honey Island Swamp Band as "Best Emerging Artist" of 2009 and
"Best Roots Rock Artist" of 2010. HISB's newest offering - Good To You - was
nominated by OffBeat as "Best Roots Rock Album" of 2010, and has become a staple
of most DJs on the Crescent City's legendary radio station WWOZ, as well as on
Sirius/XM satellite radio's Bluesville and traditional stations from
coast-to-coast. Featuring the southern strut of songs such as "Country Girl",
"300 Pounds" and the album's first single "Chocolate Cake", Good To You
illuminates the mix of country-inflected rock and New Orleans funky blues that
makes Honey Island Swamp Band's music so familiar and unique at the same time.
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Thursday,
February 9
8pm |
$20 |
Gretchen Peters
|
www.gretchenpeters.com |
Nashville based singer songwriter Gretchen Peters
has released a new cd called Hello Cruel World. Peters is marvelous songwriter
who has scored major commercial success with her songs sung by others as well as
a songwriter/performer whose own recordings and performances are worthy of such
success. Martina McBride's 1995 recording of Peters' song "Independence Day,"
the gritty story of an abused woman's revenge, made her a songwriting sensation.
The performance received a "Best Country Song" Grammy nomination and won the
Country Music Association's "Song of the Year" title. After that a string of
great vocalists - Pam Tillis, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Neil Diamond,
George Strait, Etta James - began to record Peters' songs. Peters also signed
her own record deal, yielding her 1996 debut album The Secret of Life. The title
track was cut by Faith Hill in 1999 and hit number five on the country charts.
Since then Peters has recorded five other solo albums: Gretchen Peters (2001),
Halcyon (2004), Trio Live (2006), Burnt Toast and Offerings (2007) and Northern
Lights (2008). The compilation Circus Girl was released in 2009. And that same
year Peters collaborated with one of her favorite songwriters, Tom Russell, for
their One To the Heart, One To the Head.
"... penetrating....Peters' musical vignettes explore life's gray areas with
honest
eloquence."- Dallas Morning News
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Saturday,
February 11
8pm |
$20 |
Houston Jones
Suzie Glaze and the Hilonesome Band
|
www.houstonjones.com
www.susieglaze.com |
Houston Jones is a California based five piece that
performs a strong original repertoire ranging from bluegrass and folk to blues
and gospel. They are a terrific ensemble with five incredible insturmentalists
and very strong singing and songwriting. Houston Jones has just released their
newest recording Queen of Yesterday which has material ranging from bluegrass to
blues to jazz and folk. Houston Jones features Glenn Houston (lead guitar),
Peter Tucker (drums and percussion), Travis Jones (lead vocals and acoustic
guitar), Chris Kee (standup bass, cello and guitar), and Henry Salvia (keyboards
and accordion). "A confluence of sublime talent"- SF Chronicle
Opening the show is Suzie Glaze and the Hilonesome Band which is describes as
the best in New Bluegrass to Appalachia Folks Roots Fusion, an experience of
gorgeous eclectic blends of mountain folk and exciting new bluegrass inspired
originals, all with
the remarkable voice of Susie Glaze. Winner of the Just Plain Folks 2006 Music
Awards for Best Roots Album, and Folkworks Magazine's Pick for Best Bluegrass
Album of 2005 for "Blue Eyed Darlin."
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Wednesday,
February 15
8pm |
$20 |
Jennifer Berezan
CD Release Show
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www.edgeofwonder.com
|
Jennifer Berezan is a unique blend of
singer/songwriter, teacher, and activist. Over the course of eight albums, she
has developed and explored recurring themes with a rare wisdom. Her lifelong
involvement in environmental, women’s, and other justice movements as well as an
interest in Buddhism and earth-based spirituality are at the heart of her
writing. Jennifer has just recorded a new cd called “Home” and this show
celebrates this new recording accompanied this evening by Chris Webster, Anthony
Costello, Scott Amendola, Jon Evans and Geoffrey Pearlman.
“Her warm, smoky voice and conversationally poetic lyrics turn each piece
into an open
ended quest.” - Andy Gilbert San Francisco Chronicle
“One of the folk world’s most expressive voices, uniquely incorporating
various musical
traditions while pulling no punches lyrically” - James Muretich, Calgary
Herald
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Thursday,
February 16
8pm |
$20 |
Red Wine
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www.redwinemusic.net
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Red Wine is the premier
bluegrass band in Europe. Based in Genoa, Italy, they were co-founded by Silvio
Ferretti and Beppe Gambetta in 1978. Martino Coppo, who had started another
bluegrass band, Green Cellar Society, at the same time, joined Red Wine in 1981.
