Samoa Boy has built his A-Town enterprise into a one-man conglomerate over the last decade.  He produces, DJs, teaches dance and manages a stable of bands, all of which sometimes blends together, as when he produces a show featuring bands he manages that include his dance lesson up front and him DJing between sets.  He sets up the PA and designs the fliers with his other hand.

His swing night at the Verdi Club, featuring Stompy Jones, has become an SF Tuesday night fixture.  Stompy itself plays about 20 dates per month as the most successful of the nine bands in the A-Town empire.  He also finds time to present touring bands like Petunia and the Vipers or Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys.  Check out his Zombie Prom, featuring the voodoo swing of Slim Jenkins and a coffin picture booth, October 28th.

T.R. Hunt‘s Spirit Vibrations has been working its way up the food chain for two years, producing a variety of independent bands at various locations.  She started Spirit Vibrations after her teaching job was crunched by the recession.  She’s taking full advantage of social media, notably Facebook, to make her events happen.  T.R. differs from most independent producers because she’s into a wide range of styles including singer-songwriter, reggae and indy rock.  Her next twang show will feature Hellbound Glory, Misisipi Mike and The Midnight Gamblers and The GoldDiggers at the Red Devil Lounge on November 12th.

Talk about living on the edge, Shelby Ash not only lives the high risk life of an independent producer, he also owns The Music Store, one of the last of SF’s vanishing breed of record/CD/DVD outlets.  He’ll produce just about anything that is from the Americana catalog, but most of his shows draw from the bluegrass and western bands.  Shelby Ash Presents shows can be found regularly at places like Red Devil Lounge, Cafe DuNord and Plough and Stars; his September show at the Great American Music Hall featured The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit and Brothers Comatose and was a resounding success.  He’s also got the holidays covered with a “Boo-Grass” show coming for Halloween and the “Turkey Trot” for Thanksgiving, and he’s also been a mainstay producing the SF Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival every February.

There are other twang producers to be sure, but they mainly stick to one show per month, or less, that barely pays the bills.  The unsinkable dX, who has The Knockout to run, has dusted off his independent producer’s hat to get third Thursdays twanging at Blondie’s Bar and No Grill.  Handsome Hawk Valentine has done a fine job bringing third Saturdays to life with the “Haight Street Hop” at Milk Bar.  Our roving reporter, Greg Yanito, tells HWS that this could be moving to another venue and maybe another night, thus providing a handy example of shimmy-shammy associated with a music producer’s life.

Other producers are responsible for one-offs, house concerts and DJed shows; most of which incur bills rather than pay them.  Yes, it’s generally a labor of love, but without independent producers there would be a lot less music around to enjoy.

“Emmitt” – Don Burnham
“Life of the Party” – Belle Monroe and her Brewglass Boys
“Straight and Narrow” – Jesse Jay Harris
“16 Chicks” – Midnight Trio
“South of Eureaka” – Whisky Pills Fiasco
“Redneck Barbie” – Jinx Jones
“Man Who Comes to Our House” – Shut-Ins
“Broken Heart Records” – Harkenbacks
“Red Lights” – Axton Kinkaid
“Woman (Sensuous Woman)” – Plain High Drifters
“I’m Gonna Leave Here Shoutin’” (live) – Red Meat
“Tall Pines” – Laurie Lewis
“Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette” – Lonestar Retrobates
“DeMarco’s 23 Club” – Hi-Rhythm Hustlers
“(Got Thrown Out of the) Waffle House (for Makin’ Out in the Booth)” – Truckstop Honeymoon
“Cold, Cold Heart” – Stiff Richards
“Ringo” (live and drunk) – Chase Gowdy and the Rusty Nails

Marilyn Digs HWS on the Radio

Get ready for Hicks with Sticks on KALX, 90.7 and webcast on Tuesday at 11:59 PM (technically midnight 6/1 in the AM). Hear new releases from Don Burnham (Lost Weekend), Jinx Jones, Midnight Trio, Belle Monroe and her Brewglass Boys, Laura Benitez, Whisky Pills Fiasco plus other Bay Area faves and a ’90s vintage rock/ska version of Hank Wms “Cold, Cold Heart”.

