Belle and The Band
Jun
18
7:00 PM19:00

Belle and The Band

***SPECIAL MONDAY NIGHT SHOW****
Doors 6:00pm • Music 7:00pm

****SPECIAL MONDAY NIGHT SHOW****

Monday, June 18….doors  6pm, music 7pm

From Florida…Sweet acoustic folk with bluegrass roots

BELLE AND THE BAND

“They exhibit strong and solid vocals, top notch instrumental solos, a wonderful selection of material, and great band chemistry-this band has it all!”-Dan Miller, publisher and editor of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine.

Suncoast Emmy award-winning Belle and The Band combines masterful song-writing with instrumental prowess to deliver an acoustic sound that is thought provoking, melodic, and memorable. While Kathryn Belle Long’s many experience as a professional vocalist and Walt Disney World performer has seamlessly transferred into prolific song-writer, the “Band” also includes some of Florida’s most recognized and accomplished acoustic musicians—Mickey Abraham, Kevin Robertson, and Mike Snelling. The results are meaningful songs with layered arrangements. Woven into their songs’ worldly themes and eclectic sounds exists a clean pop sensibility, which explains why listeners easily fall in love with Belle and The Band.

www.belleandtheband.com

and followed by their special guests….from Albany, NY

USELESS CANS

Born in New York’s Capital Region, the Useless Cans have been bringing a mix of old-time jazz, folk and traditional Russian tunes to their audiences since 2016. The trio combines elements of music’s past along with a contemporary perspective. The Useless Cans have performed for the American Roots Music Series, Caffe Lena, Café Livre Concert Series in Long Lake and Saranac Lake’s Party on the Patio. They have shared the stage with Ryan Montbleau and Hot Club of Cowtown, among many others.

www.uselesscans.com

Cover: $7 at the door

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Greg Klyma Trio
Jun
19
8:00 PM20:00

Greg Klyma Trio

Doors 4pm, Music 8pm

Road tested troubadour. Relentless songwriter. You’ll find Greg Klyma at the crossroads of Tom Petty and Hank Williams playing his well-loved guitar and spinning yarns. Greg is on tour in support of "Never Knew Caroline", featuring Peter Case, Gurf Morlix, and Bill Kirchen (http://nodepression.com/album-review/greg-klyma-and-his-old-guitar). 

 

Some artists find inspiration in romantic break-ups, others find it in rediscovering their roots. For Boston-based singer-songwriter Greg Klyma, it came from both.

Never Knew Caroline, his latest release, finds him coping with a toxic end of a romantic relationship and recalling the musicians from his Buffalo, NY hometown that inspired him in his formative years. The album opens with the title track, where we find Klyma at home while on the move after a period of “drowning in the mud” of his own mind. The album shifts gears with “Sand,” a song reminiscent of both Harvest-era Neil Young and more recent releases by the Decemberists. “Discovery,” Klyma sings, “is just stumbling across a thing that's always been.”

Morlix and Case are featured on “Kristofferson,” one of the album’s focal points. In this poignant ballad, Klyma pays homage to one of his songwriting heroes in both the title and the style of the song, while his delivery will draw comparisons to another hero, Willie Nelson.

The honky-tonk “Ex-Girlfriends Cost Less Money Than Ex-Wives” may or may not be tongue-in-cheek as Klyma proclaims, “you’ll spend less dating ten women than you will losing one bride.” It’s 1970’s outlaw country at its finest, made all the richer by guest guitarist Bill Kirchen.

The genre diversity shouldn’t come as a surprise from an artist well studied in American music. “Old school country, classic rock, and singer-songwriter folk are three styles of music that I love. I love to listen to 'em. I love to play 'em,” he says, “my wheelhouse finds me standing in the long shadows of Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Tom Petty, and Mick & Keef, to name a few.”

His birthdate puts him squarely in the middle of Generation X, but Greg Klyma is an old-school troubadour. His enduring themes, articulate and amusing stories, and populist ideals make him one of those rare young artists who is carrying the torch of Woody and Ramblin' Jack. He rolls in off the road, pulls out a guitar, and proceeds to take us back to the basics: family, love, gratitude, and laughter. It's the timeless art of the true troubadour, keeping alive the American folk tradition.

http://klyma.com/

Cover: $5

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JD WIlkes with The Legendary Shack Shakers Unplugged
Jun
20
8:00 PM20:00

JD WIlkes with The Legendary Shack Shakers Unplugged

***SPECIAL SHOW***
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

JD WILKES WITH THE LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS UNPLUGGED!

A sense of place has long permeated the music of J.D. Wilkes. He’s a native of Paducah, Kentucky, a city located at the confluence of various rivers and cultures — an area where musical variety is in the air and in the blood memory of its people. “Of course, there’s bluegrass and hillbilly songs, but also blues, jazz, old time fiddle music, jug band music, even swamp rock,” says Wilkes. “It’s a great intersection there. I think I epitomize that in the way that I write and perform.”

Wilkes’ solo debut, Fire Dream, represents the apotheoses of that vision: a hillbilly-gypsy epic, it’s an album of art damaged cabaret music, leavened by Latin rhythms and high lonesome hollers. Call it boho bluegrass — maybe what Tom Waits would sound like if he were a Kentucky Colonel (a title that Wilkes happens to hold).  

Proving a compelling firebrand of American roots music during his two decades leading experimental rockabilly group Legendary Shack Shakers, Wilkes has a resume and passions that extend far and wide. A visual artist, filmmaker and author, he’s served as a session player for Merle Haggard, helped soundtrack HBO's True Blood, penned a pair of books (The Vine That Ate the South and Barn Dances and Jamborees Across Kentucky) and worked as an ethnomusicologist without portfolio, documenting the dying hillbilly culture of Kentucky.

The Shack Shakers don’t do murder ballads, they do murder boogies. The Shack shakers play fried country rock and roll and they take the stage with an energy and passion that runs circles around all but the most earnest of hardcore bands.  They dip into the darker reaches of American music only to further sully songs of murder and mayhem with a brush dipped in poison..or blood.

The Shack Shakers combine all that is scary and fun about the South (sideshows, folklore and murder ballads) and combine them in an adrenaline-fueled, super-human display of rock and roll heroism.

www.legendaryshackshakers.com

With special guest CHUCK MEAD!

For the past twenty years, Chuck Mead has been at the forefront of what has come to be known as Americana Music. Raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Chuck has been a professional musician since the age of 13 playing in his parents country band and then leading several roots rock outfits in the midwest most notably the Homestead Grays. He landed on Nashville’s Lower Broadway in 1993 where he co-founded the famed ‘90s Alternative Country quintet BR5-49. The band’s seven albums, three Grammy nominations and the Country Music Association Award for Best Overseas Touring Act of 1997 built an indelible bridge between authentic American Roots music and millions of fans worldwide. Chuck has also co-produced popular tribute albums to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, guest-lectured at Vanderbilt University, and became a staff writer at one of Nashville’s top song publishers. In 2008, he was the Musical Director/Supervisor for the Broadway/West End musical Million Dollar Quartet (which broke the record in Chicago for longest running musical) and acted in the same capacity for the CMT television show Sun Records producing all the re-recordings of classic rock n roll, country, and blues. He has released three solo works starting in 2009 with his acclaimed solo debut album, Journeyman’s Wager on the Grassy Knoll Records label, and continues tour clubs, concert halls and international Rock, Country and Rockabilly festivals

www.chuckmead.com

Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of show...on sale beginning Friday, March 30 at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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The Buffalo Brass Machine
Jun
22
9:30 PM21:30

The Buffalo Brass Machine

Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:30pm
Rohrbach Brewing Company presents Abilene Late Night Sessions…Night One!

