Oct
16
8:00 PM20:00
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Oct
17
4:00 PM16:00
Great Tunes, Great Drink Specials!!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2018...doors open at 4pm
Great tunes, great music…
$1 off well drinks and $1 off craft draft pints---All Night Long!!
Slinging drinks—Kelly Mallaber
Oct
18
8:00 PM20:00
Brendan & the Strangest Ways
Thursday, October 18….doors 4pm, music 8pm
Buffalo-based Americana, country, folk band..
BRENDAN & THE STRANGEST WAYS
Brendan & the Strangest Ways is the moniker adopted by songwriter Brendan Shea to create music for the roving spirit. His songs are heartfelt reflections on the loves and losses experienced over countless miles traveled in a search for something that always feels just a little out of reach.
In autumn 2016, Brendan returned home to Buffalo, NY after completing a seven-year journey that saw him living and playing on and around all three US Coasts. He got his education in the thriving Austin scene, which he’s aptly referred to as “ musician boot camp.” He applied the knowledge in the storied music city of Seattle, developing his sound while fronting a talented crop of revolving-door bandmates who would help him record his full-length debut, Brendan & the Strangest Ways.
The sessions were anchored by an epic three-week road trip back to Austin, where Brendan recorded the bulk of the tracks himself in a guest bungalow on a horse ranch just outside of the city. He would never be fully certain of how many half-finished, that-felt-like-the-one takes were sacrificed to the crowing of roosters or buzzing of low-flying planes, but in the end he was confident he came away with an album that successfully rose above its modest means of production.
Upon the album’s release, Brendan set out on a cross-country summer tour in a 26-foot RV. Early in 20-17, he completed a tour of the Gulf Coast with producer, author and sophisticated singing hobo D.B. rouse.
Brendan’s peers have called him a true songwriter’s songwriter who expertly crafts his lyrics like a mason building a brick wall, and whose haunting melodies and compositions have a way of outlasting durations of quiet to stay stuck in your head long after you’ve heard the last note.
www.strangestways.com
www.facebook.com/events/186474985592066
With Special Guest: D.B. Rouse
www.dbrouse.com
Cover: $5
Oct
19
5:30 PM17:30
Music by Dusted Dawg, Artshow feat. Steve Garfield & Janet Rogal
Doors 3:00pm • Music 5:30pm
Happy Hour with great drink specials, free munchies and live music featuring three piece post-rock improvisational band…
DUSTED DAWG
Dusted Dawg is comprised of Steve Garfield on guitar and vocal, Dave Klingler on drums, and Steve Walter on bass. They’re a jam band, pure and simple. The arrangements are always improvised, non-rehearsed, and in the moment. Their compositions reflect many genres including blues, rock, swing, funk, and most things in between. The improvisational, stream of consciousness jams they perform take them (and their fans) to places they can’t imagine until they travel there together. During every performance, it is their hope to take an audience on a musical journey that has few boundaries, is unpredictable, and is inspired by imagination and creativity.
www.facebook.com/DustedDawg
and at the same time…in our intimate Upstairs Lounge…we’ll be hosting an art show with featured artists…
Steve Garfield and Janet Rogal
www.facebook.com/steve.garfield.18
www.facebook.com/janet.souther
Oct
19
9:30 PM21:30
Bindley Hardware Co.
Friday, October 19..doors 3pm, music 9:30pm
The return to Abilene of …
BINDLEY HARDWARE CO.
They’re a rust-belt Americana band from Pittsburgh, PA. They draw influence from classic country, folk and modern alt-country, as well as from the original Bindley Harware Co., its namesake hardware store owned and operated by frontman Jon’s family during Pittsuburgh’s industrial boom in the early 20th century. “To be able to make music or have any kind of creaive endeavor that identifies where you’re from is really important. Things in Pittsburgh inspire me every day. The Bindley Hardware Co. has such a rich history and I’m kind of making it my own, “Bindley said.
www.bindleyhardwareco.com
With Special Guest: CHET VINCENT
www.thebigbend.net
Cover:$6
Oct
23
8:00 PM20:00
Elizabeth Cook
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
ELIZABETH COOK (Solo)
With Special Guest CALEB CAUDLE!
Country singer/songwriter Elizabeth Cook made her Grand Ole Opry debut on March 17, 2000, appearing repeatedly thereafter -- a remarkable achievement considering that, at the time, she was an indie artist with no radio airplay. But such was the excitement generated by her clear, beautiful voice, strong songwriting ability, and live performances, all of which have drawn comparisons to younger, critically respected artists like Kelly Willis and legends such as Dolly Parton.
Cook was born in Wildwood, Florida. Her West Virginia-born mother played guitar and mandolin and sang on local radio shows. Her father, a Georgia native, also performed country music and served jail time for running moonshine. Upon his release, he and Elizabeth's mother played in local bands together, eventually marrying. Elizabeth, born in 1972, moved to Nashville in her twenties and quickly got a publishing deal. Demos recorded between 1997 and 2000 comprised her self-titled, independently released debut album, The Blue Album, which showcased her formidable songwriting ability and featured such well-known Music City musicians as Tim Carroll, Kenny Vaughan, and Rick Schell. Atlantic Records signed Cook soon after its release, and she began working on her major-label debut. Hey, Y'All appeared in summer 2002 from Warner Bros. Constant restructuring at the label meant Hey Y'All didn't get the promotion it needed, and Cook left the imprint and released 2005's This Side of the Moon on Hog Country Records. Balls appeared in 2007 from 31 Tigers, followed by Welder in 2010, featuring guest spots from Dwight Yoakam, Rodney Crowell, and Buddy Miller, also on 31 Tigers. Over the next five years, in addition to touring and becoming a staple at the Grand Ole Opry, hosting her Sirius XM radio program Apron Strings, and touring, Cook went through a series of transformative personal changes. She lost a parent, got divorced, and saw a sibling through rehabilitation after a long bout with drug addiction. When she re-entered the studio, it was with co-producer and guitarist Dexter Green. After self-financing an album, she undertook a Pledge Music campaign to assist in getting it released. Exodus of Venus was released in June 2016 through Thirty Tigers.