Crazy Joe Kickin' Out the Jams Behind Deke the Geek's Guitar Collection at VLV 14

The Silver Minx summed it up by calling Viva Las Vegas an ADD delight.  Lack of cloning technology prevented everyone from attending all the concurrent shows and events they wanted to see, and it was challenging to walk from one place to another without running into someone to talk about going someplace else.  Growth in attendance, bands and events did nothing to diminish VLV #14; growth only made things better as those who packed the Burlesque Competition, Tiki Pool Party, the main stage area and other events can confirm.

The B Stars, Midnight Trio, Stompy Jones, Thee Merry Widows and Jinx Jones and the Kingtones were on hand to hold up the Bay Area’s end, but of course the surprises for Bay Area twang fans came from bands that don’t usually play here.

Li'l Mo & the Dynaflos Doo-Wop on the Main Stage

Li’L Mo and the Dynaflos opened the first evening on the main stage and bowled everyone over.  Hopefully Tanoa “Samoa Boy” can get this LA combo into the Verdi Club.  Here’s a quick taste of the doo-wop bop that had people still hanging around for CDs and autographs an hour after their show.
Video: Li\’l Mo and the Dynaflos – \”Juanita\”

Pachuco Jose's Zoot Suit Riot

Li’l Mo should have been a tough act to follow, but that didn’t bother the dynamic stage show by LA’s Pachuco Jose y los Diamantes.
Video: Pachuco Jose Bailando con las Piernas Locas

Getting back to Rockabilly, Hi Q’s from LA were really on it with Carl Sonny Layland sitting in on keys.  Their YT vids range from old to lo-fi, neither of which do them justice, but this one’s got some nice production with vintage road-worthy illustrations.
Video: Hi Q\’s – \”Speed Limit\”

Redline Rockets on Brendan's Stage

The Redline Rockets where a very pleasant surprise hitting the Brendan’s stage with strong songs and a no-frills delivery.  Their video catalog is a bit shaky, but even the wobbly camera work on “Marie, Marie” can’t hide their rockin’ creds.
Video: Redline Rockets – \”Marie, Marie\”

The Twangshifters from Portland, Oregon backed their strong stage performance with some hot chops and Bayou Bettie gettin’ naked, which, mercifully, was not to prop up their performance, but to enliven it.  Listen to Sara Barry get soulful, sultry and growl on “Chain of Fools”.

Sara Barry Frontwoman for the Twangshifters

Video: The Twangshifters – \”Chain of Fools\”

Sound quality, which hung in there at all stages, was another very pleasant surprise at VLV 14.  Oh, how we remember walking the main room at VLVs of yore searching for the few islands where the sound was bearable.  VLV14 sound was only a little rough at the back of the Bienview room, and when Big Sandy with Los Straightjackets, packed that room the sound got so muffled that he blew his voice out.  Joining Deke Dickerson at Deke’s Guitar Geek extravaganza the following day, Big Sandy could hardly croak out a tune, but by Sunday he was on the mend.

They've Been Coming to Vivas Since They Were Embryos

Kids, though not many of them, were another pleasant feature of VLV 14.  Indeed, some of them had been coming to Viva since they were embryos, so getting with the program was no problem for them.

Blues bands, which were completely absent in earlier incarnations, turned out to be another fine addition to the mix, particularly as they ripped it up all Friday and Saturday night in Brendan’s Pub.  At least one couple, videographers Larry and Nikki who live in Vegas, rented a room at the Orleans just so they could hang with the all-night blues parties.

For more, find 40 captioned VLV 14 pictures in Jose Segue’s (public) Facebook album, and read the next HWS article, (pre-VLV) in case you missed it.