A very special evening of music...Join us for Buffalo’s 8-piece New Orleans brass band…Don’t miss the “Rust Belt Brass Sound” of
THE BUFFALO BRASS MACHINE
NOLA second line, bop and horn influenced r&b

www.facebook.com/thebuffalobrassmachine

No Cover Charge!

 

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Miller & The Other Sinners
Jun
23
8:00 PM20:00

Miller & The Other Sinners

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 7:00pm • Music 8:00pm

“Abilene on the Road” presents
“A Night of Blistering Southern Blues and Soul”
At The Penthouse at One East Avenue Featuring
MILLER & THE OTHER SINNERS
(The Full 9 Piece Big Band!)

With special guests
DARICK CAMPBELL and CINAMMON JONES

Western New York based but nationally touring southern soul artist, David Michael Miller, and an 9 piece version of his band, Miller and The Other Sinners, is bringing their stirring blend of roots music to The Penthouse at One East Avenue. New York based southern soul band, Miller and The Other Sinners, in the style of Tedeschi Trucks Band, brings groove, grit and lots soul, combining the best of roots music into unforgettable original songs performed with powerful vocals, slide guitar, horns keys, and jaw dropping performances from the entire 9 piece band. Special guest vocalist Cinnamon Jones who toured the world with The Campbell Brothers for 7 years is dynamite in a bottle and brings the energy of James Brown and the sounds of Mavis Staples to the stage. Also special guest Darick Campbell of The Campbell Brothers will be bringing his signature lap steel playing to this evenings ensemble!

Vintage Guitar Magazine January 2016 says: "This makes it two in a row for David Michael Miller. His Poisons Sipped was one of last year’s surprise albums, introducing us to a songwriter, guitarist, and singer who is the whole package. Same Soil builds on that with its clear understanding of the blues, soul, and everything in between. Throughout it all, Miller’s guitar playing is more than solid, supplying the mojo for most of the songs. His deep growl is fiercely soulful and he soars into upper registers, calling to mind the late Chris Whitley at his finest. While working in what could loosely be called the blues, Miller covers a lot of ground. “All The Blues To You” is swampy funk. “Just Ride” shows off his patience in letting the groove control things. He and his band’s willingness to let the song grow, along with the incredible use of dynamics, is one of many aspects that make his music some of the best out there today. Miller handles all the guitar parts perfectly. Whether swinging slide work or on-the-money rhythm, it all fits." – John Heidt

Delivering groove and grit, David Michael Miller leads a talented group of musicians known as Miller and the Other Sinners. This band explodes with a full spectrum of southern soul that reaches diverse indie rock, blues, soul and southern rock fans alike. The release of two albums, Poisons Sipped (2014) featuring Rochester’s own Chuck, Darick and Carlton Campbell of the Campbell Brothers (now honored in the Smithsonian) and Same Soil (2015), David’s music has received international attention and radio play making its way to #3 on the Roots Music Report.
Rising through the roots music scene, Miller’s Sinners are packed with talent including Jay Moynihan (10 year veteran sax man for Buddy Guy) and an incredibly talented rhythm section hailing from Buffalo, NY. Miller and the Other Sinners are no strangers to festivals and large concert venues and will be headlining the Corn Hill Music Festival in 2017 as well a featured slot at the Fairport Music Festival.

www.davemillermusic.com
www.facebook.com/events/110493949829568
www.facebook.com/thepenthouseatoneeastavenue

Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day of show, on sale now at Abilene Bar and Lounge, online at https://abilene.showare.com/ and available from Miller & The Other Sinners

Thanks to the support of our friends at the Fairport Music Festival

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Happy Hour with The Angle
Jul
6
5:30 PM17:30

Happy Hour with The Angle

Doors 3:00pm, Music 5:30pm

Happy Hour with great drink specials, free munchies and the return to Abilene of...THE ANGLE!

The Angle is a 5-piece band performing homegrown original music…songs that were born in a barn in Upstate, NY…an acoustic/electric mix that leaves you wanting to hear more.

Check out the original rock sounds of Rick Palumbo, Scott Schipper, Scott Stevenson, Tom McTamity and Chris Zolellick!

www.facebook.com/The-Angle-1439706646286180

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Devon Gilfillian
Jul
11
8:00 PM20:00

Devon Gilfillian

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

DEVON GILFILLIAN!
Devon Gilfillians fires twin barrels of gospel-blues and southern soul on his debut EP. Fueled by groove, guitar, and the powerful punch of Gilfillian’s voice, the songs shine a light on a young songwriter who grew up outside of Philadelphia, absorbing everything from the R&B swagger of Al Green and Ray Charles to the rock ‘n’ roll heroics of Jimi Hendrix. Now based in Nashville, Gilfillian puts a personalized stamp on those childhood influences, rolling them into five original songs that showcase not only his songwriting and singing, but also his talent as an instrumentalist.

Raised by a musical family, Gilfillian grew up singing. He took up the electric guitar at 14 years old, kickstarting a fascination with classic rock and other sounds from an older generation. By the time college rolled around, Gilfillian was playing three-hour shows in a local cover band, performing songs by the Meters one minute and the Beatles the next. The gigs allowed him to explore the full range of his influences, but Gilfillian wanted to play his own music, too. With that in mind, he moved to Nashville, eager to chase down his own muse.

Released in May 2106, the self-titled Devon Gilfillian finds him stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist. He recorded the songs with a small group of friends and collaborators, tapping drummer Jonathan Smalt and slide guitarist Jesse Thompson as co-producers. Equal parts swampy, funky, and enthralling, the record finds Gilfillian planting one foot in the classic sound of his influences, with the other foot pointing somewhere new and uncharted. After all, he’s no revivalist. No nostalgia act. No retro wannabe. Instead, Gilfillian is a classic artist for the modern age, discovering new life in soulful sounds that have been making people dance for decades.

www.devongmusic.com

Tickets: $8 advance, $12 day of show, available now at Abilene on sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

 

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Blaggards-Stout Irish Rock
Jul
12
8:00 PM20:00

Blaggards-Stout Irish Rock

Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

Blaggards were a huge, huge favorite at the 2010 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest, as they tore up the Abilene Roots-Americana Stage.....don't miss them in the intimate surroundings of Abilene Bar and Lounge!!

Blaggards (no “the”, pronounced BLA’ GUARDS or BLA’ GHERDS, depending on where you’re from) formed July 2004 in Houston, Texas.

