July 12th, 2010
Whisky Richards Debut EP
Chase Christie, braintrust for the Whisky Richards, gets to have it both ways. He wants the band to sound good and have fun, and their self-titled EP/CD does just that.
Kicking off with a country-rockin’ working man’s anthem, “Steel Drivin’ Man,” the band fires on all of its six cylinders — drums, bass, rhythm, lead guitar, harmonica and fiddle — to remind us that the workin’ man “don’t get no breakfast in bed.” Things slow down for “Kentucky Don’t You Know,” an idealized snapshot of the Bluegrass State, then they pick right back up with the easy-rollin’, self-explanatory “Hard Drinking without You,” followed by the instrumental “Curley’s Dream,” and closing with the fifth and final song, another drinkin’ tune called “Bottle Gone Dry.”
This is everything a first EP should be. It showcases the band’s bopping country side while providing space for a ballad, instrumental and opening rocker. They can be proud of this calling card.
“Hard Drinking without You” video.
Tags: chase christy, richards, whiskey, whisky
Posted in Bands, CD Review | No Comments »
June 15th, 2010
City slicker boogie is what he calls it, and that’s what the new self-titled CD from Big B and his Snakeoil Saviors delivers. With only seven tracks one wishes it might have delivered a little more since it does leave the listener a tad hungry.
The songs are mainly coves like Buck Owens‘ “Cadillac Lane” which jump-starts the CD, and all have been reworked in the band’s style. They are also songs, with the possible exception of “The Wayward Wind,” that have not been over-covered, so this CD is less of a rehash and more of a “snakeoil confection” to coin a term. Patsy Cline and others have done “The Wayward Wind” as a ballad; Big Ben and the band do it as a dance tune. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: big b, snakeoil saviors
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June 15th, 2010
It’s “Venues” rather than “Clubs” because clubs are only part of a story about where bands play. It’s a story that includes bars, clubs, restaurants like Speisekammer in Alameda, auditoriums like Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, and Amoeba, the music retailer in SF and Berkeley that presents free live shows.
The new Venues page can work together with the new Bands page for fans who find a band they don’t know playing at a place they don’t know. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Americana, bay area, booking, Clubs, country, rockabilly, venues
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May 17th, 2010
Curious about a band on the HWS Calendar or written about in Hicks with Sticks News? The new and improved Bands page features short bios and links to Twang Americana Bay Area band sites, MySpace, videos, audio tracks and pictures. At the end of the page are links to Americana bands just beyond the Bay Area and links to bands in the Bay Area that may not fit the HWS profile, but are kindred spirits.
There are 67 bands listed representing western swing, honky-tonk, alt-country and rockabilly, and almost all are within the Sonoma, East Bay, Santa Cruz triangle. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Americana, Bands, bay area, country, rockabilly, san francisco
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May 9th, 2010
No License, No Music
UPDATE 5/20: According to Knockout partner dX the former Friday night Jay ‘n Bee Club record hop will be moving there on Sundays. The Knockout already has two related shows: “Lonely Teardrops” every second Sunday which features vinyl-spinning DJ’s and live bands, and the all-vinyl “Shuckin’ & Jivin’” every fourth Sunday which features DJ Dr. Scott and Jay & Bee DJ Okie Oran, so it will be easy to roll everything into regular Sunday shows. The good news is that this opens the door to live music along with the DJs. The bad news is that, being a school night, it will be missed by those who were coming to Jay ‘n Bee from as far as San Jose and Santa Cruz.
ORIGINAL POST 5/9: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bee, jay, kalx, knockout
Posted in Trends | 1 Comment »