Crazy Joe forgot his guitar so Deke Dickerson let him borrow half of his.

Fourteen years, and my how she’s grown.  She’s  Viva Las Vegas, the annual Easter weekend gathering of greasers, Bettys and their pals at the Orleans Hotel in the real City of Lights.

Back in ’98 Producer Tom Ingram brought together a few bands and approached the Gold Coast, a C-list Vegas hotel with his idea for an American version of similar events that are popular in Europe.

VLV #1 drew 1200, mainly from California, but well-rounded by other Americans looking for an alternative to a mid-90s annual rockabilly event in Denver that was on its last legs.  Some came from Europe and Japan and some crossed the desert in their vintage rides.  Two vendors and a handful of DJs rounded out the mix.

Patrons of the Gold Coast’s large bingo room would stare into the lobby that the bingo parlor shared with VLV’s main stage room, wondering what could be going on with so many tattooed women in fishnets and duck-tailed dudes in Levi’s and leather.  Five years later the bingo room would be turned over to VLV vendors.

Now at the B-list Orleans, VLV #14 is sold out with 8000 attending the music and 8000 more coming for what has grown from a few cars in the parking lot to a major gathering of the car tribes – not exactly Burning Man; more like burning rubber.  The number of bands has swelled to 65, the vendors to 140, and special events have sprouted like little flowers in the Easter sun.

For example, participants at VLVs or yore would often congregate at poolside during mid-day band down-times.  This informal time-killer is now a three-day Tiki Pool Party featuring vinyl-spinning DJs and the sexiest vintage swim wear on the planet.  Then, somewhere along the way a few gals asked Tom if they could take off their clothes; now the burlesque contest is one of VLV’s biggest events.  At VLV #9, Charles Phoenix, a collector of vintage 35mm slides, put on a show.  Now it too is a regular event as are dance lessons, a dance contest, a vintage fashion show, pin-up workshops, all-night juke-joint record hops, burlesque bingo, Deke (Dickerson’s) Guitar Geekapalooza, and performances by the Satin Dollz dance troupe.

What started out showcasing a few bands has grown into a full-court-press entertainment extravaganza that draws attendees and participants from every continent.  Those who’ve been to VLV know the drill, but those who haven’t – in a way, the target audience for this article – need to make reservations for next year now.  The event and hotel sell out, so the I’ll-wait-until-next-spring-to-decide plan is failure-bound.  There’s nothing else like it.  Catholics have Lourdes, Muslims have Mecca, counter-culture types have Burning Man, and 50’s culture types have Viva Las Vegas: the best pilgrimage of the bunch.

NEW BANDS

MSP's Mighty Tighty Whities

There have been several attempts to derail the Mighty Slim Pickins, usually in the form of personnel changes, but lead singer Leigh Crow says this time it’s over for sure, as in really, really.

Three other bands have sprung from the MSP’s ashes. The Patsychords’ name gives them away; Roxanne Chick1, the MSP’s bassist before Lala, is a ‘Chord.  The Rumble Strippers are also new and Eden Heartattack, the MSP’s drummer, is now a Rumble Stripper. These bands will be twangin’ thar’ thang on the El Rio‘s patio on Sunday 3/12 along with Dolorata and Sassy, benefiting the SF AIDS Foundation.

The band to be named later is something Leigh Crow and MSP’s other lead singer, Nettie Hammar, have yet to brew up, but brew it they will. Daughter of MSP is only its working name.

Kitty Rose had been a regular at El Rio’s Cowgirlpalooza, at Dolores Park Cafe and assorted venues between SF and her home north in Ukiah. But Kitty and Katharine Cole, currently in The Battlin’ Bluebirds, are a persona and a person sharing the same hominid enclosure, so to speak. So if Kate killed Kit, it was nobody’s business but her own. Kitty Rose had put out three strong CD’s which was all she needed to do. Katharine Cole is on to newer things including a possible move back to SF, and a CD so dark it will make Marianne Faithfull‘s Broken English seem like a tanning salon.

