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Come up to sunshine, get out of the valley fog. Enjoy our great programming, now celebrating our 6th season of shows!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We just finished the run of our annual Christmas Carol, and we will have more theatre soon, with Charlotte's Web coming in April and Summer Stars Drama Camp in the summer, plus lots of great concerts.
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| Friday, January 09, 2009 - 8:00 pm |
Fred Eaglesmith and his band
Iconic Americana
“If you’re missing out on [Fred] Eaglesmith… you’re really missing out,” says The New Yorker. The award-winning singer-songwriter has had his songs covered by Toby Keith, Cowboy Junkies, Kasey Chambers, Ralph Stanley II, Todd Snider and Dar Williams, among others, and featured in films by Martin Scorsese and James Caan. And his latest and 17th album, Tinderbox, continues to garner critical praise as “a ghostly masterpiece” (Calgary Herald) and “one of the most compelling roots-rock albums in recent memory” (Slant magazine).
Eaglemsith's music has been described by reviewers as a "blend of aching country and barroom rock" and a "mixture of hard-edged honky-tonk balanced between rock'n'roll and early '60s country music." His dynamic live shows are "exactly like the sort of music you dream of hearing in some crowded, hot, beery bar near closing time… a truly timeless brand of primitive rock'n'roll," says Amazon.com. Eaglesmith is also known as a between-song raconteur whose pointed and illuminating storytelling and comedic skills are as sharp as his songwriting.
He is also the only Canadian to have ever written a #1 song on the bluegrass charts. He is the subject of three tribute albums and enjoys critical comparisons to some of the most respected talents in music as well as the respect of his peers. And then there's his devoted if not rabid coterie of fans known as "Fredheads" who travel hundreds and even thousands of miles as well as even overseas to catch his vibrant live performances. His songs have joined the canon of academic curriculum at two universities, illuminating both poetic and societal studies. Eaglesmith has also acted in a number of movies and is a painter who regularly shows in galleries.
He has won a Juno Award — the Canadian Grammy — for Best Roots & Traditional Album and a Canadian Independent Music Award for Folk/Roots Album of the Year. "It is not an overstatement to say that Eaglesmith is one of the finest songwriters in this country," says the New Brunswick Daily Gleaner. "His canon of well over 1000 songs is stunning."
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| Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:00 pm |
MoFo Party Band
High energy blues!
With strong influences from old-school Chicago Blues and West Coast Jump, The MoFo Pary Band is headed by the Clifton Brothers: John - blowin' harmonica and growlin' vocals, and Bill - pickin' licks on his Tele. Performing over 150 shows yearly since 1989, The MoFo Party Band is known for its energetic live performances, dynamic stage presence and loyal fan base. The band's performances almost always translates to sell-outs. Blues afficionados everywhere have taken notice.
The MoFo Party Band has played many high profile shows including the San Francisco Blues Festival, the BB King Blues Festival with Johnny Lang and the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Mark Humel's Harmonica Blow Out with James Cotton and Huey Lewis. They have also worked as a backing band for such great blues artists as harp-master Johnny Dyer, the great James Harman, and the late Little Walter guitarist Luther Tucker.
The Band has also been invited to play an outstanding 8 consecutive years at Central California's #1 Blues Festivals Fire On the Mountain's Sonora Blues Festival. No band has ever appeared that many times.
From their Retro look, dynamite stage show, and fresh lively blues grooves, the MoFo Party Band is considered one of the most original and well received acts on the music scene today.
They blew the roof off last time they were here, come on down and have some fun!
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| Saturday, January 24, 2009 - 8:00 pm |
Blame Sally
Glorious, compelling, extravagantly delightful music!
Eclectic folk pop at its best - yes they're back! Blame Sally has a new album but the same amazing mix of melodies, harmonies, and innovation that makes them one a true sensation.
Their music is emotionally charged, passionate, high melodic and compelling. An all-female quartet with a unique command over the song. The four accomplished instrumentalist/singers combine their strikingly different approaches to create a distinct and beautiful sound. Admirers of Dar Williams, Jonatha Brooke, Indigo Girls and intelligently emotional, intricately harmonized folk-pop in general will find much to appreciate in "Blame Sally."