They play what they call Stout Irish Rock, traditional Irish music mixed with rock n’ roll, informed by everything from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley to Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath. They are most frequently compared to bands like Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and the Pogues.

Blaggards are guitarist/vocalist Patrick Devlin, bassist/vocalist Chad Smalley, drummer Michael McAloon, and fiddler Wes Barlow.

Front man Patrick Devlin grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to Houston in his early 20′s. After working in the local club scene for several years, Patrick saw a demand for Irish rock music that nobody was taking advantage of. In 1996, to this end he formed a band called On The Dole. Although the band did well, opening for legendary Irish touring acts like the Wolfe Tones and the Saw Doctors, eventually Patrick decided it was time to clear the decks and start again.

In 2003, while hosting a weekly open mic at an Irish pub, Patrick met bassist and singer Chad Smalley, a veteran of the Houston music scene who had recently returned from New York and was looking for a new project. The two of them soon began singing and performing together every week, developing a tight vocal harmony style. A year later, Blaggards was born.

Michael, a first generation Scot-American, grew up learning Irish step dancing, winning gold medals all across the United States before picking up the drums at age 13. Mike has toured the country many times with several different Houston bands and studied jazz at the University of North Texas. Mike joined Blaggards in January 2009.

Wes Barlow, born in Memphis, Tennessee, and started playing violin when he was ten years old. After relocating to Texas in the 5th grade, he realized that the fiddle was his calling. He started playing in Texas country bands when he was 16, has won several national classical music competitions and performed on multiple albums. Wes joined Blaggards in January 2017.

Blaggards maintain a rigorous schedule, playing constantly throughout Texas and touring nationally several times a year. We’ve also toured Ireland every year since 2010.

www.blaggards.com

https://www.facebook.com/events/206597070135352

Tickets: $8 advance, $12 day of show, on sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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The Nighthawks
Aug
4
9:00 PM21:00

The Nighthawks

***SPECIAL SHOW!***
Doors 7:00pm • Music 9:00pm

THE NIGHTHAWKS!
With special guests McKinley James!

A hard-driving Washington, D.C.-based bar band with strong Chicago blues roots, the Nighthawks were formed in 1972 by harpist and vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery. The band earned a reputation as a solid outfit through more than a decade of touring and recording projects with John Hammond and former members of Muddy Waters' band. Thackery left in 1986, but Wenner regrouped around longtime members Jan Zukowski on bass and Pete Ragusaon drums. Trouble, their 1991 release on Powerhouse, was a blend of blues, R&B, and rock influences, with a typically energetic sound born from thousands of gigs across the country. Subsequent efforts included 1993's live Rock This House, 1996's Pain & Paradise, and 1999's Still Wild. A collection of live performances from 2001 saw release in the spring of 2002 as Live Tonight. Since then, the band has stayed active delivering such albums as 2006's Blue Moon in Your Eye, 2009's American Landscape, and 2015's Back Porch Party. In 2017 they returned with All You Gotta Do, which included a version of Brenda Lee's "That's All You Gotta Do."

Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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The Suitcase Junket
Aug
9
8:00 PM20:00

The Suitcase Junket

***SPECIAL SHOW!***
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

THE SUITCASE JUNKET!
From the salvaged sounds of American juke joints, back porches, honky tonks and rock clubs, The Suitcase Junket conjures an entirely new sound in his latest, essential rock collection, Pile Driver. 

"Now this is the shit I'm talking about, Jack. The Suitcase Junket is a lo-fi, low-tuned, low-down blast of end-times folk blues. It's crude; it's magnificent. With a stage set-up that resembles a junkyard foley stage or Fred Sanford's living room, The Suitcase Junket — one man band leader Matt Lorenz — incants and intones like a cross between Hound Dog Taylor and a Tuvan throat singer who has swallowed a bird. Take the singer-songwriter idiom, give it a low grade fever and a guitar and this is what you get. Captivating, mesmerizing, and gone ... real gone." ~Frank De Blase,  Rochester (NY) City Newspaper

“He deploys his oddball, lo-fi but forceful sound in the service of well-conceived, engaging songs with literate and interesting lyrics.” The Suitcase Junket is much more than a curiosity or a novelty act, he’s a serious artist who shouts and winks at us at the same time, and has deep things to say to an open mind.” ~Seattle Post Intelligencer

“He’s an in-the-moment multi-instrumentalist, a true one-man band, carefully connecting and arranging unique objects around himself so that he’s a singer, guitarist, drummer and percussionist all at once. ~Daily Hampshire Gazette

https://www.thesuitcasejunket.com/

Tickets: $12 advance, $15 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Aug
20
8:00 PM20:00

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers

***Special Monday Night Show!***
Doors 6:00pm • Music 7:00pm

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers

 

When Sidelong, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers’ debut album, was released in early 2017, it quickly earned kudos for its blast of fresh, fierce honesty and sly wit. It was a welcome new voice in a genre too often mired in the staid and conventional. And while that record may have come to many as a surprise, Years solidifies the point: Sarah Shook & the Disarmers have moved from getting people’s attention to commanding it. The album–with its sharpened songwriting, unique perspective, deepened sound and roll-up-your-sleeves attitude–will grab you by the collar and put a defiant finger to your chest. It is resolute, blunt, and unflinching. 

Inspired by artists such as the Sex Pistols, Elliott Smith and Hank Williams, Sarah sings with confidence, control, and, at times, a hint of menace. The Disarmers match her on every track, coloring the tales of resilience and empathy with as much urgency as ever as well as a broader sonic sweep. It’s easy to hear Sarah as a close cousin to artists like Hurray for the Riff Raff and Margo Price on the title track, or in the country-‘60s mod vibe on “Lesson.” “Good as Gold,” sporting a kiss-off line for the ages, “You’re as good as gold/ I’m as good as gone,” is both vulnerable and defiant, soaring with pop-inflected harmonies. And with an expansiveness evoking the wide-open West, “What it Takes” speaks to the truth of the record, to her life, and to the universe.

At its pounding heart, Years crackles with a pointedly contemporary and relevant take on the outlaw spirit. Built around the buoyant pedal steel of Phil Sullivan, and the post-punk rattle and Live at San Quentin hum of Eric Peterson’s guitar, there are echoes of Nikki Lane and Merle Haggard as much as Ty Segall. Its home is the ragged-but-real honky tonk, not the bro-country “honky tonk.” The barroom singalong “New Ways to Fail” is classic, smile-through-the-pain country. “Damned If I Do” could be the “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” of the 21st century, if we let it; a perfect song for rolling in the wry and sneaking in a quick two-step. The sinister “The Bottle Never Lets Me Down” will get anyone who’s ever been wronged righteously flipping the bird as they knock back the next shot. Therapy in the face of personal devastation takes many forms, after all.

As Sarah herself tells it...

This record is about finding a way.  A way through exhaustion, depression, betrayal, hangover after hangover, upper after downer after upper, fight after never-ending fight.  It’s about picking yourself up and dusting yourself off after years of being trampled and beaten down, jutting your chin out, head high, after they’ve done their worst, and saying, “Still here.”  

