HiLLBiLLY ROBOT: An Urban Americana Music Event

HiLLBiLLY ROBOT: An Urban Americana Music Event
Feb 1, 7, 14, 15, 21, 21, 28 - 2014

San Francisco is a mecca for downhome roots music where on any given night you can go out and see yourself some live old-timey music- from bluegrass to honky-tonk to rockabilly. February welcomes an all-new urban hillbilly music festival featuring some of the finest pickers and freshest singers in these parts...and some traveling bands too. Please come out and show your support for live roots music!

https://www.facebook.com/hillbillyrobot

Saturday, February 1
Gram Parsons & The Byrds "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" Tribute with Misisipi Mike & The Midnight Gamblers
@Plough & Stars, 116 Clement Street, SF. 9pm doors / 9:30 show / $10-$15 sliding scale / 21+
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417918498446732/

This year’s SHELBY ASH BIRTHDAY BASH plays tribute to Gram Parsons & The Byrds “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”, one of the all-time great country-rock records ever made. Local country-rock band Misisipi Mike & The Midnight Gamblers along with special guests; Adam Roszkiewicz (Front Country), Jeremi Rebecca, Avi Vincour, Jeremy D’Antonio (Tiny Television), and Vandella play the album in its entirety, plus a handful of 70s inspired country music- Johnny, George, Waylon, Willie, and Merle!

MISISIPI MIKE & THE MIDNIGHT GAMBLERS (SF)
When I first moved to SF some 18 years ago, I looked around town for some genuine hillbilly music, like the music I grew up listening to in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, and one night I stumbled upon "Hillbilly Hayride" a monthly series at the Make-Out Room hosted by the one and only Misisipi Mike. Mike will never admit it, but he's a hero for local country/Americana music and the hardest workin’ man on the local music scene.
Featuring the best looking country boys this side of Misisipi Mike: Misisipi Mike Wolf (Misisipi Rider, The Bootcuts), Mike Anderson (Hang Jones, The Cowlicks, 77 el Deora, Tiny Television, Victoria George), Kyle O’Brien (The Earl Brothers, Kelly McFarling, O’Brien Family), Ian Taylor Sutton (Heartache Sisters), and Kyle Caprista (Chuck Prophet, Elliot Randall, Lia Rose).
Listen here: http://midnightgamblers.bandcamp.com/
http://www.misisipimike.com

SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO is the sixth album by American rock band The Byrds and was released on August 30, 1968 on Columbia Records. Recorded with the addition of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons, it was influential as the first major country-rock album by an established act and represented a stylistic move away from the psychedelic rock of the band's previous recordings. The Byrds had occasionally experimented with country music on their four previous albums, but Sweetheart of the Rodeo represented their fullest immersion into the genre thus far. The album was also responsible for bringing Gram Parsons, who had joined The Byrds prior to the recording of the album, to the attention of a mainstream rock audience for the first time. Thus, the album can be seen as an important chapter in Parsons' personal and musical crusade to make country music fashionable for a young audience.
Listen here: http://youtu.be/m4dIQITw5bw

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Friday, February 7
Front Country + Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands + The Trespassers
@Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell Street, SF.
8pm doors / 9pm show / $15 / all ages
TIX: http://www.slimspresents.com/events/2014-02-07/hillbilly-robot-an-urban-americana-music-event-featuriing-front-country/
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/262407867257684/

FRONT COUNTRY (San Francisco)
2013 Telluride Band Contest Winners & 2012 RockyGrass Band Contest Winners, Front Country- a who’s who of Bay Area bluegrass and country pickers features members of Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, Supermule, the Whisky Richards, the Midnight Gamblers, and the Heel Draggers. Formed in 2011 as a collective of the hottest pickers in town, to play a monthly gig in San Francisco’s Mission District, they quickly found a musical rapport that was open to challenging arrangements, unique covers and original songwriting. Three years later, Front Country are one of the hottest acts in town!
The band is; Adam Roszkiewicz (mandolin), Jacob Groopman (guitar), Jordan Klein (banjo), Leif Karlstrom (fiddle), Melody Walker (guitar), and Zach Sharpe (upright bass).
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/frontcountry
https://www.frontcountryband.com

LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS (Bay Area)
Laurie Lewis is one of the most acclaimed and accomplished performers on the acoustic-music scene today. A stirring vocalist, gifted songwriter, champion fiddler, and topnotch bandleader, she has won a Grammy and twice been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. With nearly 20 solo, duo, and band albums to her credit, she has just released Blossoms (Spruce and Maple Music), a winning collection of originals and covers that explores new territory while remaining true to her beloved Americana roots.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/laurielewis
http://www.laurielewis.com/

THE TRESPASSERS (Mariposa CA)
From the foothills of Yosemite National Park, the Trespassers have been playing original, stringband music together for nine and a half years. The most logical way to categorize their music is Bluegrass meets Americana. However their influences stems from many genres; rock, blues, gypsy jazz, country, old-time, and pure love of the mountains,...that's not really a genre of music, but it comes across in their music so well.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/thetrespassers
http://www.thetrespassers.com/

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Friday, February 14
James King Band + Windy Hill
@Plough & Stars, 116 Clement Street, SF. 9pm doors / 9:30 show / $10-$15 sliding scale / 21+
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/219615164892003/

JAMES KING BAND (Kentucky)
*2014 Grammy Nominee!*
The current King of Southern-style bluegrass returns to the Plough & Stars for a night of old time bluegrass and Southern hospitality.
~James King started his long bluegrass career when legendary bluegrass deejay Ray Davis paired him with Ralph Stanley for two mid-'80s releases, Stanley Brothers Classics and Reunion.
~In 1988, King released his first record under his own name, James King Sings Cold, Cold World.
~In the mid-90s James formed the James King Band and was named emerging artists of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in 1997.
~James King Band made their recording debut with 1998's "Bed by the Window". Its gripping, bittersweet title track -- about a man in a nursing home with a vivid imagination -- was nominated for IBMA's 1999 song of the year award.
~James King is also a member of the bluegrass supergroup Longview, along with Connell, Don Rigsby, Joe Mullins, Glen Duncan and Marshall Wilborn.
~Their self-titled 1997 debut was named recorded event of the year by the IBMA. The second Longview album, High Lonesome, arrived in 1999, followed by Lessons in Stone in 2002.
~James King released 30 Years of Farming in 2002. The album featured the James King Band as the supporting instrumentalists, with a potent blend of classic bluegrass, hard core country and contemporary song craft.
~James King’s brand new release is out now!
Listen here: http://www.myspace.com/thejameskingband
http://www.thejameskingband.com/

WINDY HILL (Bay Area)
Not your typical bluegrass band; the boys of Windy Hill did not grow up in the deep rolling hills of Virginia, nor grow up listening to the Bill Monroe or the Stanley Brothers on an old fashioned AM radio. However, you couldn't tell this from listening to this fabulous band -- they show sincere enthusiasm for traditional bluegrass music. The young, fresh players take on a 70+ year old musical genre and pull it off like no other. Whenever they play, they bring it! And look and sound the part -- as if they are playing a 1940s dance hall.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/windyhillbluegrass
http://www.windyhillbluegrass.com/

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Saturday, February 15
Big Jugs + Wolf Hamlin & The Front Porch Drifters + Kemo Sabe + Three Times Bad
@Thee Parkside, 1600 17th Street, SF.
8:30 doors / 9pm show / $13 cover / 21+
TIX: http://www.theeparkside.com/
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/574583785963740/

BIG JUGS (Santa Barbara)
Sometimes controversial, sometimes semi-offensive, but always humorous and not afraid to say it: They love big jugs. The boys of Big Jugs love a number of other things, too, but due to strict codes of ethics, those things can’t be listed here. Nevertheless, their special brand of alt-bluegrass ain't no novelty act, it's honest-to-goodness goodness.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/bigjugs
Watch this: http://youtu.be/HIPqDINKd8I
https://www.reverbnation.com/bigjugs