https://www.elizabeth-cook.com/
Tickets: $25 advance, $30 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/
Oct
25
7:30 PM19:30
Auld Lang Syne
Thursday, October 25….doors 4pm, music 7:30pm
Transcendent, rooted folk and sometimes rock ‘n’ roll with Abilene faves
AULD LANG SYNE
Auld Lang Syne has slowly and steadily built a reputation for crafting stunning songs that are lyrically incisive, haunting in melody, and timeless in their arrangement. Though they toured for years as a full-blown band, shring bills with indie luminaries like the Avett Brothers, These United States and the David Wax Museum, their current focus is more like something you might hear wafting from the door of a medieval cathedral. The songs themselves are still very much of the earth-hymns to impermanence and heartfelt pleas for authenticity in human relationships.
Do not miss Timothy and Kathy Dick and special guest, Caitlin Yarsky.
With Special Guest: CAITLIN YARSKY
www.facebook.com/abckathy
Cover: $5
Oct
27
7:00 PM19:00
Jean Caffeine
****SPECIAL SHOW***
Saturday, October 27….doors 6pm, music 7pm
In Abilene’s Intimate Upstairs Lounge
Singer-Songwriter
JEAN CAFFEINE
Jean Caffeine plays a punky blend of pop, folkn’ roots. A singer songwriter and band front person, Jean has kicked out the jams in more than one continent. At home in S.F. coffee house, Texas roadhouses and in the Foreign Press club in Phonem Phne, Cambodia, she’s played fests such as NXNE in Canada, BID in Germany and the SXSW and CMJ in the US.
Caffeine has had more lives than a cat. She drummed for 70’s SF all girl band the Urge and NYC 15-minutes-of-famers Pulsallama, who were known for chanting, cardboard props and rhythmic cacophony. They opend for The Clash, had their picture in Interview Magazine, and got kicked off a bill with PIL Ltd. Jean went on to front her own y’allterative country band, Jean Caffeine’s Al Nite Truckstop, out of Austin, Tx in the 90s.
“If Austin had (has) an answer to Chrissie Hynde, it’s Jean and her mature punk snarl. Of course as a songtime Texan, there’s a solid rootsiness to her terrific songcraft, but then she was always a Stones freak…” Austin Chronicle
“Miss I-was-alternative-country before-alternative-country-was cool.” Dallas Observer
“A cross between Brenda Lee and Patti Smith.” Austin American Statesmen
“Austin’s cowpunk goddess unleashes a seething, soulful catharsis of a rock ‘n’ roll album!”
www.jeancaffeine.com
No cover charge….but please don’t hesitate to fill the “tip jar,”
She really deserves it!
Oct
31
8:00 PM20:00
Halloween Bash with Bobby Henrie & The Goners
****SPECIAL EVENT****
Wednesday, October 31…doors 4pm, music 8pm
Abilene’s Halloween Bash and Costume Contest!!!
Live rockabilly/roots/Americana with Abilene faves
BOBBY HENRIE & THE GONERS
Get ready for an outrageous evening of rockin’ good times…
Featuring Bobby Henrie, Brian Williams and Jimmy Symonds..
And their costumed alter egos!!!!
Prizes and many Surprises!!!
www.facebook.com/bobbyhenrieandthegoners
Cover: $5
Nov
1
8:00 PM20:00
Huntertones
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
Mark Thursday, November 1 on your calendar!!!
Do NOT miss HUNTERTONES!
HUNTERTONES!
If you missed them at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest, here’s your chance to see them in the intimate setting that is Abilene!
Huntertones brings people together around the globe with fun, imaginative and fearless music. Their high energy, horn-driven sound fuses inspired improvisation and adventurous composition melding jazz, funk, rock, and soul. Adding depth and contrast to their live set, Huntertones shift from a dynamic six-piece ensemble to a trio featuring saxophone, sousaphone, and beat-boxing, keeping their listeners’ eyes and ears open at every turn. Huntertones formed in Columbus, Ohio at The Ohio State University and hosted their first shows at a house on Hunter Avenue. They have since relocated to New York City, released two albums, and toured North and South America, Europe and Africa -- experiences which have pushed the band to expand even further, stylistically. What started as a group of classmates finding a voice has developed into a highly collaborative group of musicians traveling, sharing, and growing together. Individually, members of Huntertones have compiled a diverse resume of collaborations with top artists in pop, jazz, soul, and musical theater. This includes work with Jon Batiste and Stay Human , O.A.R., Snarky Puppy, Stevie Wonder, Andy Grammer, Ed Sheeran, Allen Stone, Gary Clark Jr., Phillip Phillips, Ricky Martin, Umphrey’s McGee, Red Baraat, and more.
www.huntertones.com
Cover: Super Low Dough Show - Ten Bucks at the Door!
Nov
3
8:00 PM20:00
HOUNDMOUTH!!!
***A VERY SPECIAL SHOW!***
Doors 7:00pm • Music 8:00pm
Harro East Ballroom
155 North Chestnut Street
Rochester, NY 14604
Abilene, Record Archive & DSP Shows present
HOUNDMOUTH!
”Golden Age Tour”
In late 2011, Matt Myers, Zak Appleby and Shane Cody started playing music together in a historic home in New Albany, Indiana dubbed "The Green House." Its rooms were adorned with relics from times past, so it was no surprise that songs such as “Penitentiary” bounced off the walls. Nostalgic sounds from their first album seemed to serve as a welcome escape for listeners from the relentless demands of the digital age. But if you asked any one of the guys, they were 'just having fun.'
