Calendar
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February2010
Notes: All Ages
Doors 8pm • Show 8:30pm
Heartless Bastards
Fat Possum Records is excited to announce that the Heartless Bastards are set to release their third record on February 3rd, 2009. The record is called The Mountain and was produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead, Patty Griffin).The Mountain delivers the swamped-up rock howl that fans have come to love from the critically acclaimed Heartless Bastards, but it also weaves in an adventurous sonic evolution, expanding their three-piece rock palate by adding pedal steel, mandolin, banjo and strings, all in support of Erika Wennerstrom's transcendent voice that Rolling Stone once described as "channeling all the swagger and spit of a young Robert Plant."In October 2007, Wennerstrom packed her bags and moved to Austin, TX, to write her new record, and work with producer McCarthy. In true ascetic discipline, she rented a meager apartment, locked herself inside, wrote for six months straight and came out with 11 songs that represent the evolution critics and fans have been anticipating for years. Once the album was finished, she immediately got to work on assembling a new band, searching for musicians who would help take her live show to a whole new level. After weeks of auditions, a serendipitous alignment of stars occurred, and she found what she was looking for. The two new members aren't Texas ringers,but fellow Dayton brethren Dave Colvin on drums, and Jesse Ebaugh on bass, who actually played on the original demo that hooked Fat Possum in the first place. The line up this fall will also include Bill Elm on lap steel, and occasionally Zy O.Lynnon violin. The new and improved Heartless Bastards are sure to leave fans reeling and wanting more. www.myspace.com/heartlessbastards
Jeff Boortz Band
In
the fall of 2005, Jeff Boortz packed a few bags and guitars, leaving
Texas behind for the indie music haven of Portland, Oregon. After
spending his life writing and performing in one region, he was looking
to expand his music and vision amid new surroundings and an impartial
audience. It didn’t take Boortz long to enlist an extremely talented
group of Portland players to help him conquer the scene. After a few
rehearsals, the band played their first show to a packed house on St.
Patrick’s Day of 2006. The sound Boortz maintained in Texas carried
over and was met with great enthusiasm from Portland audiences. The
band was soon opening shows for seasoned heavyweights of the Americana
genre like ‘Reckless Kelly’, ‘The Clumsy Lovers’, and ‘Cross Canadian
Ragweed.’ These were the kind of shows Boortz would have to stand in
line to be a part of back in Texas. He knew that if nothing else came
out of his move to Portland, a major milestone had been surpassed, one
that would prove to be rewarding when he returned home. In the summer
of 2007, Boortz found himself packing the same bags and the same
guitars he had packed almost 2 years earlier. After enduring an on
again, off again, toxic relationship and an alcohol fueled indulgence
in Portland’s abundant nightlife, Boortz was ready to head back home.
With a handful of new songs, a newly recorded album, and stronger ties
to the Texas music scene than ever, he was definitely heading back with
a lot more than he arrived with. Boortz quickly assembled a band in
Houston and kicked off the homecoming in a packed house with ‘Reckless
Kelly’. It was further proof that the connections Boortz made in
Portland were going to continue to payoff in Texas. This was much the
opposite of the situation he was in before his move to Portland. It was
the next mile on the long road ahead of this musical journey. “The
strategy still remains the same throughout; play with bands and artists
who have a crowd that truly cares about the words and the music. Rock,
country, blues, folk; it’s not something anyone is pressed to label.
Texas music is proof that something real is still out there, and people
are still stimulated enough to seek and revel in it.”-Jeff Boortz
Runaway Sun
In a little over a year, Runaway Sun's self-recorded debut EP
released in November 2008 garnered the band a nomination for Best Blues
Group in the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards and an official showcase
at SXSW 2009 playing alongside Grammy contender Diane Birch. The band
recently released a 10-song LP,
"We say this without fear: by this time next year, Runaway Sun will be
one of the city's best bands." – Houston Press, July 2009
Official Web Site: www.myspace.com/runawaysunmusic
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