PIRATE CAT RADIO SOAP OPERA

The loonies really have taken over the asylum at Pirate Cat Radio.

By way of background, Pirate Cat was founded 14 years ago by Monkey (his legal name) to broadcast at 87.9 FM and stream over the web. The Federal Communications Commission shut down the broadcast side in 2010, about the same time that Monkey acquired a licensed NPR station, KPDO, in Pescadero, north of Santa Cruz.

Apparently an 80% interest in Pirate Cat had been sold to SF resident Raymond Chen, but Monkey maintains that Chen only bought 80% of the Pirate Cat Cafe which shares space with the station.  However, Monkey also told the DJs, who pay monthly dues to fund Pirate Cat, to pay Chen, then a month later told them to pay into what appears to be a personal account of Monkey’s. Monkey maintains that Pirate Cat, a non-profit itself, had been rolled into KPDO, hence the reason for the change of accounts.  The DJ’s rebelled and set up their own account. The Golden Rule of Capitalism is that he who has the gold makes the rules.  Pirate Cat Radio (a.k.a., the asylum) had been pirated by it’s DJs (a.k.a., the loonies), but not for long.  The station and site have both been down for weeks.

Monkey appears to have fled to Europe. He’s not taking calls or answering emails though he has been sending out press releases, which nobody believes, to “clarify” things. Meanwhile, PCR defections, notably to FCCFreeRadio, have been brisk.  Talk about a radio drama.  Monkey, however true a visionary, seems to have been napping during his leadership development courses.

HAIGHT STREET HOP

The Haight Street Hop plans to become a fixture on first Fridays. Handsome Hank Valentine hosts the event at Milk Bar, across from Amnesia Records. It’s a vintage record hop featuring rotating DJs, burlesque, a pin-up contest, the Wak Shack doing hair, and a free dance lesson at 9:00.

The first of its kind was held on March 4th and was such a success that there was hardly room to dance. The crowd came dressed for success and DJs Okie Oran and Samoa Boy dipped into their wonderful 45 collections to keep ‘em jumpin’.  It’ll be free before 10pm too!

HWS ON KALW: PETER THOMPSON'S "BLUEGRASS SIGNAL" 11-27-2010

HWS ON KALX WITH MEATY PAWS ON "WHY BABY, WHY" 11-30-2010

Find more about most of these bands including links to sites, videos and more on the HWS Bands page.

Hear your local twang bands via two Hicks with Sticks co-hosted radio shows, both broadcast and on the Web.  The first is this Saturday 11/27 on KALW from 6:30-8:00 and will feature all Bay Area musicians including the latest releases from the West Coast Ramblers, Red Meat, Plain High Drifters, Jinx Jones and the Kingtones, and more.  We’re sitting in with Peter Thompson of Bluegrass Signal who will give bluegrass the day off to make room for the amplifiers and drum kits twang crowd.

The next show is late on Tuesday11/30, which is technically Wednesday in the early AM.  Meaty Paws and yours truly, Jose Segue, will be hosting Why Baby, Why on KALX at UC, Berkeley from midnight to 1:00 am.  We’ll play local recent releases, but of course different tracks than those on KALW, so you can listen to both show and have it fresh.  In addition we’ll play the Kathy Kallick song that got her band banned from four(!) bluegrass festivals, and we’ll be spinning some great moments in Bay Area twang history including Joan Baez doing Bob Dylan songs country style with Nashville’s finest from the early ’70s, and the one great track from Neil Young’s otherwise “lost” ’80s period when he was under contract with Geffen Records, was unhappy with them, and they sued him for making crummy albums just to spite them.