Houndmouth signed with legendary indie label Rough Trade Records in 2012. From The Hills Below The City landed them on several world-famous platforms such as fellow lovable Hoosier, David Letterman's stage. When vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Matt Myers first spoke with big-name producer Dave Cobb prior to working together on their sophomore LP Little Neon Limelight, the two laughingly agreed to “not make another fucking boring Americana record.” A natural sounding album captured in a familiar fashion came together, except this time with a #1 adult alternative radio single in “Sedona.” “I never once thought of us as an Americana band,” says drummer Shane Cody. “The four of us were just a rock band, but some of us had Southern accents,” he laughs.
The group find themselves on their third full length album, Golden Age, set for an August 3, 2018 release via Reprise Records, now with four new touring band members (Caleb Hickman, Drew Miller, Graeme Gardiner, and Aaron Craker - after Katie Toupin’s departure). Although there is no doubt that their perceived public identity is founded on roots and Americana, Houndmouth nevertheless created a concept album around a nostalgic future - and the sound will certainly reflect its message. The credits for Golden Age only begin to hint at the lengths they went to in order to find the sound of their nostalgic future — vintage Voxes, Vocoders and Moogs, modern programming, strings, tympani, baritone sax, live drums, Linn drums, unvarnished pianos and very distorted guitars. “What's happening with humans and technology right now was on my mind really heavily,” says Myers, “and we naturally went that way with the music too. Using synthesizers and drum pads just kind of felt right. I feel like we went into it being like, ‘Yeah, let’s do a Bruce Springsteen/Daft Punk record’.” Myers goes on to explain, “I think the human aspects are still paramount, even though it may sound a bit more bizarre. There's some part of Tom Petty, Randy Newman and the Band that I can’t get away from, and I wanted to keep that untouched, I guess. It’s not about trying to emulate what’s on the radio, it’s combining and messing with sounds to try to make something that seems very familiar but doesn't actually sound like anything you've ever heard before."
Houndmouth knew they wanted to work with producers who would be open to embracing a restless inventor’s spirit, but they had no idea just how inventive things would get until they hooked up with the team of Jonathan Rado, best known as a member of the celebrated indie band Foxygen, and Shawn Everett, who as a producer, engineer and mixer has been a primary collaborator on records from artists as diverse as Alabama Shakes, The Killers, The War on Drugs, Kesha, Kacey Musgraves and John Legend. In fact, the first single, “This Party,” bears a credit for “bucket and rubber band bass,” which turns out to be a literal rendering of just how they got the critical ingredient: by putting actual rubber bands around a bucket and pitching the plucking up or down in tone until they had the faux boomy bass-synth sound of everyone’s dreams. For another song, they cut up an analog tape loop and dragged it behind a truck in the desert outside of El Paso; when they ran it back through the machine, somehow the abuse had caused a spooky hi-hat sound to appear on the tape, which turned out to be just perfect for “World Leader.” As for the jaguars credited on “Black Jaguar”? They’re real — both the car and the animal. “There’s no denying that with the previous records, we weren't hip to all the stuff at our fingertips,” says bassist, vocalist, and songwriter Zak Appleby. “This time it was a completely different vibe — like, ‘Okay so we've got the skeleton for the song, now let's put the meat on it.’ I think experimental is exactly the right word. We still had boundaries to draw; they just didn’t have to do with how we got to the sounds. Shawn and Jonathan said, ‘Hey, any sound that you hear in your head — that you can hum, that you can imagine — we can create that here.’ That was day one, and that led the album in this awesome direction of anything being possible.”
On “Coast to Coast,” Myers sings, “Do you ever feel like a ghost when you’re staring into your phone?” Despite the holy-shit-far-outside-the-box recording style, the songs on this concept album touch more on the prison many humans find themselves in daily - one based around staring into the little electronic box we carry, or our “digital comfort zones” as the band describes them.
Knee-jerk reactions may define Golden Age as a metamorphosis, but it is in actuality a catharsis. Uploading one’s thoughts on life is easier than ever, but Houndmouth took a painstakingly unique route to creatively craft their purge of emotions. This album tackles the issues of identity and self in the digital epoch of romance.
Perhaps the perceived 'escape' or break in time provided by Houndmouth's initial sound was enough to fight off the modern plight for some time, but members and listeners are awarded now with true sight and perspective into the world as it currently stands. In the words of an author you probably quoted to some girl in college to sound interesting, "I think novels that leave out technology misrepresent life as badly as Victorians misrepresented life by leaving out sex," via Vonnegut.
Tickets: $26.50 advance, $30 day of show, available now at Abilene Bar and Lounge and online at the following...
Abilene tickets
DSP tickets
Nov
6
8:00 PM20:00
Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys!
One Night Only!!! Live In Concert!!!!
The finest purveyors of American Roots Music, Western Swing, Rockabilly and Traditional Country Music.
Tickets: $20 advance, $22 day of show, available now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/
Nov
7
8:00 PM20:00
The Return of McKinley James
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Wednesday, November 7….doors 4pm, music 8pm
The Return of
McKINLEY JAMES
McKinley James is a 16 year old rock ‘n’ roll guitarist/singer, from Rochester, NY and now living in the musical mecca that is Nashville.
His father, drummer Jason Smay (Los Straitjackets, JD McPherson) helped raise McKinley in a very musical household. He started on the Hammond organ at 7 but discovered his passion for guitar at 10. His influences range from Link Wray to Freddie King and Otis Redding. He started performing in Rochester blues and jazz clubs at age 13 and has performed with Chris Duarte, The Nighthawks, Joe Beard, and JD McPherson. McKinley is also the face of the latest Eric Church album campaign, having starred in his music videos, and also appears on the album cover for Church’s latest record, “Mr. Misunderstood.” McKinley is very excited to be touring in support of his first EP, “Live in Nashville,” recorded in October, 2016 at the Family Wash.
Joining McKinley James and Jason Smay for this special gig are keyboardist, Ray Jacildo (JD McPherson) and bassist, Ronnie James (Little Charlie & The Nightcats, The Fabulous Thunderbirds).