This record is shouting “f**k you, I do want I want” from the rooftops to the mother******g cosmos.



http://www.disarmers.com/

Super Low-Dough Show –only $10 at the door!

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Selwyn Birchwood Band
Aug
22
8:00 PM20:00

Selwyn Birchwood Band

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

SELWYN BIRCHWOOD BAND!
2013 Albert King Blues Guitarist of the Year Award Winner

If you’re a fan of Hound Dog Taylor, Robert Randolph, Lucky Peterson…and the Campbell Brothers, do NOT miss this hot, hot, blues band!!!

Selwyn has torn it up at the Abilene Roots-Americana Stage of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and he’s sure to tear it up again. He’s touring in support of his latest Alligator Records release, Pick Your Poison.

www.selwynbirchwood.com


Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day of show, on sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Wayne Hancock
Sep
8
10:00 PM22:00

Wayne Hancock

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 7:00pm • Music 10:00pm

WAYNE HANCOCK!

 

Since his stunning debut, Thunderstorms and Neon Signs in 1995, Wayne “The Train” Hancock has been the undisputed king of Juke Joint Swing - that alchemist’s dream of honky-tonk, western swing, blues, Texas rockabilly and big band. Always an anomaly among his country music peers, Wayne’s uncompromising interpretation of the music he loves is in fact what defines him: steeped in traditional but never "retro;" bare bones but bone shaking; hardcore but with a swing. Like the comfortable crackle of a Wurlitzer 45 jukebox, Wayne is the embodiment of genuine, house rocking, hillbilly boogie. Wayne makes music fit for any road house anywhere. With his unmistakable voice, The Train’s reckless honky-tonk can move the dead. If you see him live (and he is ALWAYS touring), you’ll surely work up some sweat stains on that snazzy Rayon shirt you’re wearing. If you buy his records, you’ll be rolling up your carpets, spreading sawdust on the hardwood floor, and dancing until the downstairs neighbors are banging their brooms on the ceiling. Call him a throwback if you want, but all Wayne Hancock wants to do, is simply ENTERTAIN you, and what's wrong with that?

 

Wayne's disdain for the slick swill that passes for real deal country is well known. Like he's fond of saying: "Man, I'm like a stab wound in the fabric of country music in Nashville. See that bloodstain slowly spreading? That's me."

"Artists like Wayne “The Train” Hancock aren’t just singing those songs—they’re living them just like many of us." 
– Country Weekly

"Hancock, who tosses out a roots mix of old country, roadhouse blues, western dance swing, boogie bop, and straight-up Rockabilly, takes what was once old and makes it seem like it's always been and always will be." 
- allmusic.com

“The country music scene could do with a lot more characters like Wayne, who push the music’s limits while staying truer to its roots than any well-known names associated with the genre today.” 
– Slug Magazine

"A rare breed of traditionalist, one who imbues his retro obsessions with such high energy and passions that his songs never feel like the museum pieces he's trying desperately to preserve." 
- allMusic.com

Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of show, on sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Cory Branan
Sep
11
8:00 PM20:00

Cory Branan

***SPECIAL SHOW!***
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

Bloodshot Recording Artist CORY BRANAN! Throughout his career, Cory Branan has been too punk for country, too country for punk, too Memphis for Nashville, and probably a little too Cory Branan for anyone’s damn good.  He has proven himself as a top-notch songwriter (Chuck Ragan recently called him “the greatest songwriter of our generation”), fierce lyricist (in Lucero’s “Tears Don’t Matter Much” they sing that Cory has, “a way with words that’ll bring you to your knees”, and a hyperdynamic performer with the ability to fingerpick finer than ‘60s Greenwich Village folkies and brutally strum like a proto punk shredder. Throught his career, he’s made collective struggles poetic and breakthroughs into sympathetic acts of populist heroism.

https://www.corybranan.com/

Tickets: $10 advance, $15 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Sep
16
8:00 PM20:00

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore

***A VERY SPECIAL SHOW!***
Doors 7:00pm • Music 8:00pm

Abilene on the Road” proudly presents
DAVE ALVIN & JIMMIE DALE GILMORE!
(Backed by The Guilty Ones)

JCC Hart Theatre, 1200 Edgewood Ave,
Brighton, NY 14618

 

"Downey, California to Lubbock, Texas" is a thousand-mile straight shot across the heart of the American West, with not much in between. The cities at each end of the line are one-time cowtowns that grew into symmetrically-platted working-class communities with very little to interrupt the horizon plane, making for big empty canvasses that require a vivid imagination to fill in all that blank space.

Dave Alvin from Downey and Jimmie Dale Gilmore from Lubbock have been filling canvasses with music of the American West for decades, coming from two very different directions.

The title track explains Alvin is a Strat-packing, wild blues Blaster, a nod to the roots rock band he formed with his brother Phil in 1978 before Dave peeled off to go his own way in 1986. He’s been part of the bands X, the Knitters, and the Flesh Eaters, tours relentlessly with his own band, the Guilty Ones, and continues apace on musical quests informed by his love of California and its history, and by Texas and the South, where most of the great music that was made in Los Angeles before and after the Second World War came from.

Gilmore is the old Flatlander from the Great High Plains, acknowledging his first group, the folk-country trio formed in Lubbock 1972 with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock who continue performing and recording today. In addition to the Flatlanders and an extended solo career, he has been part of several ensembles including the Hub City Movers and The Wronglers with Warren Hellman, who started the Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco.

Alvin is a rowdy baritone. Gilmore, the timekeeper of the high lonesome, warbles. Each is an avatar, an authentic, original creator with a strong sense of place and music.

That combination might seem like oil and water. But mixed together in the forms of these ten cover songs and two originals, including the autobiographical title track, this is powerful stuff.

The seed for the album was planted a little more than a year ago while the two did a duet tour. They’d known each other as friends for more than thirty years, but had never collaborated musically. Playing live together triggered a whole new dynamic. “Everything on that tour worked out so well,” Gilmore said. “The music was fun. During a sound check, Dave said, ‘You know, we need to record some of this stuff.’”

And so they have.

by Joe Nick Patoski


Tickets: $35 advance, $40 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Caroline Rose
Sep
19
8:00 PM20:00

Caroline Rose

****SPECIAL SHOW!****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

CAROLINE ROSE!

 

An obsession with money, an unfaithful lover, a friend’s accidental pregnancy, misogyny, loneliness, death… This is just some of the lighthearted subject matter that make up LONER––the darkly comedic second album from songwriter/producer Caroline Rose. Armed with an arsenal of new instruments and equipment, an ever-growing sense of “ahhh fuck it,” two years of exploration, and a wicked sense of humor, Rose delivers a set of serious songs wrapped in a sprightly, angsty pop burrito. Because, as Rose puts it, “Sometimes sad songs just need a cocktail.”