Big Vic of Mandatory Merle

Mandatory Merle features Big Vic Estrella (Big Mistake, SF Cattle Co.) who, like some exotic species of accordion-playing cicada, emerges every three years with a new band.  There’s no site, as Haggard would have wanted it, but look for their first show, which has been threatened for months, on the HWS calendar.

Plain High Smelley

Smelley Kelley’s Plain High Drifters is another band that recycles itself, usually every six years or so.  They date back to the ’90s, when they were the East Bay Drifters with different personnel yet with Smelley, who most know from Red Meat, at the helm.  These guys have been wood-shedding and playing “secret” shows for six-months.  They played their breakout gig at Ireland’s 32 on 11/14 with Les James, also from Red Meat, on drums; and two former Burning Embers, Eric Embry on rhythm guitar and banjo, and Tom Armstrong on electric bass.  Dave Janusco, who was in the previous PHDs, plays lead and rhythm guitars.  They’ve also come out of the box with a 15-song CD.  PHD Site.

The Switchbacks

The Switchbacks played the Make-Out Room a few months ago.  They’ve got a honky-tonkin’ sound but little has been heard from them lately.  Find their songs and videos, but no calendar, on their MySpace page.

The Deadicated Maniacs have that California easy-listening sound inspired by the Grateful Dead and New Riders of the Purple Sage, and they are not afraid to play stages with tie-die backwalls. Find inner peace at their site.

Jenny Lynn and her Real Gone Daddies is a new rockabilly band that’s thin in the website department.  They’ve been playing in “Where the hell is ‘Elmira’,” up by Vacaville. Jenny’s granpaw apparently recorded with Rose Maddox.  The video on “Bang, Bang” is jumpy, but its audio is in good shape and well worth a listen.

Purvis and the Stray Dogs is another Internet-averse rockabilly outfit, but they do have a write-up with song samples here.  Steeped in the R&R of the ’50s, their song samples suggest an approach similar to BlueNoteCats or The Dave Crimmen Band.

The Dave Crimmen Band

Veteran Crimmen himself has a new CD and a new book about his wayward youth in the Broadmoor Village neighborhood of  Daly City.  The book release is Wed. Nov. 17th @ Daly City Doelger Center, 101 Lake Merced Blvd. Daly City @ 7:00, free.  The release party for Full Circle is two days later on the Friday, 19th @ Abby Tavern, 4100 Geary Blvd., SF, 9:30 , also free.   Site link.

The Fancy Dan Band released its second CD, Sing to Survive.  Their first was produced in Nashville and their latest seems more home-grown, both in location and production.  This band needs a strong producer and Sing to Survive sounds like independent ears weren’t in the budget. And where are the threads?  Has the recession cut into their clothing budget too?

Valerie Jay

Valerie Jay has been low on the radar for four years while making time for her two new daughters.  She’s scaled the band down from a seven-piece to a trio with a sound reminiscent of Margo Timmins and early Cowboy Junkies.

Sonoma County’s Twang Ditty is alive and well with a new guitarist brightening up their honky-tonk standards.  It was an adventure to find them playing the Druids Hall in Santa Rosa. The Druids are a community outfit, like Rotary, Elks or Moose.  The median age of the dancers and this regular Friday night event, which features various bands, was about 75.

Also in Sonoma County news, the Black Cat, a dive in Penngrove just northeast of Petaluma, has changed hands again.  This comes on the heels of some discouraging reports of bands making less than gas money to play there.  The bar muddled along for the past few years as a wimmen’s club house, but Penngrove just isn’t big enough for identity politics.  Hopefully the new owners will get the message.  Meanwhile, live music is thriving at Penngrove’s other club, the Twin Oaks.  This joint keeps its doors open to Americana and closed to the Internet.  It takes a genuine old-fashioned telephone call to book your band or find out who is playing there.

Bluegrassers Homespun Rowdy played Amnesia one Monday every month for eight years. Now they’ve moved on as life has placed other responsibilities on the band members.  Shorter lived L’il Anne and the Tune Wranglers faded away when it became more work than fun for front woman Anne Arnheim.

