$30 day of show

Sonny Landreth

“He is probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced.”- Eric Clapton

“From the Reach,” Sonny Landreth’s ninth album, is the first to be released on his own Landfall label. On it, the Louisiana-based slide guitar wizard does something unprecedented in his body of work, as he collaborates with five of the greatest guitar players on the planet - Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson and Vince Gill - for some jaw-dropping performances. Also making a house call is legendary New Orleans pianist and singer Dr. John and iconic Gulf Coast troubadour Jimmy Buffett. Sonny's signature sound has laid the backdrop for many artists including John Hiatt, Gov’t Mule, Jimmy Buffet and Joan Osborn. His guitar style combines the bottleneck slide, palm and thumbpicking techniques to produce a sound that is often said to resemble many instruments playing at once. His music encompasses Mississippi Delta blues, zydeco, and Southern rock. But he also creates sounds that are all his own; sounds he calls "music behind the glass." And it’s not only by his playing that Landreth has made his mark - he is also a songwriter who fuses his music with potent storytelling, drawing from the rich heritage of southern Louisiana culture. Sonny is the real deal and fans seeing him for the first time typically come away with a handful of his CD's.
"Sonny Landreth is the supreme slidemaster" - Guitar Player Magazine

Opener: Drivin' Blind - Opening for Savoy Brown back in '07, this hard-driving blues-rock trio had them on their feet, yelling for more.

Listen to Sonny Landreth here!

$14 day of show

The Fat City Band

"The Fat City Band is dedicated to the proposition that music should be fun. It's not that vocalist Paul Redmond can't belt out a tearjerker of a torch song, or the band can't turn out an inspiring rock anthem, but rather that the bulk of their music focuses on providing a soundtrack for good times. Fat City operates most often in that territory where the roots of rock and roll were formed, with R & B, Swing, Jump Blues, New Orleans Gumbo and Boogie Woogie all meshing together in a smoky roadhouse jam session. It might be amazing to first time listeners to realize the band is doing original music here, so wonderfully do they capture the essence of the best of their forebears. If Louis Jordan were still alive he'd be a Fat City Band fan. This latest record from the Fat City Band entitled "Wiggle Room" deftly captures the flavor and abandon of a typical show; the type of roadhouse extravaganza that has made the sextet one of New England's most popular acts for more than 25 years. Check out the steamy groove of "Can't Get You Out of My Mind," or the guitar heat sizzling through "I Like It." Seldom will you hear swing as potent as "No Sooner Said Than Done," or funky r&b more visceral than "All About You." Some of that comic potential is evident on the boogie woogie romp "Whoa Whoa." And as for the title cut, well, you better have room to move when that cut comes on. If you've caught the band in a club or concert, you have a good idea of what's in store for you. If you're discovering the Fat City Band for the first time, I'd suggest comfortable dance-ready shoes, and a willingness to let it all hang out. "

$50 day of show

PLEASE
RESERVE
EARLY !

         


Watch Mick Taylor here!

The Rolling Stones'

Mick Taylor

When the Rolling Stones needed to replace Brian Jones in 1969, Mick Jagger asked John Mayhall of the Bluesbreakers for advice. Mayhall immediately recommended Mick Taylor. He was then hired to play on the half-finished “Let it Bleed”, putting his unmistakeable guitar stamp on “Honky-Tonk Woman”, “Live With Me” and “Country Honk”. His first full studio album with the Stones was 1971’s “Sticky Fingers”, although he did appear on 1970’s live “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out”. He played on 1972’s “Exile on Main St.”, and is credited with co-authoring “Ventilator Blues” with Jagger and Richards on that album. He was with the band through “Goat’s Head Soup” and “It’s Only Rock and Roll” where he claims to have co-written "Till the Next Goodbye" and "Time Waits for No One" with Jagger and Richards, although no credit was given on the album sleeve. Before leaving the band, he recorded "Waiting on a Friend" which was never released until 1981's "Tattoo You". The success of the single helped propel that album to 9 weeks at number one. Taylor's encore track was the Stones' last major hit. Throughout those years he had been doing side work with Herbie Mann and Jack Bruce separately. And finally he left the Stones in ’74 to form a group with Jack Bruce. His reasons for leaving the Stones were unclear then and now. But his future looked bright. He was considered one of the best guitarists in the world. Mick Jagger, in a 1995 interview with Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine, said "I think he had a big contribution. He made it very musical. He was a very fluent, melodic player... It was very good for me working with him ... Mick Taylor would play very fluid lines against my vocals. He was exciting, and he was very pretty, and it gave me something to follow, to bang off. Some people think that's the best version of the band that existed".
In 1989 he was inducted, along with the rest of the Stones, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Opener: The Installers - A Bull Run favorite, they've run the gamut from "a quick Lube Job", opening for various Blues Greats, to "a complete overhaul", headlining New Years Eve with the legendary J. Geils! (J and guitar can be heard on their most recent CD, Live Plus Six, playing some of the tunes that made the Geils Band famous).