You are NOT going to want to miss this night of blistering blues guitar!!!
www.facebook.com/events/601238940274529
www.mckinleyjames.com
Cover: $5 advance, $7 day of show
Tickets now on sale at Abilene, Record Archive and online at www.abilenebarandlounge.com
v
Nov
8
7:00 PM19:00
Useless Cans with Aaron Welcher and Emma Halloran
Thursday, November 8….doors 4pm, music 7pm
A Very Full Night of Music featuring….from the Albany area…
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
with special guests: Aaron Welcher and Emma Halloran
www.aaronwelcher.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/emma.halloran.56
Cover: $5
Nov
9
9:30 PM21:30
Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:30pm
SARAH BORGES & THE BROKEN SINGLES!
Sarah Borges is a rocker from Taunton, Massachusetts, formerly signed to Sugar Hill Records. Her music has been described as “walking that fine line between punk and country.”
On the strength of a performance at the South by Southwest Festival in 2004, Borges earned a record deal with Houston’s Blue Corn Records. Her first record, 2005’s Silver City earned praise for showcasing “an unusual knack for mixing alternative rock with country.” Allmusic compared Borges to Maria McKee of Lone Justice, and admired how her songs “balance some fierce guitar licks with heartfelt twang.
After much national touring and opening for noted acts such as Dave Alvin, Borges, and her band, The Broken Singles, were signed by Sugar Hill Records. The title of her 2007 release Diamonds in the Dark is a line from the song “Come Back to Me,” by one of her favorite bands, X. The album features a cover of this song, many original works, and Tom Waits and Greg Cartwright covers.
Borges’ wide variety of influences are often noted. They range from Dolly Parton, Mahalia Jackson, X, Sid Vicious, Merle Haggard to bubblegum pop.
A third album, The Stars Are Out, was released in March 2009. The album features five covers of artists ranging from Smokey Robinson to The Lemonheads. Allmusic describes the album as “material grounded in Americana even as it morphs form folk to rock and even soul” and calls it a “short but sweet collection.”
After taking a few years off to have a son, Borges released Radio Sweetheart in 2014 and a follow up EP in 2016, Good & Dirty, which was produced by Eric Ambel.
www.sarahborges.com
Tickets $12 advance, $15 day of show, on sale now at Abilene Bar & Lounge and online at https://abilene.showare.com/
Nov
10
9:30 PM21:30
Sean Rowe
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 7:00pm • Music 9:30pm
SEAN ROWE!
http://www.seanrowe.net/
Tickets $17 advance, $20 day of show, on sale now at Abilene Bar & Lounge and online at https://abilene.showare.com/
Nov
17
8:00 PM20:00
"Friendsgiving Party & Dance!"
Doors 7:00pm, Music 8:00pm
“FRIENDSGIVING PARTY and DANCE!”
Benefit for the Homeless Community
Featuring music by…
THE BROTHERS BLUE!
Rooted in the fertile tradition of Old-Time fiddle music, The Brothers Blue grow a sound all their own – offering a hybrid which unites fresh, original song-writing with elements from Country, Bluegrass, Cajun, and Irish music. They weave three part harmonies through a rich tapestry of fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Their tight, groove-oriented arrangements prompted one fan to describe them as a “one-mind band” and another as “a dancer's dream.” Furthermore, each of their abilities to play multiple instruments makes their performances especially entertaining. As comfortable around a campfire as they are in a concert hall, the band is excited about any opportunity to share honest, heartfelt musical experiences with their ever-growing family of friends: "The Brethren Blue."
www.thebrothersblue.com
With Many Special Guests To Be Announced
In The Coming Days
Beard Contest with Prizes!
New sock donations will be collected.
Cover: $10 or $5 with a donation of new socks, undies, or toiletries.
All Donations to Western New York Coalition for the Homeless
All Proceeds to Foodlink
Oct
14
5:00 PM17:00
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue
****SPECIAL SUNDAY SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm, • Music 5:00pm
GAL HOLIDAY AND THE HONKY TONK REVUE
When the band formed in 2004, Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue were at the vanguard of New Orleans’ now-thriving country scene, and they’ve remained in a league of their own ever since. Combining evocative songwriting and impeccable musicianship, their dance hall show and infectious energy on stage have earned them their place in the upper echelon of local favorites and helped grow an avid fan-base of two-steppers around the world.
Sometimes called “The Punk Rock Patsy Cline,” “The Gal” is Vanessa Niemann, an Appalachian-born songstress who has lent her powerful voice and magnetic stage presence to various musical projects in New Orleans and around the country. Over the years, the Revue has counted among its ranks some of the finest musicians in the region. The current roster boasts guitarists Matt Slusher and Justin LeCuyer in addition to drummer Rose Cangelosi, and upright bassist Corey McGillivary, all excellent songwriters and singers in their own right, adding tight harmonies to the sound.
These multi-time Big Easy and Best of the Beat Award recipients have shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Marcia Ball, Blind Boys of Alabama, and countless others. 2018 was their eleventh year appearing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, packing the Gentilly Stage where Lyle Lovett would perform later that day. Their albums have reached as high as third on the FAR charts (Freeform American Roots Music) and the top 100 on the AMA Charts (Americana Airplay, Americana Music Association).
Gal Holiday continues to tour both within the U.S. and internationally. After a successful European tour this past summer, the band returned home to make their newest release, “Lost & Found.” Recorded over four days in November 2017 at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, MS, the album has a lush soundscape thanks to the bands’ spirit guide and producer, Jimbo Mathus, and studio engineer, Bronson Tew. With an unmistakable Gulf Coast feel, “Lost & Found” touches on themes of loss, change, and discover in twelve songs written by Vanessa, Rose, Justin and Jimbo.
Although 2018 has proven to be a tour heavy year, you can still find them raising a ruckus in New Orleans and surrounding areas at dance halls, festival, and local watering holes most any day of the week. They know the ins and outs of the country canon and can even get folks swinging to an unexpected pop cover or two, but above all, vivid songwriting is one of the group’s great strengths. Their rollicking foot-stompers and poignant Crescent City tributes alike crackle with an authentic country spirit.