 

LONER captures the cheeky satire, comical musings, and often jarring mood swings––sometimes goofy, sometimes emotional––that make up much of Rose’s personality. “I call it Schizodrift,” she says sipping on a martini with her pinky out. “I want to make music that sounds as manic as I feel.” Filled with catchy synth hooks, Ray Manzarek-esque Farfisa, surf guitar, depth of thought and a punk attitude, LONER captures the energy of bands like Le Tigre and The Cramps, and nods to the styles of Blondie and DEVO, the pop hooks of icons like Justin Timberlake, all the while being inspired by the artistry of Kate Bush. “I’d say this album was as much inspired by Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears as it was late 70s punk.”



https://www.carolinerosemusic.com/

Tickets: $10 advance, $15 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Delilah Jones
Jun
15
to Jun 16

Delilah Jones

Doors 7:00pm, Music 9:00pm

The Return to Abilene of Delilah Jones! Fresh new 5 piece Grateful Dead tribute band! 5 veteran musicians with diverse backgrounds - together for the love of the music. Come dance with us!!! Featuring Mike Bowers Drums; Steve Kralles - Guitar, Vocals; Jack Moore - Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vocals; Chris Ott - Keyboard, Vocals; Joe Worden - Bass, Vocals

www.facebook.com/kralltime

Cover: $5

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Honeysuckle
Jun
14
8:00 PM20:00

Honeysuckle

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

From Boston…Progressive folk act…
HONEYSUCKLE!

Honeysuckle is a progressive folk act that blends older influences and traditional instrumentation with modern effects and inspiration. Comprised of Holly McGarry, Benjamin Burns, and Chris Bloniarz, the trio can frequently be found performing in the Boston area and surrounding cities in the Northeast, playing alongside bands like Drive-By Truckers, The Balllroom Thieves, Boy & Bear, The Novel Ideas and others.

In 2016 the group played Lollapalooza as well as CMJ in New York City. They’ve been nominated for Boston Music Awards in the categories Best Americana and Best Folk Artist, and also for Americana/Roots Act Of The Year and Album Of The Year for Red Line Roots’ 2016 Big Reds. In 2015, Honeysuckle performed at Newport Folk Festival and was chosen as a Converse Rubber Tracks artist. As a recipient of Club Passim’s Iguana Music Grant, Honeysuckle released a full-length album on March 24 of 2016 to a sold out crowd at Club Passim. They followed it up with another, highly-regarded LP in October of 2017.

“So many contemporary bluegrass and folk outfits that get big have a cloying sweetness to them, or a cynical predisposition towards a radio-friendly pop sensibility. Not so with Honeysuckle. Their sound is unpretentious and unabashed, as if each song is meant for one set of ears only. They don’t shy away from moments that are as technical as they are mesmerizing, and here their musicianship really shines through. Trampled By Turtles is about to be stomped by a flower y’all.” ~ NPR All Songs Considered

“When creating a record we can strive for many things, but at the core authenticity is something that should remain an ultimate goal as an artist. The Berklee born trio Honeysuckle has done just that and then some. They have stayed true to the music that you will encounter from them in a live setting and the history that infuses its way into their music. Focused on songwriting, expertly crafted instrumental arrangements, and vocals that will leave you weak and shivering from their overwhelming power, all while building on the core elements that makes their music so fantastic and gorgeous.” ~ Brian Carroll of Red Line Roots

www.honeysuckleband.com

Cover: Special Low-Dough Show—Only $10 at the door

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The Blind Spots
Jun
9
9:30 PM21:30

The Blind Spots

doors 7pm, music 9:30pm

THE BLIND SPOTS

This all original, five-piece moxy rock band steered by magnetic songstress and force of nature Maddy Walsh has been actively touring the country after the release of its third studio album, “RHIZOMATIC,” which was accompanied by several music videos released at two sold-out premieres in their hometown of Ithaca, NY.

www.theblindspots.com

Cover: $6

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Happy Hour with The Fog
Jun
8
6:00 PM18:00

Happy Hour with The Fog

Doors 3:00pm • Music 6:00pm

Happy Hour with great drink specials, free munchies and live music featuring the debut ofThe Fog!

They’re a lively and soulful trio who perform an eclectic blend of blues, folk and rock with tinges of country. Dan Celso, John Barry, and Tom Hanney are three seasoned, down the earth musicians who play a variety of styles and genres.

www.facebook.com/freakinoldguys

 

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Chris Barron, Lead Singer of Spin Doctors
Jun
7
8:30 PM20:30

Chris Barron, Lead Singer of Spin Doctors

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:30pm

CHRIS BARRON, Lead Singer of SPIN DOCTORS!
 
A simple plethora of songs is what led Spin Doctors' frontman Chris Barron to go solo again with his latest release Angels and One-Armed Jugglers. "I'm a very prolific songwriter," Barron, who's released two previous solo albums, tells Billboard, "and I have this gigantic backlog of eclectic songs that would never necessarily work for the Spin Doctors. I wanted to make a solo record for a really long time, just as a creative outlet. So here it is." The genuinely diverse project did, however, morph somewhat from what Barron and co-producer Roman Klun first envisioned.
"Initially I came into the studio thinking I wanted to do a really stripped-down, acoustic kind of presentation of these songs. When we started our motto was, 'When in doubt, leave it out,'" says Barron, whose studio band included Spin Doctors drummer Aaron Comess and Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton, along with bassist Jesse Murphy." But Roman saw these bigger than I did. As we went on the productions kind of expanded, and rather than limiting myself to some kind of small acoustic thing we just started expanding these ideas and opening up the palette and just letting the sky be the limit. So as a result some of the songs have some really big, beautiful orchestral arrangements on them and layered guitar tracks and piano and accordion and tuba. I thought we were going to do a photoplay and it turned into a Panavision, Technicolor kind of production. So we wanted to take this really eclectic selection of songs and make 'em all hang together."
Amidst all that, "April and May" is the album's most rocking track, a full-throttle blast whose energy Barron is happy to have near the start of the album. "I feel a lot of solo artists put out a record and it'll just be, 'Oh, look how brooding and deep I am' or whatever. It's super-indulgent," he explains. "We wanted to make a record that goes through different moods and something that was kind of beautiful and interesting but also entertaining. Always entertaining."
"April and May" also got the thumbs-up at home. "That's my daughter and wife's favorite song," Barron says. "When I was just playing it around the house they were like, 'That's a great song.' My daughter was like, 'I think that's my favorite song you've ever written.' So I love that song; It feels like one of my teenage tunes but grown up a little bit."