$14 day of show

Uncle Billy's Smokehouse

The brother duo of guitarist Sean Ryan and keyboard ticklin brother Jody has revived what, to many, is a lost sound in bands today. Armed with the incomparable Janky Bones on bass and the untamable Brad Simmons on the kit, Uncle Billy's Smokehouse is roaring through the New England music scene and beyond. Hailing from Worcester (Wista), MA this four piece rock outfit has seen their share of the road in the past few years. Playing shows from Burlington Vermont to New York City and down to New Orleans, the band has found the path to the everlasting temple of Rock'n'Roll. The key, it seems, to their success has been in their songwriting formula - mixing the substance and ideals of the 60's/70's with the aggression and intensity of modern times to create music that will grab you by the throat and pull you into the speaker so you can learn the damn words. With original songs and covers ranging from Beatles to Beastie Boys, UBS will have you on your feet and stompin'.

Opener: Holmes - 8 piece, Old School Style R&B/Funk/Soul & Blues band that serve up elements of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Al Green & The Nevilles.

Watch Uncle Billy's Smokehouse here!

Listen to Johnny A here!

Johnny A

Johnny A. is widely regarded as one of America's finest contemporary guitarists. Gibson thinks so, their Custom Shop designed a Signature Edition guitar per his specific requests. The public thinks so too, his latest works have sold many thousands of copies. Johnny spent a year and a half at Berklee School of Music, but had no real interest in the textbood bebop they were dishing out. His first group, "Squanty Roo" played Fusion and by ’75 he had a much more stripped down basic rock unit called "The Streets", who scored a major radio hit with “What Gives”. In the ‘80’s he hooked up with legendary J. Geils Band front man Peter Wolf, playing on his albums and co-producing one of them, as well as touring with Wolf around the world. After Wolf, Johnny put out a string of solo instrumental guitar albums which brought him much notice and acclaim with their warm guitar tones and alluring melodies. This led to signing with Steve Vai's Favored Nations label and an ever-widening circle of gigs with the likes of B.B. King, Robert Cray, and Jeff Beck plus an appearance at Eric Clapton's “Crossroads Guitar Festival” in '04. It’s been a long way from his first $49 guitar to Gibson's Johnny A. Signature Edition, but Johnny is still doing what he loves most, playing guitar and creating music.

Opener: TBA

Junior Brown

Junior Brown’s music combines the soul of country and the spirit of rock n' roll. In Junior's case, playing everywhere from the Grand Ole Opry to rock showcases on the West Coast and his hometown of Austin, Texas, "crossover" is not synonymous with watered-down or light-weight. He says of his ever-growing legion of converts “Just about the time they label me as some old time honkytonk singer, I throw something new in there that surprises them.” Following years as Austin's best-kept secret, then a few more as the town's one must-see act, Junior Brown and his music have since found an audience far beyond the Lone Star border. Junior's first two albums “12 Shades of Brown” and “Guit With It”, have helped establish him as a crowd favorite from Texas roadhouses to the hippest clubs of New York City and Europe. There's usually a wide-eyed look accompanying one who witnesses Junior's unique instrumental prowess for the first time... or the second, or third, for that matter. Junior invented his own guitar, one that combines the standard 6-string guitar and the steel guitar. He calls it the "guit-steel." In Junior's hands, it’s an amazing tool, a means to creating some of the hottest, most heartfelt playing heard in years (and in a town like Austin, that's saying something). His talents have led major magazines like Musician to herald him as a genius. Life magazine honored him as the only contemporary musician included in their "All Time Country Band," and Guitar Player magazine's 1994 "Best of..." listings made him their #1 lap steel player, #2 Country Artist, and #3 country album (Guit With It). Once Junior started his own career, he met his idol Ernest Tubb, and Tubb offered him some stern advice "Keep it country, son." Junior's admiration for Tubb inspired one of his better known songs, “My Baby Don't Dance to Nothin' But Ernest Tubb.” "It's music for everybody," Junior says.