Armed with this kind of versatility and an ever-growing body of original material, they put on a show that never gets old, delighting rowdy dancers, buttoned-down diners, and new-to-country music listeners alike. New Orleans may be most closely associated with jazz and funk, but Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue prove that the city celebrates its musical diversity with enthusiasm.
www.galholiday.com
Cover: Special Low-Dough Show- Only $10 at the door
Oct
13
9:30 PM21:30
The Womps with Dream Float
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 7:00pm • Music 9:30pm
From Boston…
THE WOMPS
The Womps are a rising Boston-based alt rock jam band, dazzling audiences with fiery performances that draw on influences including funk, progressive rock and roll, fusion jazz, punk and folk. Formed around a shared love for all things weird and impossible, they strive to make each show unique through collective improvisation, finely-tuned harmonies, and carefully crafted songs of all shapes and sizes. The Womps are Kailey Zercher - violin and vocals, JP Goldman - bass and vocals, Jason Lilly - guitar and vocals and Enguerran “OG” Altmayer on drums. Since starting at the Berklee College of Music, The Womps have played over 90 shows in more than 25 cities in the US and Canada, with more bookings set for fall 2018.
This summer the Womps released three singles, an electrifying cover of Dolly Parton’s country classic “Jolene” and two original tunes, the frenzied “Barefoot Sensei” and rocking ballad “Anthem of My Age.” All three are from The Womps upcoming album, out at the end of 2018. The album was recorded live and almost entirely on tape at Defiant Audio on Long Island.
For more information about The Womps, go to their website:
www.thewompsofficial.com
www.thewomps.bandcamp.
with special guests…
DREAM FLOAT
Cover: $5
Oct
12
9:00 PM21:00
Durham County Poets
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:00pm
DURHAM COUNTY POETS
Durham County Poets are from the Chateauguay valley located in Quebec, Canada. Their influences are varied, from blues to folk, from jazz to gospel, with elements of the Band, James Taylor, Jimmy Reed, even some Leon Redbone. Each member brings a different musical background to the band that marries into a sound that has been labeled as soulful folk.
“This group plays bluesy country/folk with a lot of verve. The lead singer sits in his wheelchair and just kills every vocal. The recording on “River” has mostly an ambient sound with very little reverb. It gives the listener a sense of sitting in a living room somewhere, listening to the band crank out one great tune after another.”- Acoustic Live in New York City, album review.
Here’s the deal, they tore it up at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and as part of the Little Theatre Concert Series…don’t miss them in the intimate setting that is Abilene!
www.durhamcountypoets.com
Tickets: $10 advance, $15 day of show, on sale now at Abilene and online at https://abilene.showare.com/
Oct
11
8:00 PM20:00
Stevie Tombstone
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
Tunes & Tales with American Folk Country Blues artist….
STEVIE TOMBSTONE
“Stevie Tombstone is a quintessential troubadour, a veteran musician who’s had a degree of success but has mostly been relegate to “best-kept secret” status. The leader of an Atlanta-based swamp-rockabilly band called “The Tombstones” in the 1980s and ‘90s, Tombstone has now settled into a solo career in which he crafts powerful folk songs tinged with classic country and vintage blues influences.” ~Dan Armonitis
www.stevietombstone.net
Slingin’ drinks…Kelly Mallaber
Cover: $5
Oct
10
4:00 PM16:00
Great Tunes, Great Drinks..and OSB Cider on Special!!!
Wednesday, October 10….doors open at 4pm
Great drink specials, Great tunes
OSB CIDER’S “Live and Die For” Wet Hop—On Special for only $5 a pint! You’re gonna become a fan of this one!
$5 Moscow Mules All Night Long!!!
$1 off all well drinks and $1 off all craft draft pints- All Night Long!
Slingin’ drinks—Kelly Mallaber
Oct
9
5:00 PM17:00
A Night to be on our Patio!!!
Tuesday, October 9….doors open at 4pm
The Patio is open!!!
Great drink specials, Great tunes
$5 Moscow Mules All Night Long!!!
$1 off all well drinks and $1 off all craft draft pints- All Night Long!
Slingin’ drinks—Kelly Mallaber
Oct
6
9:00 PM21:00
Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters
Doors 7:00pm Music 9:00pm
AMANDA ANNE PLATT & THE HONEYCUTTERS
“We’re switching things up a little. After four albums I’ve decided to step out and start using my own name. It’s something that a lot of people have encouraged me to do over the years, and I guess that 2017 just felt right.” That name, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, is also the title of the band’s latest album, which was released by Organic Records on June 9, 2017.
“We’re keeping The Honeycutters too because we don’t want to confuse people…really, we’ve always been Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters. I think I’ve just gotten to a place where I feel comfortable enough to be in the spotlight.”
Lyrically driven, the songs on Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters blend the band’s old-school country roots attitude with their shared influences of rock and folk. Amanda says of the album, “I think it’s just about life and all that that entails. Including but not limited to death, strangers, birthdays, money, leaving, arriving, seasons, corruption, and love.”
Performing along with Platt, The Honeycutters are Matt Smith on pedal steel and Stratocaster, Rick Cooper on bass, Josh Milligan on drums and harmony vocals, and Evan Martin on keys and Telecaster.
www.honeycutters.com
Cover: $12 advance, $15 day of show
Tickets on sale now at Abilene and online at www.abilenebarandlounge.com
Oct
5
9:45 PM21:45
The Buffalo Brass Machine
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:45pm
Don’t miss Buffalo’s 8-piece New Orleans brass band….
The “Rust Belt Brass Sounds” of
THE BUFFALO BRASS MACHINE
NOLA second line, bop and horn influenced r&b
www.facebook.com/thebuffalobrassmachine
Cover: $6
Oct
5
7:00 PM19:00
Erin Futterer & Ross Falzone
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3:00pm • Music 7:00pm
Do not miss the blues/soul/jazz and folk stylings of ….