The first of two DJed events is the revival of the Rockabilly Fridays in SF with a rotation of DJs Samoa Boy, Rockin’ Raul, Okie Oran and Sergio Inglesias spinning ancient R&B on vinyl at ReTox on 20^th Street just off 3^rd in SF.  This is a revival of the popular Jay ‘n’ Bee Fridays that the Grinch at City Hall ended for lack of a cabaret license.  The other features Dr. Scott and Miss Cherry Bomb playing old school R&R, surf, R&B and country on third Thursdays at Forbidden Island in Alameda.

Hicks with Sticks is gearing up for two radio shows at the end of this month featuring the latest from twangin’ local bands.  Peter Thompson’s Bluegrass Signal will host HWS on Saturday the 27^th from 6:30-8:00 PM on KALW.

KALX

Three evenings later, Meaty Paws and Jose Segue will be at it again on KALX‘s Why Baby, Why during Tuesday November 30^th at midnight, which is technically very early on Wednesday December 1^st for those who are counting.  Both are on the Internet for listening beyond each station’s broadcast range.

And there may even be a night of honky-tonkin’ vinyl, good beer and classy weenies at Rosamoude in the Mission.  Stay tuned.

David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis, Evie Lauden Band, Hot Tuna (electric), Joan Baez, and the Waybacks (with Sarah Dougas from The Duhks) are among the locals, and of course questions remain about H-S booking more Bay Area bands.  HWS has the answer direct from the Slim’s folks who book H-S.  It’s not that they don’t want to book more locals, there simply isn’t room when they’ve got world-class performers like Randy Newman, Nick Lowe and others like Iris DeMent and John Prine, both of whom could not return this year, lined up five deep to play H-S.  What’s a poor booker to do?

What’s a poor participant to do when he or she wants to see so much, but is limited by personal stamina and the inability to be in two places at once?  The following Hicks with Sticks Hardly-Strictly tips might help.  First, do not plan so many must-see shows over so many stages over two and a half days that you run yourself ragged.  Doing so is a formula for regret rather than entertainment.  When you get to a must-see show that’s crowded, be patient.  The edge of a crowd is surprisingly fluid and it won’t be long before you can inch up, maybe not to the front of the stage, but at least to where you can see and hear.  Drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids, enjoy the moment and thank your stars for letting you live where philanthropists like Warren Hellman live.

Find the H-S map, schedule and band bio PDF’s here.

Updated Post 9-3-10
This felt like the best show Meaty Paws and I have done.  After four or five of them we’re getting our groove down.  Here’s the playlist:

HWS on KALX, 8-31-10

The first group through Kathy Kallick’s “New White House Blues” are all new releases, with Red Meat’s live CD being played four days since its release party.  Next are 2009 and early 2010 releases from Bay Area bands except for the last four tracks which were played to introduce lesser known bands that have toured the Bay Area.

Hicks with Sticks is working on getting a podcast going for these shows.  Stay tuned.

Original Post 8-31-10
Hicks with Sticks will be a guest on KALX‘s Why Baby, Why at midnight tonight.  Follow the link and tune in over the airwaves or via the Internet to hear the latest from Red Meat, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, The Whiskey Richards, The Famous, The GoldDiggers, Chop Tops, The Mission Three and Kathy Kallick.  We’ll also play 2009 favorites from Bay Area Bands plus a set of music from bands that toured the Bay Area recently, were easy to miss, yet are bands you need to know (’cause they’ll be back) like the Lucky Stars, Ten Foot Tall & 80 Proof, David Serby and Pine Leaf Boys.

KALX DJ Meaty Paws is has his own show and is one of the rotating DJs for Why Baby Why.  He’s started booking HWS onto Why Baby Why every time there’s a fifth Tuesday in a month.  Our last show was at the end of June, the next will be in November, but for now tonight’s the night.