Opener: TBA

Listen to Junior Brown here!

$22 day of show

Listen to Buskin & Batteau here!

Buskin & Batteau

Buskin & Batteau began in earnest when folk legend Tom Rush, in a truly titanic misjudgment, invited David Buskin and Robin Batteau to be his backup band, with David on piano, guitar and vocals, Robin on vocals, violin, guitar and mandolin and the mighty Marshal Rosenberg on percussion. Chaos reigned. Hotel rules were tightened across America. And then suddenly, without warning, B&B went out on their own. Along the way they made Emmy and Grammy-winning charity records and books and TV shows with Marlo Thomas and Chris Cerf and friends ("Free to Be a Family" and "Thanks and Giving"); Co-wrote most of Judy Collins' "Fires of Eden" record with Judy; received An Oscar nomination for "On Tip-Toe," the documentary short film about Ladysmith Black Mambazo whose centerpiece was Robin's "Stupid Song" (actual name, really); had their songs recorded by Anne Murray, Oak Ridge Boys (both gold records), Bette Midler, Astrud Gilberto, Peter, Paul & Mary, Johnny Mathis and Melanie; Aretha Franklin, Mel Torme, Take 6, Richie Havens, Elton John, Whitney Houston and Paula Abdul sang their "short songs." They've written jingles, produced other peoples projects and coached middle school girls basketball. And through it all they found time to make three B&B records for their own label, Single Wing Records, presaging today's rush of indie artist-owned labels.

"Irresistible...an amalgam of melodic sensual pop, folkie grit and killer wit." - The Washington Post

Opener: TBA

Luther "Guitar Jr" Johnson

A native of Itta Bena, Mississippi, Johnson’s family later moved to Chicago, and it was there that Luther honed his skills as a performer, singing, dancing and playing bass guitar. In the 1960’s he played with Magic Sam, whose “West side style” remains integral to Johnson's sound today. He was a major player in Muddy Waters Band from 1972 – 1980. In 1976 he cut his own debut album, “Luther's Blues”, during a European tour with Muddy. By 1980 he was on his own, recording with the Nighthawks as well as four tracks on Alligator's second series of "Living Chicago Blues" anthologies. With his own band, the Magic Rockers, and the Roomful of Blues horn section, Johnson released “Doin' the Sugar Too” on Rooster Blues in 1984. Since 1990, Johnson has been signed to Ron Levy's Bullseye Blues logo; his three albums for the firm have been sizzling, soul-tinged blues with a strong West Side flavor often slicing through. No stranger to critical acclaim, "Guitar Junior" has captured numerous awards throughout his career. His live rendition of "Walking the Dog,", was included on the Atlantic Records collection Blues Explosion, which captured a Grammy Award in 1984. In 1999 Luther's second Telarc release, "Got To Find A Way", was nominated for a Grammy as Best Traditional Blues Album. His blistering blend of single string lines augmented by powerful chordal accompaniment and plaintive vocals leave no doubt that he is the bona fide leader of the West Side guitar style with his unique blend of blues, soul and funk.

Opener: TBA

Listen to Luther Johnson here!

Listen to Graham Parker here!