ERIN FUTTERER & ROSS FALZONE
Erin Futterer grew up in Arkansas, studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music..and now is finishing her studies at the Eastman School of Music. Her mastery of the French Horn…and her extremely soulful singing will blow you away.
Direct from Nashville, Ross Falzone seems to have done it all…he’s been a firefighter, a soldier, a truck driver, worked in a homeless shelter…and continues to be a social activist singer and songwriter. His songs are touching, at times gentle, at times raucous, always thought-provoking.
www.facebook.com/erin.futterer
www.rossfalzone.com
No cover charge….but please don’t hesitate to fill the “tip jar,”
They really deserves it!
Oct
4
4:00 PM16:00
Great Drink Specials, Great Tunes!
Thursday, October 4….doors open at 4pm
Great drink specials, Great tunes
$1 off all well drinks and $1 off all craft draft pints- All Night Long!
Slingin’ drinks—Kelly Mallaber
Oct
3
8:00 PM20:00
The Way Down Wanderers
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Wednesday, October 3….doors 4pm, music 8pm
Folk/Bluegrass band…
THE WAY DOWN WANDERERS
“We don’t consider ourselves folk artists or bluegrass players so much as we consider ourselves song-writers. We try to convey ideas and experiences that are universally meaningful to people. To us, the music and instrumentation exists to move those ideas forward and lift them up; we try not to limit ourselves to one genre of music or any specific type of instrumentation because certain songs might call for something else…keys or an electric guitar, for instance.”
The band’s upcoming sophomore album underscores that sentiment with songs that address love, loss and personal evolution. Framed by instrumentation that ranges cohesively from pop to Americana to bluegrass to spoken word, the lyrics find a familiar place in a listeners’ hear and mind and the melodies, often powerfully framed by 3 part harmonies, hold them firmly in place. The result is 12 stirring songs that listeners will be drawn to again and again, as relatable and inspiring as they are catchy and uplifting.
Often referred to by fans as one of the hardest-working, hardest-touring bands on the circuit today, the 5-piece Illinois-based act not only proves that classification with their jam-packed tour schedule but also on stage every night, with youthful exuberance and a lively stage show, as reliable as it is infectious. High energy percussion, mandolin, guitar, bass, banjo and fiddle weave seamlessly together to create an experience for fans that has sold out shows across the UK and the US, filling the front rows with fans not just singing along to one tune, but singing along to all of them.
“Everybody says it. We’d be nothing without our supporters. Yeah, they buy tickets and of course we love that, but when we’ve been on the road for 10 hours and walk onto a stage road weary and we see familiar faces singing along, it’s hard to describe. It’s everything, really. There’s a whole lot of love there.”
Music enthusiasts are not the only ones taking note. Critics and tastemakers alike have awarded the young artists an impressive number of accolades ranging from official showcases at AmericanaFest (2018) and International Bluegrass Music Association (2016) to Whitstable UK.
www.thewaydownwanderers.com
Cover: $10 advance, $13 day of show
Tickets on sale now at Abilene and online at www.abilenebarandlounge.com
Oct
2
5:30 PM17:30
Great Drink Specials, Great Tunes!
Tuesday, October 2….doors open at 4pm
Great drink specials, Great tunes
Celebrate the great Tom Petty with us all night long!
$1 off all well drinks and $1 off all craft draft pints- All Night Long!
Slingin’ drinks—Kelly Mallaber!
Sep
29
9:00 PM21:00
Otter Space Wranglers
Doors 7:00pm • Music 9:00pm
The return to Abilene of…
OTTER SPACE WRANGLERS!
Otter Space Wranglers present their unique take on the music of The Grateful Dead, as well as other bands from the same era (Pink Floyd, Cream, etc.). They blend classic songs with spontaneous improvisational jams. Expect funky grooves, smoking leads, and tons of fun.
Marc James-keyboards and vocals, Andy Thoresen-drums and vocals, Paul Schmitt-bass and vocals, James Wood-guitar and vocals, Jason Turiano-guitar and vocals.
www.facebook.com/Otter-Space-Wranglers-2023141431257454
Cover: $5
Sep
28
9:30 PM21:30
People Like You
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:30pm
Live freewheelin’ freak folk from Portsmouth, New Hampshire with
PEOPLE LIKE YOU!
www.PeopleLikeYouBand.com
Cover: $6
Sep
28
6:00 PM18:00
Happy Hour with "Lefty!"
Doors 3:00pm • Music 6:00pm
Happy Hour with great drink specials, free munchies and the Abilene debut of..
“LEFTY!”
They’re a strange but fulfilling mix of bluegrass and rock. They’re rough on the eyes but easy on the ears!
Featuring Jeff Liles, Tim Morris, Ben Pero, Jim Barbero and Andre.
You’ll like their interpretation of Americana music.
We really are looking forward to having them play our little saloon.
https://www.facebook.com/LeftyRochester6/
Sep
27
8:00 PM20:00
The Healing Committee
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
Live Americana 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
Cover: $5
Sep
26
8:00 PM20:00
The Mutineers
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
THE MUTINEERS
“Their country/folk/Americana/punk sound – a mix of scrappy, stein-swinging anthems peppered with a few slow tracks-is grounded by the band’s constant energy, string talent, melodic harmonies, and strong rhythm section. By way of visceral folky lyrics, the Mutes offer happy music about hard times and the people living through them; these characters, like those in Springsteen’s and countless other folk songs, represent those groups oft overlooked in today’s media landscape and viral marketplace.”- Santa Barbara Independent
www.themutineersmusic.com/music
Cover: $5
Sep
25
8:00 PM20:00
Leland Sundries with Jackson Cavalier
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
Indie folk/Americana/rock ‘n’ roll with Brooklyn’s
LELAND SUNDRIES
Leland Sundries is the mostly solo project of New York based Nick Loss-Eaton. He is bre-branding Nashville’s original blues Americana with a touch of indie rock sarcasm. Although he isn’t the first person to use a resonator guitar (see “Bon Iver”), it is a refreshing sound in a landscape of bands utilizing the same 3 piece set over and over.
