“One of the greatest songwriters in America, Patty Griffin is now showing herself to be one of the greatest singers as well.  She is a mesmerizing performer.” The New York Times

Tickets for Sings Like Hell subscribers are $43.00 and for the general public, $53.00, at the Lobero Theatre Box Office. Order by phone at (805) 963-0761.

Saturday, August 23

David Olney + Carolyn Wonderland
davidolney.com   carolynwonderland.com

Over an impressive professional career spanning four decades, David Olney has built a reputation not as a kind-hearted troubadour, but rather as a performing songwriter with a sharp literary mind that often cuts to the bone of the human condition. Whether the subject matter is heartbreak or armed robbery, Olney's cinematic style and fearless approach to lyric writing have won him a reputation as a kind of musical outlaw. Listening to his new CD, One Tough Town, is like watching a Sergio Leone western: it's gritty, smart and dangerous and you can't take your eyes off the screen. 

"Olney stands out LIKE A JALAPENO IN A BOWL OF VANILLA PUDDING in Nashville. One Tough Town, A BRILLIANT SAMPLING OF AMERICAN MUSIC from blues and rockabilly to New Orleans swing and NOIR FOLK, adds another top-notch effort to a prolific string of fine records. "Sweet Poison" is a shot of rockabilly so stout it should make most of the current crop of pompadoured fakers sell their instruments and go back to 40-hour weeks at Burger King. ... a TRUE GENIUS of American song." - Houston (TX) Press      

has the goods. A triple threat with her diverse songwriting, soulful vocals, and guitar goddess status - all featured on over twenty CDs, six of which are her releases - she has a pedigree in this business that's hard to match. A bit of a renegade, she likes to incorporate elements of Blues, Country, Swing, Zydeco, Surf, Gospel, Soul, and some nights, maybe even a Cumbia into the musical mix. Recent years have seen her stretching out musically working some expert whistling and scat singing into her shows. In addition to her trusty guitar, "Patty," Carolyn has been regularly playing her trumpet, and even occasionally the accordion, mandolin, or keys...she is threatening to take up nose flute if someone doesn’t stop her...

“Carolyn Wonderland’s live shows are just outright phenomenal.  Top notch, five stars, off the meter - whatever the cliche, Carolyn and her band meet it...Her voice can be as beautiful as an angel and as powerful as a Class 5 hurricane, all within the drop of a hat.”  Rockzillaworld

Saturday, September 20

Del Castillo + Willy Porter
delcastillomusic.com    willyporter.com

Del Castillo: Five young guys with tatoos and studs, playing viciously gorgeous flamenco guitars against  a big rock rhythm section with great vocals in Spanish and English.  Perfection!

“The Del Castillo brothers, Rick and Mark, play Spanish guitars, which gives the group a distinctive string sound, underwritten by a heavyweight rhythm section. Whether Del Castillo works in English or Spanish, it rocks righteously.  The Spanish guitars’ flamenco vibe gives a dramatic flair, abetted by Alex Ruiz’s passionate vocals.  They pull together Latin music’s romance and rock’s grit.  The result is blistering". --Billboard

Willy Porter has continued to stretch and change while maintaining his relationship with the song. His live show has morphed into performance art with improv comedy and live studio looping added to his mastery of acoustic guitar and gorgeous baritone. But it’s the songs that kill: equal parts rock muscle and folk-based intimacy, with a dash of power pop. 

“An acoustic picker with the Olympian speed of Leo Kottke bolstered by rootsy vocals and twisting, offbeat lyrics that evoked John Hiatt...”
— Boston Globe

All Shows Start at 8pm

Series #23 Archives ......

Saturday, April 19  Co-Bill      

Kevin Welch & Dustin Welch / David Ford
kevinwelch.com   myspace.com/dustinwelchmusic   davidford.mu

Kevin Welch has appeared at Sings Like Hell several times, but never solo, singing his own beautiful, bleak, wry and heartbreaking songs.  Fortunately, his son, Dustin Welch, who has been workshopping his own songs at Momo’s in Austin on Monday nights, was also available.  So I asked if there was a way to do a Kevin and Dustin Welch evening where they traded songs and played with each other...and they said yes.  Sometimes it’s just that easy to get your favorite people to come to your house and play their hearts out for your 600 closest friends. Well, it is if your house is the Lobero Theatre...

"Kevin Welch’s songs are diamonds; finely-etched character studies and hard-won personal insights that win over, and inspire, just about everybody who hears them.”
-Associated Press

Meanwhile, over in England, one of the finest new songwriters of the past few years, David Ford, was getting ready to tour the States for the first time in quite awhile...and they offered Sings Like Hell a date.  David writes gorgeous, lilting melodies with bitter, introspective lyrics...and the top single from his last record was called “Go To Hell.” Perfect. Just to give a little more to go on, my favorite quote about his music is “one foot in the David Gray camp and one foot in Kurt Cobain’s...”

............

Saturday, May 17

Kathleen Edwards + The Last Town Chorus
kathleenedwards.com   thelasttownchorus.com

Kathleen Edwards does not write like a girl.  Her songs are set against a shimmering backdrop of sonic washes and melodic guitar-driven rock, with a no-nonsense approach to lyrical delivery that makes the stark topics almost brutal.  Mental illness, the Iraq war, isolation and confusion, crack, murder and racism: the combinations are mesmerizing and memorable.
“Kathleen Edwards has the music critics frothing with enthusiasm.” --The Ottawa Citizen

The Last Town Chorus is a revolving ensemble led by singer/writer/lap-steel-guitarist Megan Hickey, whose singular approach to music has beguiled music writers and fans alike.  Her live shows are nothing short of revelatory, bringing audience members to tears, turning skeptics into fanatics and building a loyal fan base in every city The Last town Chorus visits.

“Closer to U2 than Buck Owens...the lap steel doesn’t ground Megan Hickey in tradition: it suspends her voice amid longings and memories.” --New York Times

Saturday, June 21

The Pine Leaf Boys + JT Nero
pineleafboys.com    

The Pine Leaf Boys--Wilson Savoy, Cedric Watson, Jon Bertrand, Drew Simon and Blake Miller-- are all in their early 20s. They live together in the same shotgun house near downtown Lafayette.  Steeped in music since children and hailing from fams and villages in Cajun country, the Pine Leaf Boys have been making a name for themselves not only for their youth, but for preserving traditional Cajun music while allowing it to breathe and stretch. 

“The live performances of The Pine Leaf Boys  are a revelatiion of anarchy and reverence and manic exuberance funneled through traditional musical forms. “ -Josh Caffery

JT Nero is the solo performance name of Jeremy Lindsay, whose larger band, JT & The Clouds, blew into the Lobero from Chicago last season and brewed up a storm of blue-eyed rockin’ soul.  Tonight offers us a chance to hear a brilliant young songwriter’s work up-close and personal.

Saturday, July 12

James Hunter + Sean Hayes

jameshuntermusic.com   

James Hunter is the underground king of Britain’s pop and soul music culture.  His songs are all original, but they are instant classics and he records them with sonic nuances that dare the listener to date them.  The band is silky-smooth, but when they pour it on you’d best step back.

seanhayesmusic.com
Sean Hayes has a sweetly compelling style that is so self-effacing, the lyrics are a shock.  He doesn’t make it easy: the songs take on tough topics and dark emotions, but his poetic twists bring a sense of musical epiphany to the process of discovering a truly remarkable talent.  

top