http://www.earlbrothers.com/clips/Troubles_To_Blame/TooMany30sec.mp3
http://www.earlbrothers.com/clips/Troubles_To_Blame/Rattlesnake30sec.mp3
http://www.earlbrothers.com/clips/Troubles_To_Blame/Another30sec.mp3
The Earl Brothers band
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Good ol' Boys
Hey! If you dig The Earl Brothers you should come to this show....At any rate. Nice blog, thought you might be interested.
Yours, Richard
Press Contact: Richard Parks/ 323.640.4615 / richieparks@hotmail.com
AN EVENING OF INVENTIVE URBAN OLD-TIME MUSIC
WHAT: Bottom of the Hill-Billy Jamboree, the second-annual musical happening curated by John McKelvy of The Earl Brothers, showcasing the talents of local roots-music scenesters.
WHERE: Bottom of the Hill (1233 17th Street in San Francisco)
WHEN: December 13, 8 p.m.
THE SHOW: John McKelvy's musical tastes run the gamut of old-time American from the lulled-to-death desperation of murder waltzes to the cathartic overdrive of buck-danceable fiddle tunes. McKelvy believes the San Francisco old-time country and bluegrass scene can support that diversity and he plans to deliver on his reckoning as impresario of the second-annual Bottom of the Hill-Billy Jamboree. The modish granddaddies of the City's newfangled countrified sound, his own band The Earl Brothers, will headline. McKelvy hand-picked three other outfits—Jeff Kaizar and The Swerve Beats, The Whoreshoes and The Burning Embers, all featuring original material that is both unique and authentic.
BACKGROUND: Young underground bands using traditional Appalachian forms in an original songwriting context are forming partnerships in urban centers around North America—in Portland old-timey acts like The Dickel Brothers have bridged a significant gap, playing on bills with local punk bands for years. Toronto's Spaghetti Westerners The Sadies take their twanged punktry to hip levels with their new live album, featuring contributions from John Spencer and Neko Case. And NYC's Oh Death was recently featured on the uber-indie hipster cool pitchforkmedia.com for their fresh take on old forms. In the Bay Area The Earl Brothers are at the forefront of the city-billy trend, which McKelvy hopes to celebrate at this event.
His music is dead-red piercing mountain lament, but McKelvy's not too severe to have a little fun with the images and icons he and his musical partners celebrate in song. So the Bottom of the Hill-Billy Jamboree will be equal parts concert and bumpkin masquerade. "We want to encourage people to come dressed up," McKelvy says. "Wear your best hillbilly duds or Western attire." Bring your dancing shoes and stay all night.
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THE BANDS: The Earl Brothers (myspace.com/earlbrothers) have been called “Honky-Tonk Bluegrass”, “Hillbilly Gothic” and “Neo-Traditional” for their eerie focus, which is “dreadful”—songs about death, drinking, chasing and losing women are tempered by the occasional honky-tonk gospel number. With two albums (2004's Whiskey, Women and Death and this year's Troubles To Blame) and features in Bluegrass Now, No Depression and Mutiney Zine, the band has reached best-seller status on the DIY distribution site cdbaby.com. They have been showcased at the International Bluegrass Music Awards (despite claiming The Melvins as an influence over Ricky Skaggs).
The Whoreshoes' (myspace.com/thewhoreshoes) sound is as evocative as their name is provocative. The all-female group scorns "contemporary country." They celebrate the roots of Country-and-Western music with an in-your-face punk attitude, mixing originals and covers of Hank Williams and The Stanley Brothers.
The Burning Embers (myspace.com/theburningembers) made their mark with their fiery shows at the Ocean Beach bar Riptide. They were recently featured in the SF Weekly, who said the Embers play with "the right mix of respect and iconoclasm...to make this music pop."
The side project of long-time Mission District corn-shucker Jeff Kaizar (The Crooked Jades), Jeff Kaizar and The Swerve Beats, is steeped in old-time tradition—a tasteful, rowdy mix of originals and old chestnuts, playful in its reverence of traditional folk idioms.
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