Leland Sundries has also been known to use a 2 string Cigar Box Guitar made in Memphis, giving his New York audiences the chance to experience something that few city kids even realize exist. Loss-Eaton also uses a megaphone-harmonica set up which captures the vintage-recording-scratchy echo that defines the original Americana sound for modern audiences.
www.lelandsundries.com
with Special Guest: JACKSON CAVALIER
Jackson’s a one man band..utilizing head, hands and feet. Suitcase kickdrum, tambourine, harmonica, kazoo, guitar and a whirlwind of joy. Reimagining old songs and well-crafted originals! Jackson is a rising star!
www.facebook.com/jluczak234?ref=br_rs
Cover: $6
Sep
22
9:00 PM21:00
Postponed----Peter Case
Peter Case Tour Postponed For Medical Reasons
Peter Case announced today that the September leg of his fall tour, scheduled to begin this Friday in Nashville during the annual AmericanaFest 2018, the Americana Music Festival and Conference, has been postponed due to a medical situation.
“I love the road and regret not seeing you guys and playing but it’s unavoidable,” said Case from his home in San Francisco. “I’ll be back out as soon as possible.”
Case is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, guitarist, performer and producer; a founder of The Nerves and the Plimsouls, he has recorded 13 solo albums. Case’s most recent release, On The Way Downtown, is an archival live set, recorded for KPFK’s FolkScene and released by Omnivore Recordings; his prior studio album, HWY 62, is a collection of topical and personal songs concerning matters of a nation in decline.
September tour dates will be rescheduled and posted on Case’s website as soon as they are available.
Sep
21
9:00 PM21:00
Los Texmaniacs
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3:00pm • Music 9:00pm
House of Guitars and Abilene present
Smithsonian Folkways Artists
LOS TEXMANIACS
Although Max Baca, leader of San Antonio Grammy winners “Los Texmaniacs,” was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he’s been at the right place at the right time to become one of the keepers of that unique Sir Douglas Quintet San Antonio sound. A beautiful marriage of conjunto, rock ‘n’ roll, bajo sexto, accordion and Vox organ, that sound is one of San Antonio’s great cultural contributions and most recognizable exports.
www.facebook.com/texmaniacs
Cover: Super Low-Dough Show—only $10 at the door
Sep
20
7:30 PM19:30
HONEYSUCKLE with THE VINE BROTHERS
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Thursday, September 20….doors 4pm, music 7:30pm
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 23015, 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
With Special Guests…
THE VINE BROTHERS
Here’s what City Newspaper’s Frank DeBlase says about them. ”Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Vine Brothers use bluegrass as a root to loftier things. The instrumentation—mandolin, guitar, upright bass—is certainly a rootsy strain of wood and wire along with an old time approach to the music. But there is also the pervading lilt of Gypsy jazz along with soulful lyrics that skirt the twilight between happy and sad, light and dark. It’s bluesy, too, offering a way to draw the listener in with its familiarity and crowning then with its uniquely unmatched and unparalleled twist and twirls”
www.thevinebrothers.com
Cover: Special Low-Dough Show—Only $10 at the door
Sep
20
8:00 AM08:00
Honeysuckle! with The Vine Brothers
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Thursday, June 14….doors 4pm, music 8pm
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 23015, 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
With Special Guests…
THE VINE BROTHERS
Here’s what City Newspaper’s Frank DeBlase said about them…”Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Vine Brothers use bluegrass as a root to loftier things. The instrumentation—mandolin, guitar, upright bass—is certainly a rootsy strain of wood and wire along with an old time approach to the music. But there is also the pervading lilt of Gypsy jazz along with soulful lyrics that skirt the twilight between happy and sad, light and dark. It’s bluesy, too, offering a way to draw the listener in with its familiarity and crowning then with its uniquely unmatched and unparalleled twist and twirls.
www.thevinebrothers.com
Cover: Special Low-Dough Show—Only $10 at the door
Sep
19
8:00 PM20:00
Caroline Rose with Brian Dunne
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Wednesday, September 19….doors 4pm, music 8pm
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 70’s punk.”
www.carolinerosemusic.com
with Special Guest: BRIAN DUNNE
“His schooling is firmly grounded in Hank Williams, Neil Young, and Ryan Adams. And as you would expect from an artist whose sound takes in such references, his debut record “Songs From The Hive” is a record of folksy Americana and heartbreaking country.”-Songwriting Magazine.
“A pure, expressive voice and a fondness for lonesome steel guitar”---CMT Edge
www.briandunnemusic.net
Cover: $10 advance, $15 day of show
On sale now at Abilene and online at www.abilenebarandlounge.com
Sep
18
8:00 PM20:00
Woody Pines
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm
WOODY PINES!
If you’re wondering where the music of Nashville troubadour WOODY PINES comes from, look to the streets. It was on the streets as a professionalbusker that Woody first cut his teeth, drawing liberally from the lost back alley anthems and scratchy old 78s of American roots music, whether country blues, jugband, hokum, or hillbilly. Heavy rollicking street performances are the key to some of today’s best roots bands, like Old Crow Medicine Show (Woody and OCMS’ Gill Landry used to tour the country in their own jugband), and they’re the key to Woody’s intensely catchy rhythms, jumpy lyrics, and wildly delirious sense of fun. Woody traveled all over the streets of this country, road testing his songs, drawing from the catchiest elements of the music he loved and adding in hopped-up vintage electrification to get that old country dancehall sound down right.
That’s why the songs on his new self-titled release WOODY PINES (released May 28 on underground label Muddy Roots Recordings) are so hot. This is gonzo folk music, the kind of raise-the-rafters, boot-shakin’ jump blues that used to be banging out of juke joints all over the South in the late 1940s, but now it’s burning into the earholes of a younger generation of Nashville kids, all looking for music with deep roots and something to hang on to.