Barron is playing solo acoustic concerts to promote Angels and One-Armed Jugglers. The title was inspired by his one working vocal cord -- starting mid-October on the East Coast. He's looking forward to adding a new performing regimen to his repertoire in addition to his continuing tours with the Spin Doctors. "I look at my career sort of like drawers," he explains. "I've got the rock band drawer full, and this is the acoustic song drawer, if you will. I'm basically just going to tour my ass off, and I'm looking forward to that, actually. I think people know me as the guy in the goofy hat from Spin Doctors; Only my old friends know me as a singer-songwriter with a guitar, just playing solo acoustic. I never really set out to just go and tour like that, so this should be a lot of fun."
As for the Spin Doctors, the group continues to tour, while Barron is confident the quartet will follow-up its blues-flavored 2013 release If The River Was Whiskey at some point, though there are no concrete plans yet. "We've basically hit this nice stride where all summer long we're playing gigs, mostly on the weekends, and rack up the miles," Barron says. "We go out to a nice dinner, drink a nice bottle of wine, go rock our asses off and get great feedback on the show. It's still energetic and entertaining and fun. We're a band people think of as 'Little Miss Can't Be Wrong' and 'Two Princes,' but then we come out and play some blues and have a pretty deep repertoire of really varied songs. We like to surprise people that way."
 
www.thechrisbarron.com

Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day of show. On sale beginning Friday, April 27 at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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Urban Pioneers
Jun
6
8:00 PM20:00

Urban Pioneers

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

Hillbilly Swing Music with

URBAN PIONEERS!

Mix one part Texas fiddle, one part Tennessee banjo, a splash of guitar, stir it with a doghouse bass and you have a swingin’ cocktail for your ears known as the Urban Pioneers. “Hillbilly Swing Music is true to the title, filled with fun ditties and infectious reels that reawaken the simple joy of primitive American string music in a way that is invigorating and fun, yet still enriching with intelligent turns and deceptively-smart songwriting. Their fourth overall record…really is a step up in quality across the board from the trio, from the songwriting, to the production, to simply the audio grade of the recordings. It’s probably worthy of naming as their best record yet. A former classically trained violinist and an enlisted man in the Navy take time from trapping feral hogs on their property in North Texas to play a few songs for you to help spin the troubles away. This is what old time primitive country is all about.” SavingCountryMusic.com

with special guest, TYLER WESTCOTT

www.urbanpioneersmusic.com

www.tylerwestcott.bandcamp.com

Cover: $6

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Igor & The Red Elvises
Jun
3
6:00 PM18:00

Igor & The Red Elvises

Please note: THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. REFUNDS GIVEN AT POINT OF PURCHASE. LOOK FOR A RESCHEDULED DATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

****SPECIAL SUNDAY SHOW****
Doors 5:00pm • Music 6:00pm

IGOR & THE RED ELVISES!

If Igor and Red Elvises aren’t in the middle of a tour, they are getting ready for the next one — this is a group that is constantly in motion and consistently evolving. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and showman extraordinaire Igor Yuzov is perpetually globetrotting and in the process he has found scores of wildly talented, entertaining musicians to bring into the fold of this increasingly international party band. Red Elvises started as a Russian group, playing what they dubbed “Siberian Surf Rock.”

Since then the band has included musicians from many other countries, including United States, Israel, Puerto Rico and Bulgaria, to name just a few. Everyone who performs with them for any length of time brings something different both energetically and musically. At various times shows have included keyboards, accordions, sax, clarinet, trumpet, flute, banjo, mandolin, tuba and many other instruments. Old and new fans alike can expect to be surprised at shows again and again, however the roots of Red Elvises remain the same: Igor’s unique brand of humor combined with guitar based rock ‘n’ roll that makes audiences want to sing, dance, scream and shout.

www.redelvises.com

Tickets:  $15 advance, $18 day of show. On sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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MoChester
Jun
2
9:30 PM21:30

MoChester

Doors 7:00pm, Music 9:30pm

The Return to Abilene of MoChester!

MoChester is a 4-piece rock-reggae driven band from Rochester, NY. The band's name is actually a fusion of the city it started in and Motown, one of its original influences. While the Motown groove provided early inspiration for the group, their current sound has a mainstream flair that has been compared to a blend of O.A.R. and Incubus, with a west coast swagger reminiscent of The Dirty Heads and Sublime. Their arsenal of original material stretches across numerous genres, from their anthemic groove-rock single “Crackerjack Tattoos”, to the reggae-infused jam “Saturday Night”.
 
The members of MoChester consists of Brandon Sheffer on lead vocals and guitar, Jonathan Sheffer on keys, guitar and backup vocals, Ben Overmyer on bass guitar, and Alex Melville on drums. The band was originally formed in 2001, but had a fresh start in 2011 with the addition of Overmyer.  MoChester has released 3 studio albums, "Stop and Go", "Lost and Found", and most recently, "More Than It Seems".  The full catalogue shows a progression from a more acoustic singer-songwriter based approach, to their more current songs that have a "poppy" rock-reggae sound.

https://www.mochester.com/

Cover: $6

 

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The Ben Vaughn Quartet
Jun
1
9:30 PM21:30

The Ben Vaughn Quartet

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:30pm

THE BEN VAUGHN QUARTET!
Featuring Gus Cordovox, Greg Townson & Todd Bradley

Ben Vaughn grew up in the Philadelphia area on the New Jersey side of the river. At age 6, his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record and forever changed his life.In  1983, he formed the Ben Vaughn Combo. The band was together five years, releasing two albums and touring the U.S. several times. They received rave reviews in Rolling Stone and People magazine and video airplay on MTV. The attention inspired Marshall Crenshaw to record Ben’s “I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee”” for his Downtown album.

Ben embarked on a solo career in 1988, recording several critically acclaimed albums, touring extensively in Europe and the U.S. and receiving more MTV exposure. During that period he produced three records for the Elektra Records American Explorer series (Memphis rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers, Muscle Shoals country soul singer Arthur Alexander) and recorded “Cubist Blues,” a collaboration with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton. He also scored two films (Favorite Mopar and Wild Girl’s Go-Go Rama), as well as appearing as a frequent guest commentator on nationally syndicated radio shows Fresh Air and World Café.

In 1995, Ben moved to L.A. and released Instrumental Stylings, and album of instrumentals in a variety of styles. A guest appearance on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic led directly to being hired as the composer for the hit TV sitcom 3rd Rock From The Sun. That 70’s Show soon followed, and for the next ten years Ben would provide award-winning music for a dozen other TV shows and pilots. He also provided scores for several films  and continued producing records (Ween, Los Straitjackets, Mark Olson of the Jayhawks, Nancy Sinatra, and the Swingers soundtrack CD).

Somehow Ben found time to create the legendary Rambler ’65. Recorded entirely in his car, this much-publicized album (and subsequent short film) is still considered by many to be a classic document of a man and his dream.

Since then, Ben has released Designs In Music, Vaughn Sings Vaughn Vols. 1-3, Texas Road Trip (recorded in Austin, Texas with Doug Sahm’s band) as well as Five By Five and Piece de Resistance by the Ben Vaughn Quintet.

Occasionally, Ben takes a break from his syndicated radio show (The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn) to perform live in the U.S. and Europe.

www.benvaughn.com

Cover: Super, Super Low Dough Show----Only $5 at the door!

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Happy Hour with The Healing Committee
Jun
1
6:00 PM18:00

Happy Hour with The Healing Committee

Doors 3:00pm • Music 6:00pm

Happy Hour with great drink specials, free munchies and live music from Buffalo….
THE HEALING COMMITTEE!