WOLF HAMLIN & THE FRONT PORCH DRIFTERS (Livermore)
Wolf and his rowdy bunch burst on to the national music scene in 2012 after appearing on American Idol season 11 and taking his smokey sweet voice on the road with his outlaw country band The Front Porch Drifters. Wolf, a Kansas boy, grew up working on engine blocks in his living room while Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings records played incessantly. A prolific song writer and story teller Wolf Hamlin brings a new voice and sound to a genre influenced by Willie, Cash, Haggard, Jr. and Jennings. Standing 6' 3" and over 225 lbs. Wolf brings down the house every night with his powerful vocals, contagious energy and a reputation of keeping the party going well after closing time. While Wolf plays the Git-Fiddle, The Front Porch Drifters stay in the pocket for groove stomping diddies, but improvisational violin and guitar solos are a staple in every set. Based out of Livermore, CA the band is looking for venues to deliver there live show mojo...this IS the band your mom warned you about
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/wolfhamlin
Watch this: http://youtu.be/GN7u9h60nVc
https://www.facebook.com/WHTFPD

KEMO SABE (SF)
Many people thought Kemo Sabe to be dead, or at least its members to be either in jail or rehab. Not surprising with this band. But lucky for us, they have crawled out of their man caves and are playing music better than ever. Kemo Sabe play what they call "modern-day campfire songs" with the bare-wire energy of punk rock. They kick around a variety of genres from bluegrass to klezmer, from rock n' roll to gypsy. The band honed their chops playing such diverse venues as street corners, Taco Bell, musical saw festivals, and punk rock clubs and over the years have created their very own unique style of "alt-bluegrass" and have developed a reputation for zany stage antics and solid picking and slapping.
Listen here: http://www.myspace.com/kemosabeband

THREE TIMES BAD (SF)
This indie stringband embraces the dirty roots of American music: bent blues and bluegrass, drunk country, anti-folk, story songs, hillbilly swing, hot singalongs, freak preachery and murder ballads from the dark side of loving the reverend’s wife on a bed o’ cornbread crumbs. It’s like the devil went down on Georgia in San Francisco’s Mission District (and the worldwideweb watches on streaming video).
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/threetimesbad
http://threetimesbad.com/

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Friday, February 21
The Earl Brothers + Left Coast Country
@Plough & Stars, 116 Clement Street, SF.
9pm doors / 9:30 show / $10-$15 sliding scale / 21+
$2 Bud & Bud Light all night long!
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/275203905964563/

THE EARL BROTHERS (San Francisco)
Once in a lifetime one will come across that one stand out band. One that gives you chills every time you listen to their music. A band you find yourself going out of your way to catch all of their live shows. A band whose logo you have tattooed on your arm or tramp stamp. A band you promise to name your first born after. The Earl Brothers are that band. It's been ten plus years since they started working on a style that has become their unique trademark -- modern-day outlaw mountain hillbilly music. Sure that's a long name, but the Earls are worth every word.
Listen here: http://earlbrothers.com/music.html
https://www.earlbrothers.com

LEFT COAST COUNTRY (Portland)
Get ready San Francisco, Left Coast Country are gonna blow your mind! This Portland-based bluegrass and country outfit deliver both high-energy originals and an authentic take on traditional sounds stemming from Bill Monroe to Towns van Zandt. Their live shows are an experience in itself, and guaranteed to get you up dancing like a crazy old-timer.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/leftcoastcountry
https://www.leftcoastcountry.com