Red Wine has played throughout Europe and North America, including several
appearances at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, as well as the Station
Inn, the Poppy Mountain Festival, and top festivals throughout Europe. They have
collaborated with many notable bluegrassers, and their most recent CD is all
bluegrass, mixing traditional, contemporary, country, and Italian. Martino Coppo
and Silvio Ferretti also played for years in the international band Freewheelin',
and both contribute to Italian and American music magazines, do workshops and
play studio sessions, and are recognized as masters of their instruments and
bluegrass singing. Red Wine has become an intergenerational band, with Martino
and Silvio now joined by the hard-driving bass of Lucas Bellotti--who's also an
excellent harmony singer--and the dazzling guitarist Marco Ferretti.
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Friday,
February 17
8:30pm |
$20 |
Mark Hummel & the
Blues Survivors
with Special Guest Little Charlie Baty
|
www.markhummel.com
Little
Charlie's website |
The past two decades have seen the emergence of
young harmonica-led blues bands. In California, groups that draw their
inspiration from the Chicago school but add elements of jump blues and rock 'n'
roll into the mix have come up with an exciting new style of West Coast blues.
In Oakland, the northern capital of California blues, resides the incredibly
powerful harmonica player and vocalist Mark Hummel, leader of The Blues
Survivors, who has been a major force in shaping and defining this musical
genre.
Mark Hummel is a road warrior - a true Blues Survivor. Along the way, he has
crafted his own trademark harmonica sound - a subtle combination of tone,
phrasing and attack combined with a strong sense of swing. This evening Mark and
the Band will be joined by guitarist extraordinaire Little Charlie Baty.
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Saturday,
February 18
8:30pm |
$20 |
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Skynnyn Lynnyrd |
www.reloadedrocks.com |
Skynnyn Lynnyrd is more than just a tribute band to
Lynyrd Skynyrd. Skynnyn Lynnyrd has stripped the sound of the legendary band
down to its finest detail and re-assembled it, not as a cover, but as it was
intended. Skynnyn Lynnyrd began to take form at the very moment of the tragic
crash that ended the lives of Ronnie VanZant, Steve and Cassie Gains as well as
Dean Kilpatrick. An American saga ended on that day in 1977, leaving a void that
begs to be filled by millions of fans all over the world. It's about the
music... real, honest and often edgy. Every nuance and detail is pursued with
passion and determination...to be performed as if by the original band. Skynnyn
Lynnyrd is the "Reloaded" Lynyrd Skynyrd. The parity is remarkable...so much so
that one may be inclined to believe there is some divine intervention going on
here; as if guided by the spirit of the original band members who departed so
long ago. While there will never be another Lynyrd Skynyrd, Skynnyn Lynnyrd is
Lynyrd Skynyrd - - - RELOADED. Check it out y'all.
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Wednesday,
February 22
8pm |
$15 |
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Lake Street Dive |
www.lakestreetdive.com |
Lake Street Dive combines the best of an unlikely
combination of genres—indie-pop, country, funk, blues, jazz—and melds them into
an infectiously exhilarating sound. Pulling in familiar elements and
irreverently scrambling and recombining them, Lake Street Dive are at once
jazz-schooled, DIY-motivated, and classically pop obsessed. Beginning with
catchy songs that are by turns openhearted and wryly inquisitive, this
northeastern quartet injects them with an irresistible blend of abandon and
precision. the resulting in a vivid, largely acoustic, groove-driven strain of
indie-pop.
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Friday,
February 24
8pm |
$20 |
Chris Webster and
Nina Gerber
|
www.chriswebstermusic.com
www.ninagerber.com |
Music fans around here certainly know both Chris
Webster and Nina Gerber as two of the most skilled and artful musical talents
we’ve had the pleasure of hearing. Webster’s voice is uniquely compelling while
Gerber’s work on guitar is breathtakingly both beautiful and powerful. Together
they are magic. Webster and Gerber join together for an exquisite evening of
original tunes and tasteful covers-soulful ballads, jazzy tunes, and gorgeous
folk.