The Healing Committee is an Americana power trio of acclaimed singer-songwriters Alan Whitney, Kathryn Koch and Tim Pitcher featuring unforgettable handcrafted songs, soaring vocal harmony with a rock & soul country infused vibe: Think Emmylou Harris with Gram Parsons or Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings with special guest Peter Rowan.

Alan “ADub” Whitney writes classic songs about guys who steal Cadillacs and have rope burns on their fingers from holdin’ on too long. Buffalo native Kathryn Koch is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for her powerhouse vocals with acclaimed indie folk band Redheaded Stepchild.
Timmy P.’s deep pocket rhythm playing and lightning fast bluegrass flat-picking, has put him on festival stages with Redheaded Stepchild, Victor Wooten, David Grisman, Sam Bush, and Keller Williams. Timmy P. is also the man who will slide under a Winnebago on a rainy Kentucky morning and beat the starter with vice grips until the band is once again moving forward.

https://www.facebook.com/The-Healing-Committee

www.reverbnation.com/thehealingcommitteeband

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Cool Tunes, Drink Specials...and More!
May
31
6:00 PM18:00

Cool Tunes, Drink Specials...and More!

Doors 6pm...Open till Midnight   

We're gonna open a little later than usual (6pm) 'cause we're going to spend a few hours today hanging out with our good friends at Sportsmens Tavern in Buffalo. If you haven't been there yet, trust us... It is the coolest honky-tonk in the whole USA!!!

Stop into Abilene tonight...cool tunes and more!!!
Ps. A great night to hang on the patio!

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Bloodshot Bill
May
30
8:00 PM20:00

Bloodshot Bill

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

BLOODSHOT BILL!
With Special Guests: Trevor Lake and Anna Liebel

Bloodshot Bill started in his hometown of Montreal around 1998, with just a guitar and a stomp board. Since then, he’s had over 30 releases throughout Europe and North America. Touring constantly, he has collaborated with such acts as THE 5.6.7.8’s, Jon Spencer, King Khan, beat poet Charles Plymell, Mark Sultan, Deke Dickerson, and Shannon Shaw. Plays well with others but is known mostly for his One Man Band act. Artist Joe Coleman once called him “a cross between Jimmie Rodgers & Popeye,” and director John Waters says he’s “like Roy Orbison with a head wound.” He’s been in movies too, usually playing himself. He’s won FME’s Coup De Coeur in 2007, and has more recently been a 3x-nominee for an Ameripolitan award.

www.bloodshotbill.com

www.facebook.com/events/234455817304031

Cover: Special Low-Dough Show—Only $10 at the door!

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The Howlin' Brothers
May
29
8:00 PM20:00

The Howlin' Brothers

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

From Nashville, Tennessee - American Roots String Band...
THE HOWLIN’ BROTHERS!

The Howlin’ Brothers are a Nashville based string band composed of Ian Craft, Dan Swan and Jared Green. Anchored in a bed of old-time blues and bluegrass, their upbeat shows are heavy with original and traditional music, featuring the sounds of slide banjo, harmonica and old-time fiddle. Sounding like what would happen happen if a bunch of Appalachian punk rockers formed a jug-band, The Howlin’ Brothers play with a ferocious energy that drags you in and finds you boogieing along in spite of yourself.

Cover: Special “Low Dough Show”—$10 at the door

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The Younger Gang
May
25
9:30 PM21:30

The Younger Gang

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:30pm

THE YOUNGER GANG RETURNS!!!

The Younger Gang returns to Abilene Bar and Lounge! Based in the traditions of Old-Time Appalachia and classic Americana, The Younger Gang seeks new interpretations of old music without losing touch with its roots. Notorious In the latter part of 1860's, the Younger Gang was a band of train robbin'/bank robbin' outlaws. Fast forward a century and a half and you'll find a southern born classical Eastman grad who sells her soul to the devil for a ticket back to depression era Appalachia to become the most bitchin' old-time banjo picker north of the Mason-Dixon Line. On her travels back north she is joined by three companions of a different time and origin. Electric elements and modern textures are spun into gritty, down-home Old-Time traditions to create a sound that is a living and breathing embodiment of a timeless tradition.

"This Rochester-based folk outfit brings together members of the Windsor Folk Family, RootsCollider, Blackened Blues. The resulting amalgamation is a deeply affecting foray into what you could call neo-Americana. The band's unique approach to Old-timey Appalachian tunes is positively informed by, and infused with, the members' rock, blues, funk, and electronica pedigrees. It's a distinct breed of folk music that is, despite a healthy respect for its roots, absolutely modern." ~David Yokel, City Newspaper

www.facebook.com/youngergangmusic
 
Cover: $8 at the door

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Happy Hour with The Tragedy Brothers
May
25
6:00 PM18:00

Happy Hour with The Tragedy Brothers

Doors 3:00pm • Music 6:00pm

Happy Hour featuring free munchies, drink specials, and live music with THE TRAGEDY BROTHERS!

Americana band, The Tragedy Brothers will be playing old favorites, some originals and tunes from their latest  CD Wasting Time.

A mix of inspired American music, Wasting Time is the product of several years of hard work and thoughtful songwriting by band leader Joe Appleby and this band of brothers.

www.tragedybrothers.com

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Western Centuries
May
24
8:00 PM20:00

Western Centuries

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

WESTERN CENTURIES!
When did country music start to sound the same? The first generation of country artists borrowed from everything around them: Appalachian string band music, Texas fiddle traditions, cowboy songs, Delta blues. In an era of unprecedented access to our musical pasts, shouldn’t country music be even more diverse than it was in its infancy? Honky-tonk super-group Western Centuries, back with a new album in 2018, surely understands this. They aren’t bound by any dictum to write songs in a modern country, or even a retro country style; instead they’re taking their own personal influences as three very different songwriters and fusing it into a sound that moves beyond the constraints of country. Part of the reason they can make music with this range of influences is because of their roots in city life. Both Cahalen Morrison and Ethan Lawton, two of the three principal songwriters, live in Seattle’s diverse South end, and the third songwriter, Jim Miller, spends most of his time in and around New York City. The urban landscape is rarely mentioned in country music, but it makes for a refreshing sound that draws as easily from modern R&B as it does George Jones. It helps too that the album was recorded and co-produced by acclaimed musician and Grammy-winning producer Joel Savoy in Eunice, Louisiana, where local Cajun and Creole artists have always been adept at marrying old country sounds with R&B and rock ‘n’ roll.
With Songs from the Deluge, out April 6, 2018 on Free Dirt Records, Western Centuries brings three songwriting voices together into a more unified sound than ever before. Over the past year of heavy touring (since the release of their last album), they’ve pushed each other hard as songwriters. But with a band this well tested on the road, it’s the sonic and lyrical places where each artist’s styles depart that’s most interesting.

www.westerncenturies.com

Cover: Super Low Dough Show…only $10 at the door

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Personal Blend
May
19
9:30 PM21:30

Personal Blend

Doors 7:00pm • Music 9:30pm

PERSONAL BLEND! Reggae/Rock/Dub - If you’re a fan of Giant Panda, John Brown’s Body, Thunder Body, 10 ft. Ganja Plant, you’ll love Personal Blend.Check out Th e Medicinals and Mingo Fishtrap at the Lilac Festival, and then head over to Abilene for a full night of music, with special guests!!!

www.facebook.com/PersonalBlend

Cover: $5

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Woody Dodge
May
18
9:30 PM21:30

Woody Dodge

Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:30pm

WOODY DODGE is an original, four-piece band based in Rochester. Originally a collaborative effort between longtime friends, singer-songwriter Billy Lambert and drummer Sean Sullivan, the band soon evolved to its current lineup with the addition of guitarist Mark Wilcove in 1985 and bassist Jon Gary in 1987.