" Dallas has its Dixie Chicks, and San Francisco has Blame Sally", the difference being, among other things, that Blame Sally's music is a little more indie, a little less country, a little more brainy and Blame Sally released their potent anti-war song in 2001, long before protest became fashionable among the mainstream. An updated version of that song is one of the 12 tracks on their third release, Severland, the album that looks poised to bring this all-woman band the attention fans and critics have long felt they are due. To highlight the release a music video of "If You Tell a Lie" has been featured on Neil Young's politically charged website, 'Living With War,' and has risen to number two in downloads, where it has remained since Sept. 11, 2006.
Neil Young’s Living With War website has the BLAME SALLY music video "If You Tell a Lie" at #2 and holding among videos by Pink, Pearl Jam, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle and many more. San Francisco's KFOG selected tracks from both previous Blame Sally CDs to appear on its 2003 and 2004 compilations alongside tracks by Paul Simon, Spearhead, Jackie Greene, The Waifs, Dar Williams, and more.
"An amazing collection of talented local musicians has banded together and released a stunning new CD. "Severland," the latest from San Francisco's Blame Sally, should bring this female foursome universal acclaim . Individually, Renee Harcourt, Monica Pasqual, Jeri Jones and Pam Delgado have long displayed stirring singer-songwriter gifts. Together they're a powerhouse unit, presenting outstanding lead vocals and harmonies. "Severland" carves out a strong identity on the indie-pop edges of Americana. Among the highlights (though there's not a weak track among the dozen here) are the riveting title tune, the piano-driven "Fillmore Street," the haunting "Devil to Pay" and the country-rocker "Trouble."" Paul Freeman, Palo Alto Daily News
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| Sunday, January 25, 2009 - 4:00 pm |
John Jorgenson Quintet
THE Premier American Gypsy Jazz Group!
SPECIAL DAY AND SPECIAL TIME - SUNDAY AT 4:00 p.m.
The John Jorgenson Quintet features guitarist John Jorgenson, a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, and six-year member of Elton John's band. Artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt to Earl Scruggs have sought out Jorgenson's guitar work. Recently, John Jorgenson was chosen to portray Django Reinhardt in the feature film Head in the Clouds.
At a John Jorgenson Quintet performance, audiences are amazed by John's dazzling guitar work as well as his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist. Whether playing his own accessible compositions or classic standards, John and his band make music that is equally romantic and ecstatic, played with virtuosity and soul.
John Jorgenson is known as one of the pioneers of the American gypsy jazz movement. He has performed as a solo artist as well as collaborated with other musicians all over the world. His articles and lessons on gypsy jazz have appeared in prominent guitar magazines and he has given master classes around the country, and he has performed with some of the most respected European proponents of this style, Bireli Lagrene and Romane. His playing has been included on a CD with Babik Reinhardt and Jimmy Rosenberg, and on another featuring Angelo Debarre and Moreno. In 1988 Curb Records released Jorgenson's After You've Gone CD, a collection of Reinhardt- and Goodman-styled 30's swing, featuring guest artists Darol Anger and David Grisman.
In 1994 Elton John called and invited John on an 18-month world tour. The 18 months stretched into a six-year period that included not only sold out world tours, but also recordings, television appearances, and collaborations with many other artists including Sting and Billy Joel. In additiona to acoustic and electric guitars, John was also featured on saxophone, pedal steel, mandolin and vocals.
Although John Jorgenson is well-renowned in the pop, country and rock world, gypsy jazz is the style of music closest to his heart. Because of his international reputation as a gypsy jazz player, John was twice asked to recreate Django Reinhardt's music for feature films, Gattica and Head in The Clouds. The latter, released in early 2005 and starring Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz, features John on camera as Django Reinhardt, complete with burned hand and gypsy moustache.
JORGENSON IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE BEST GUITARISTS IN THE WORLD - DO NOT MISS THIS CHANCE TO SEE HIM!
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