It’s tempting to call Woody Pine’s newest music “rockabilly,” and in fact he recorded the new album at Sputnik Studios in Nashville, famous for recording rockabilly and psych-twang heroes JD McPherson, Jack White, and Sturgill Simpson. But it might be more accurate to call Woody’s new songs “hillbilly boogie;” a rarely remembered genre of American music made famous by the Delmore Brothers. Hillbilly boogie sits at the exact moment when the buzzed- out, electrified hillbilly country music of Appalachia (which itself drew heavily from country blues), first hit the sawdust-floored honky-tonks of old Nashville and Memphis. It was the moment exactly before the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Woody writes with a wink to this critical time on songs like “Anything for Love” and “New Nashville Boogie,” drawing in modern references at will to make his points. He also dives deep into the tradition, drawing up gems like the old gangsta- folk song “Make It to the Woods” from the Mississippi Sheiks. In Woody’s music, there’s never an idea that roots music should be a recreation of an older time. Instead, he taps the vein of this music that’s still beating today, finding common ground with the oldhucksters and bar-hounds who created the music in the first place.
When Woody Pines sings “when the train rolls by, I get a faceful of rain,” this isn’t some hipster dilettante twisting a faux-handlebar mustache and singing about old-timey railroads, this is a dedicated student of Woody Guthrie who used to hop freight trains to get from town to town. This is serious roots music that’s as much a way of life as an aesthetic choice. This music isn’t for dabblers; you gotta feel it in your bones. Let Woody Pines help.
http://www.woodypines.com/
Tickets $10 advance, $13 day of show, on sale now at Abilene Bar & Lounge and online at https://abilene.showare.com/
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)
With Special Guests: Steve Piper and Scott Regan
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, California and Jimmie Dale Gilmore from Lubbock, Texas 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/
Sep
15
9:00 PM21:00
Abilene Debut of Dusted Dawg
Saturday, September 15….doors 7pm, music 9pm
The Abilene debut of Three Piece Post-Rock Improvisational Band
DUSTED DAWG
Dusted Dawg is comprised of Steve Garfield on guitar and vocal, Dave Klingler on drums, and Steve Walter on bass. They’re a jam band, pure and simple. The arrangements are always improvised, non-rehearsed, and in the moment. Their compositions reflect many genres including blues, rock, swing, funk, and most things in between. The improvisational, stream of consciousness jams they perform take them (and their fans) to places they can’t imagine until they travel there together. During every performance, it is their hope to take an audience on a musical journey that has few boundaries, is unpredictable, and is inspired by imagination and creativity.
www.facebook.com/DustedDawg
Cover: $5
Sep
14
9:00 PM21:00
Willie Nile
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 3pm, Music 9pm
WILLIE NILE
The New York Times called Willie Nile “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” His album Streets of New York was hailed as “ a platter for the ages” by UNCUT magazine. Rolling Stone listed “the Innocent Ones as one of the “Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011” and BBC Radio called it “THE rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.”
Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Jim Jarmusch, and Little Steven are among the those who have sung his praises. His album, American Ride, won “Best Rock Album of the Year” at the Independent Music Awards. It appeared on over one hundred year-end Top Ten lists for 2013 and Bono called it, “One of the great guides to unraveling the mystery that is the troubled beauty of America.”
www.willienile.com
with Special Guest: MATT MAYS
Matt Mays is a Canadian indie-rock singer-songwriter and was the lead singer of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, a group based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and New York city. Previously Mays was a member of Canadian alt-country group, The Guthries. Mays was born in Hamilton, Ontario and grew up in Nova Scotia.
www.mattmays.com
Cover: $25 advance, $30 day of show
Tickets on sale now at Abilene and online at www.abilenebarandlounge.com
Sep
14
5:30 PM17:30
Happy Hour with Daddy Longleg's Homegrown Revival
Doors 3:00pm • Music 5:30pm
From Cleveland, Ohio…
DADDY LONGLEG’S HOMEGROWN REVIVAL!
They weave a rich tapestry of musical genres from all corners of the earth, supported by live performance artists onstage. It’s a jazzy mix of Middle East Afro-funk, Latin, Reggae, French Café, Americana, Rock, Soul, and Gospel!
Sep
13
7:00 PM19:00
Blackie Farrell
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 7:00pm
Abilene Bar and Lounge and Bop Shop Records present Legendary Singer-Songwriter...
BLACKIE FARRELL!
Blackie Farrell might be a household name, but among his peers he’s no unsung hero. His songs have been recorded and performed by artists ranging from Leo Kottke, Tom Russell, Robert Earl Keen, Dave Alvin and Michael Martin Murphy, to Bill Kirchen, Commander Cody, Ray Campi, Jerry Lee Lewis, Asleep at the Wheel, and Chris O’Connell. His 2016 album was produced by Abilene faves, Gurf Morlix and Bill Kirchen…and dig this, Blackie wrote (among many other great tunes!), the classic, “Mama Hated Diesels,” as featured on the debut album by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.
Writing his first song at the age of 13, Blackie was inspired by the music he heard blasting from car radios and local music clubs in Oakland, California—everything from Jimmy Reed, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and John Lee Hooker to Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and Marty Robbins. It was their gritty story-telling that influenced him. At his core, Blackie is a story-teller, cutting a straight line right through life’s jagged edges, not smoothing them over but illuminating their points. Some haunting, some heroic, his tales stick to your bones and conjure up lost spirits and the longings of a well-worn heart.
www.blackiefarrell.com
Cover: Super Low-Dough Show – Only $10 at the door!
Sep
12
8:30 PM20:30
The Minks
****SPECIAL SHOW****
Wednesday, September 12….doors 4pm, music 8:30pm
From Nashville…
THE MINKS
The Minks are a bluesy, psychedelic explosion from Nashville, TN. Nikki Barber started the band based on the idea that “if you don’t create, you’ll combust.” Just like a rock ‘n’ roll circus, you never know what you’re going to get. They’ve been called a Southern Velvet Underground, with gritty, no-nonsense riffs and twangy melodies. The Minks are here. Let’s boogie.
The Minks feature Rochester’s Jessica Wilkes on bass.
Cover: $5