Woody  Dodge is known for playing a distinctive blend of American that features elements of folk, rock, and country. Drawing upon Lambert’s strong songwriting, the band creates a unique blend of songs with a strong emphasis on lyrics, melody, and feeling. Because of their diversity and breadth, the band draws audiences from a wide range of musical tastes, providing a rich and engaging musical experience.

Woody Dodge released their first CD, Emma’s Dance in 1995. The album received critical acclaim within the college radio scene. Music from Emma’s Dance was also used on the network television soap opera, As the World Turns. The band released their second CD, Nature Is Strange in 1997.

Woody Dodge took a break from their hectic schedules in the late 90’s to raise families and pursue solo projects. During this period the band kept playing, evolving, and performing in upstate New York. Woody Dodge released their fourth CD, Humble Me, in 2012. Jeff Spevak calls it “Americana roots rock of high order.”

Better Angels, their latest release, is the sequel to 2012’s Humble Me. Produced by Ken Frank and Tony Gross, Better Angels explores a broader soundscape while remaining true to the band’s Americana feel. The release features ten original songs that reflect the real life experience of the band members, including the loss of family members, and the appreciation of those who remain.

www.woodydodge.com

Cover:  $5

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An Evening with Chris Smither
May
17
8:00 PM20:00

An Evening with Chris Smither

***SPECIAL SHOW***
Doors 7:00pm • Music 8:00pm

“Abilene on the Road” proudly presents
AN EVENING WITH CHRIS SMITHER!

CHRIS SMITHER. Songwriter. Guitarist. Performer. Bluesman.

CALL ME LUCKY is the new record from Chris Smither and is his first set of brand new originals in six years (release date: March 2018 on Signature Sounds/Mighty Albert). Recorded at the gorgeous Blue Rock Studio in the Texas foothills CALL ME LUCKY features longtime producer and multi-instrumentalist David Goodrich, drummer Billy Conway (Morphine), Matt Lorenz (aka The Suitcase Junket), Mike Meadows, and engineer Keith Gary. The new record features Smither - trademark songs that offer commentary on the human condition with a wink of an eye and pulls from deep in the soul. To complete the project are a couple of surprise covers that remind us of Chris' deftness as a song interpreter as he makes the songs his own. 

Honing a synthesis of folk and blues for 50 years, Smither is truly an American original. Reviewers and fans from around the world, including Rolling Stone and The New York Times, agree that Chris continues to be a profound songwriter, a blistering guitarist, and intense performer as he draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and humanist philosophers.

www.smither.com

The Penthouse at One East Avenue
One East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604

Tickets: $25 advance, $30 day of show, available at Abilene Bar and Lounge, Bop Shop Records, House of Guitars, Record Archive and online at https://abilene.showare.com

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Big Martha
May
16
8:00 PM20:00

Big Martha

Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

BIG MARTHA - A TRIBUTE TO THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND!

For three consecutive Wednesdays, Big Martha will be bringing two full sets of Allman Brothers music to Abilene Bar and Lounge. With an all-star line-up made up of some of Buffalo’s best musicians, Big Martha has an energetic and collective approach to interpreting one of the greatest catalogs in rock ‘n’ roll.

www.facebook.com/events/1612815748784886

Cover: Special Low-Dough Night--Only $7!!!!

 

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Luke Winslow-King
May
15
8:00 PM20:00

Luke Winslow-King

****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm  Music 8:00pm

LUKE WINSLOW-KING!
Luke Winslow-King’s latest album, Blue Mesa, is an example of craftsmanship at the highest level, radiating a warmth and timeless elegance. Adept at mixing country, blues, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and folk influence intuitively and masterfully, Luke shapes a mood from many sources and shepherds it to a unifying place of acceptance and hope. Blue Mesa is both stately and approachable, manifestly proficient but deeply personal.

What sets this album above the singer and guitarist’s previous work is how he’s absorbed the offerings of a life in music. Born and raised in Northern Michigan town of Cadillac, he moved to New Orleans at 19 and spent the next 15 years fully immersing himself in the musical waters that flow through there. Now that he’s moved on, it it the larger world, and the people and places in it, that enthralls him. From these travels and friendships comes a deeper and richer perspective on the American musical traditions he fell in love with at an early age.

From the first track, Luke effortlessly draws the listener into his genre-expansive, dynamic world. “You Got Mine,” co-written with friend and legendary local musician “Washboard” Lissa Driscoll (who passed away in September 2017), enchants with its laid back grace. Delicate touches of Paul Simon and Robert Cray color this paean to unconditional friendship and camaraderie. With crisp guitar lines evoking Mike Campbell, the gospel-tinged call-to-action “Break Down the Walls” and the easy-country amble “After the Rain” sit astride the solemn and the uplifting. The subtle Stax-inflected soul of the title track casts a disintegrating relationship against the inspirational scenery fo the desert Southwest. “Farewell Blues,” a song written after he found out about his late father’s cancer diagnosis, has a resolute drifter’s wandering heart to guide it.

Luke Winslow-King has collaborated with New Orleans legends and wunderkinds alike, including Dr. John, John Boutte, Luti, Little Freddy King, Washboard Chaz, and Meschiya Lake. In addition to holding down residencies at numerous venues and releasing four studio records over the course of nine years, he has toured extensively in North America and Europe, appearing on notable stages such as Austin city Limits, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Paradiso (Netherlands) and countless more.

www.lukewinslowking.com

Cover: Super Low Dough Show Only $10 at the door!

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Tav Falco's Panther Burns
May
12
9:30 PM21:30

Tav Falco's Panther Burns

***SPECIAL SHOW!***
Doors 7:00pm • Music 9:30pm

TAV FALCO's PANTHER BURNS!

Equal parts primal, early rock'n'roll, deviant hill country blues & avant-garde art - Memphis, Tennessee's Tav Falco's Panther Burns are ramshackle, raw, unholy & utterly amazing. It’s not just Music...it is a state of mind. Tav Falco is one of the truly original and romantic voices in American music - the voice that America lost and found. He is tender and virile, flamboyant, witty and dangerous.

Falco brings daggers back to the stage, and HE is the one who always holds out a hand to the enemy.

Tickets: $10 advance, $15 day of show, available now at Abilene on sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/

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