Chris Webster is a very special singer. She’s can rock, she’s got soul, and most
of all she can find the tiniest hints of emotion in any song and make it
reverberate in our soul for a mighty long time. Also, she’s grown into a major
league songwriter, whose lyric takes on love, lost love, and the general
vicissitudes of life are at different times poignant, funny, introspective, and
exhilarating. Stylistically Chris runs from country, pop balladry, jazz, folk,
blues, and whatever she does she brings sensitivity, strength, and an emotional
breadth that few singers can match. Of course, many people around here are very
familiar with Webster as one of the lead vocalists in local super group Mumbo
Gumbo. Guitarist Gerber has a long history in Northern California music
performing guitar accompanying dozens of artists including Kate Wolf, Steve
Seskin, Ferron, Dave Alvin and most recently Karla Bonoff. She is exquisitely
tasteful as an accompanist on both acoustic and electric guitar. Together
Webster and Gerber create magic like few others.
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Saturday,
February 25
8:30pm |
$20 |
Roland White and
his Bluegrass All Stars
featuring Laurie Lewis, Keilth Little, Bill Amantneek and Pat
Souber |
www.rolandwhite.com |
Legendary bluegrass mandolinist Roland White is
joined by four of California’s top players. Roland White was the founder, with
brother Clarence White, of the early 60’s bluegrass favorites The Kentucky
Colonels. The Colonels were a popular part of the bluegrass circuit until the
rock circuit took over. At that point brother Clarence joined The Byrds, while
Roland eventually landed a spot with Bill Monroe as guitar player. Since then
Roland played mandolin with Lester Flatt’s group Nashville Grass and then
eventually reunited with brother Clarence. More recently was Roland’s nine year
stint with the quintessentially professional Nashville Bluegrass Band from 1989
through the late 90’s. Still active with his own band, this evening White will
be joined by fiddler Laurie Lewis, Keith Little on banjo, Pat Souber on guitar
and Bill Amatneek on bass.
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Friday,
March 2
8pm |
$17 |
Keith Little and
Jim Nunally
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Keith Little and Jim Nunally are an extension of the classic
Country and Bluegrass duos that combine classic song, great harmony singing, and
world class musicianship. Little and Nunally are longtime friends and
collaborators, and are best known to bluegrass audiences for their tenure in top
national bands (Ricky Skaggs, David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, Peter Rowan
Bluegrass Band, Country Gentlemen, John Reischman and the Jaybirds), and
performances on award-winning recordings (Dolly Parton's Little Sparow, and the
compilation True Life Blues: The Songs Of Bill Monroe, among others).
Composers as well as multi-instrumentalists, their distinctive
vocal sound enjoys an enthusiastic following in Northern California.
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Saturday,
March 3
8:30pm |
$20 |
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Joe Louis Walker |
www.joelouiswalker.com
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Joe Louis Walker is one of the most heralded blues
artists of our time. His new CD Hellfire on Alligator Records is the latest
chapter from an artist whose carreer spans nearly 40 years ago. The New York
Times raves, "Walker is a singer with a Cadillac of a voice. He delivers
no-nonsense, gutsy blues. His guitar solos are fast, wiry and incisive, moaning
with bluesy despair." Rolling Stone simply calls him "ferocious." It was in the
mid 60’swhen Walker befriended Michael Bloomfield and as a 19 year old found
himself opening for such touring blues veterans as Freddy King, John Lee Hooker,
Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker and hosts of others,
developing his unique style while playing with and listening to these legendary
folks. Along the way, Walker also found himself singing in gospel groups for a
ten year stint, and this pretty much reflects the breadth and depth of Joe Louis
Walker’s blues genius. His 19 cds show that he’s one of blues music’s most
inventive, creative, and soulful performers. He’s a bluesman that can do it
all-Chicago style, West Coast, Texas, Mississippi-He can speed it up, slow it
down, all while singing it with a gospel fervor. He can do it all and as a blues
guitarist, songwriter, and singer Joe Louis Walker has few peers. |
Friday,
March 2
8pm |
$15 |
Keith Little and
Jim Nunally
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Bluegrass, Country, Great Vocal and Instrumental duo
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Saturday,
March 3
8:30pm |
$20 |
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Joe Louis Walker |
www.joelouiswalker.com
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One of Blues’ greatest talents
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