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Saturday, February 22
This show presented by: Handsome Hawk Valentine
Featuring: The Stellar Corpses + Quarter Mile Combo + Hopeless Jack & the Handsome Devil + Rocketship Rocketship
@Slim's, 333 11th Street, SF.
8pm doors / 9pm show / $15 cover / all ages
TIX: http://www.slimspresents.com/events/2014-02-22/hillbilly-robot-urban-americana-music-event-featuring-the-stellar-corpses/
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/286614361486476/

THE STELLAR CORPSES (Santa Cruz)
Hard working, high energy, DIY psychobilly/horrorpunk/killer-rock n' roll band from Santa Cruz, CA with a catchy concoction of punk and old-school rock n' roll that appeals to people of all ages and lifestyles. What's their secret to attracting such a diverse fan base? "Everyone has a dark side that's just waiting to get out..." says singer, Dusty Grave "We just provide a safe and fun way to release that inner hellraiser!"
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/stellarcorpses
http://stellarcorpses.com/

QUARTER MILE COMBO (Sonoma) *Reunion Show*
This Sonoma based rockabilly outfit are back in action!
Originally formed in 2005 and comprised of 4 veterans of the Nor Cal roots music scene, QMC's music is rockabilly influenced but with a unique biting edge. You'll have to come out to this reunion show to relive and/or witness the sheer power of this amazing band -- all over again.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/quartermilecombo
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Quarter-Mile-Combo/327973688354

HOPELESS JACK & THE HANDSOME DEVIL (Portland)
A raucous and raw element of rock & roll grounded in the roots of soul and blues. Hopeless Jack (lead/slide-guitar, vocals) and Smilin' Pete (drums) form the power duo of the Rose City's strip club filled, liquor sodden nightlife working-class city we call Portland Oregon. They draw their sound from such greats as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Seasick Steve, Scott H. Biram, Johnny Cash, Junior Kimbrough, Gun Club, among others. The boys play some kind of high-speed, All-American, howling roots, whiskey-drenched rock and roll. They bang it out with all of the frenzy of the Stooges combined with a shock-and-awe strut gleaned from the early-era bluesmen. The live performance is a key aspect of the band’s sound...come see for yourself!
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/hopelessjack
http://www.hopelessjack.com/

ROCKETSHIP ROCKETSHIP (SF)
San Francisco based power trio Rocketship Rocketship brings a tight twist to this galaxy with their rowdy and danceable brand of Atomic Rock and Roll. Growling lead vocalist Marvelous Miss Summer wields a wicked surfabilly guitar, Scotty Blank punishes the skins for that driving beat,
and Mr. Tony Velour lays down the bottom end on the doghouse bass.
Capturing the sounds of early rock, revved up rockabilly, punk, and surf- Rocketship Rocketship will blast you out of this world!
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/rocketshiprocketship

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Saturday, February 28
The Harmed Brothers + The Vivants
@Plough & Stars, 116 Clement Street, SF.
9pm doors / 9:30 show / $10-$15 sliding scale / 21+
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/272133366284788/

THE HARMED BROTHERS (Eugene, Oregon)
Americana/folk-rock/indiegrass, The Harmed Brothers create a sound both melodic and raucous, gutsy and vulnerable and are often compared to groups such as The Avett Brothers and the highly influential Uncle Tupelo. Anyone who's heard and/or seen them live can experience those dynamics alive well in both their high energy, string snapping, boot stomping live performances and heartfelt storytelling which equally showcase the songwriting.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/theharmedbrothers
http://www.theharmedbrothers.com/

THE VIVANTS (Bay Area)
Largely inspired by the energy of old-time dance tunes, honky-tonk country, western-swing, bluegrass, and Cajun music, The Vivants play their own brand of American roots music -- original foot stompin' tunes about riots, hollers, and hopping train cars.
The band is Emily Bonn (the Whoreshoes) on guitar and lead vocals, Jody Richardson (The Earl Brothers) on fiddle and vocal harmonies, James Touzel (The Earl Brothers) on upright bass, and Isaac Bonnell on accordion.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/emilybonnthevivants
http://www.emilybonn.com/