Graham Parker

Stereotyped early in his career as the quintessential angry young man, Graham Parker was one of the most successful singer/songwriters to emerge from England's pub rock scene of the early '70s. Drawing from Van Morrison and The Rolling Stones, Parker developed a sinewy fusion of driving rock & roll and confessional folk-rock, highlighted by his indignant passion, biting sarcasm, and bristling anger. At the outset of his career, his albums crackled with pub rock energy, snide witticisms, and gentle insights, earning him a devoted following of fans and critics. Mainstream radio hits like "Local Girls" and "Passion is no Ordinary Word", brought him an even wider audience. His newest album, "Don't Tell Columbus", is being hailed by critics as his best album since 1979's "Squeezing Out Sparks". He continues to write songs of struggle, compassion, and defiance in a hostile society. Like many of his peers, he has adapted to the instability of the music industry by working with independent labels. He tours both as a solo performer and with his band, and converses freely with fans at shows and online.
In addition to his records, Parker published a set of short stories, "Carp Fishing on Valium", in June 2000. His second book, a novel, "The Other Life of Brian", appeared in September 2003.

Opener: The West Bros. - Clarence and David West (in alphabetical order and in age) are identical twins who have been playing in area bands together for most of their adult lives. David plays guitar/harmonica and Clarence plays bass on their punk influenced folk songs. They sing about cruel women and drinking. Not coincidentally, their influences are cruel women and drinking.

$15 day of show

Singer/songwriter Lee Villaire is a powerhouse vocalist whose unique lyrical style runs the gamut from sexy to playful to poignant, all emotionally delivered in a jazzy folk-rock package. With four CDs to her credit, her latest „blonde intuition & other good voodoo", features cream-of-the-crop musicians from the area who now make up her band.

$20 day of show

Gandalf Murphy
& the Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Formed in Sleepy Hollow, New York in the late 90's, Gandalf Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is one of the best known and loved bands in their home state, singled out as Hudson Valley Magazine's "Band of the Year" for the past 3 years. On stage they create an enchanting atmosphere, using traditional folk instruments, tasty electric guitar and the distinctive singing and songwriting of Joziah Longo. Citing influences as diverse as Hank Williams, Dylan, Bowie, Incredible String Band and early Pink Floyd, Longo describes the band's music as "punk-classical-hillbilly-Floyd", a mental rollercoaster of whimsical, thought-provoking songs. The Circus' live shows are where the real magic comes down, earning them critical acclaim as well as a fiercly loyal following. Their last studio release, "Flapjacks From The Sky" has been hailed as a masterpiece by many and continues to make a buzz internationally as a great americana work of art. Their newest cd, "The Great Unravel" was released in August, 2008.
"Gandalf Murphy is simply one of the finest American bands out there on the road." -All Music Guide
"A riveting, mesmerizing, crazy, amazing machine of music" -Chronogram

Opener: TBA

Watch Gandalf Murphy here!

$12 day of show

$28 day of show

The Fools

The Fools barged their way onto the Boston music scene with their first single "She Looks All Right in the Dark". Known for their outrageous live performances the band quickly gathered a loyal and ever-growing audience. Their first national (and then international) hit record, "Psycho Chicken," was a parody of Talking Heads' Psycho Killer. With the signing of the band to EMI Records came the first two albums "Sold Out" and "Heavy Mental". A second single "Its a Night (For Beautiful Girls)" then charted, followed by a cover of Roy Orbison's "Running Scared". Touring North America first with The Knack and then with Van Halen helped to place the band firmly on the national stage. European tours including shows with Cheap Trick and Journey resulted in huge overseas record sales. Back home again The Fools released their biggest album "World Dance Party". The band then enjoyed MTV video success with their remake of Manfred Mann's "Doo Wah Diddy" and the title track video "World Dance Party". The album also racked up four big radio songs: "Doo Wah Diddy", "World Dance Party", "Life Sucks...Then You Die" and "She Makes Me Feel Big" The mix of great music performed by uniquely talented musicians with a hefty helping of fun comes together in an unmatched charm that has been lighting up millions of smiles over the years.
Be a fool - smile for yourself.

Opener: TBA

Listen to The Fools here!

(Sawtelle Room)

(Ballroom)

Sat.
Nov. 28

Johnny Appleseed Trail Association