November 6, 2008
CALAMERICANA PRESENTS TWO SHOWS IN NOVEMBER, Saturday 11/15 & Sunday 11/9
 On Saturday, 11/15, at 9:30, CalAmericana will host the RevTones and the Mighty Lynch Pins.
The RevTones have just finished the release parties for their debut CD, so this is billed as their CD Hangover Party. Find their CD's review here. The Mighty Lynch Pins are back for their second CalAmericana show and part of the new generation of urbanized alt-country bands. Their songs
are about quirky pet dogs, suicide flameouts and nocturnal emissions rather than big rigs and honky-tonks. According to their  site, murder ballads make them horny.
www.therevtones.com
http://www.myspace.com/them ightylynchpins
Sunday, 11/9, at 7:00
CalAmericana presents the Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit and Careless Hearts at Ireland's 32 at Geary and 3rd Ave. in SF as
part of our program to bring more non-Bay Area bands here. GLTSO will be coming from Oakdale, which is on the way to Yosemite. There's not much to do in Oakdale but drink beer and
play music, so this roots Americana band is really tight (no pun intended). San Jose's Careless Hearts will be having their SF release party for their second CD with their "thinkin' person's" style
of alt-country-rock. Read their CD's review here.
www.myspace.com/thegoodluckthriftstoreoutfit
www.myspace.com/carelesshearts
October 28, 2008
 NEW CALAMERICANA SCHEDULE
LISTS MONTHLY SHOWS IN THE SF BAY AREA
The CalAmericana Association has published a list of regularly scheduled roots Americana events for the San Francisco Bay Area. A similar list is
being prepared for the greater Los Angeles Area. These shows change from time-to-time, but the calendar pictured below lists all weekly and monthly regularly scheduled roots
Americana shows and jams in the SFBA.
This calendar lists 19 events, 9 of which take place every week, and some of which take place 2-3 times each month. There are 60 regularly
scheduled shows, give or take a few, every month in and around San Francisco. Of the 19 events, all but four are free. The four Friday and Saturday shows usually charge $5-10.
This monthly calendar also provides links to local Bay Area calendars that list all of the electric and acoustic
roots Americana shows. From twanger-songwriters up through rockabilly, there are over 125 shows every month in and around San Francisco. This ample supply of shows, combined with their low costs
shows once again that live music in small-mid sized venues continues to be a great entertainment value.
October 7, 2008
CALAMERICANA TO PRESENT KITCHEN FIRE/MIGHTY LYNCH PINS AT IRELAND'S 32, SF, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008
 Sunday, October 12 marks the second CalAmericana-produced "Sunday Evening Comin' Down: Women of Twang" showcase at Ireland's 32
on Geary at 3rd in San Francisco. October's women of twang include Joanna DeJarnett of Kitchen Fire and Ashley Kent of the Mighty Lynch Pins.
 Both bands rely on their original songs and each is setting it's own standard for what
"original" means. While both may deal with familiar Americana themes of heartbreak, drinking, murder and gritty love, both are also willing and able to transcend them.
The Kitchen Fire isn't afraid to rock out on its tunes. In fact, there are '80s licks all throughout their live set. The demo tracks on their MySpace
page present the basic idea, but their live show is more dynamic that their humble demos ever aspired to be. DeJarnett moved to SF after ten years
n the Austin scene and she's brought all her good habits with her.
The Mighty Lynch Pins maintain that murder ballads make them horny.
Their songs tend to stray from any beaten path as can be heard on their MySpace page's songs about a lovable pain-in-the-butt pet, precious
bodily fluid (think Dr. Strangelove), and about dealing with suicidal misery, or not.
These young bands are the new face of alt-country, and a good one it is.
www.MySpace.com/KitchenFireBand
www.MySpace.com/TheMightyLynchPins
September 27, 2008
ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, CALAMERICANA PRESENTS ROYAL DEUCES/GOOD LUCK THRIFT STORE OUTFIT/BIG MISTAKE IN BERKELEY
 October 3rd is the first Friday Night Twang Party,
a series of roots Americana shows to be presented every first Friday of the month at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. This kickoff show is headlined by the rockin', boppin', dancin' twang of the
Royal Deuces who will be playing songs from their soon-to-be-released second CD as well as Deuces favorites. The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit is coming in
from Oakdale (on the way to Sonora) to give the Bay Area a rare chance to hear Oakdale's best kept secret. Vic Estrella's accordion provides the Tejano soul to Christine  "Spy of Love" Theberge's country heart in Big Mistake.
Find these bands on their respective MySpace pages where you'll get to hear a preview of what a great night it will be!
www.myspace.com/theroyaldeuces
www.myspace.com/thegoodluckthriftstoreoutfit
www.myspace.com/thebigmistakeband
September 15, 2008
CALAMERICANA TO PRESENT BANDS AT CAFE ROYALE
The CalAmericana Association will book third Saturdays at Cafe Royale at Post and Leavenworth in San Francisco beginning in January of 2009. This comfortable cafe environment will provide an
opportunity to stage more acoustic roots Americana such as twanger-songwriters, bluegrass, jug bands and old-time styles to mention a few.Cafe Royale joins Ireland's 32 in San Francisco, where
CalAmericana shows are presented every first Friday, and Starry Plough in Berkeley which hosts shows on every second Saturday. All of these venues -- and
CalAmericana expects to add more -- are supporting CalAmericana's goal of connecting more bands to more people who want to hear them.
September 7, 2008
CALAMERICANA BANDS AT STARRY PLOUGH IN BERKELEY AND IRELAND'S 32 IN SAN FRANCISCO
The CalAmericana Association will host regular roots Americana shows on second Sundays at Ireland's 32 in San Francisco starting September 14th, and on first Fridays at the Starry Plough in
Berkeley beginning October 3rd.
The kickoff show at Ireland's 32 will feature
Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands and Sheila Groves and Flatt Lonesome. Follow these links to their MySpace pages to hear their songs. Gayle Lynn, a multi-talented musician and songwriter who  also performs with her children's Americana band the Toodala Ramblers,
is on the verge of releasing her first CD with the Hired Hands. Sheila Groves and her band call Petaluma home and they will be making their debut in San Francisco as part of the CalAmericana's
Women of Twang series. These evening shows begin at 7:00.
The first show at the Starry Plough will showcase the Royal Deuces, who are about to release their second CD, the
Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit from where-the-heck-is-Oakdale, and Big Mistake, a honky-tonk band with a Tejano flavor.
Look for more information about October at the Starry Plough and Ireland's 32 (The Kitchen Fire and the Mighty Lynch Pins on October 15th) in a future bulletin.
August 3, 2008 CALIFORNIA NEEDS A NEW STATE SONG
Do you know California's State song? "California, Here I Come" might be a good guess, but it's actually
"I Love You, California," a tune that is lyrically similar to the sea-to-shining-sea spirit of "America the
Beautiful," except that it's music, rather than being an anthem, is in the style of late 19th century crooner songs. It was written to be sung through a megaphone rather than a microphone, so it sounds
hopelessly dated to  anyone under 90. A brief history of the song, it's lyrics and a MIDI file are available
at the California State Library site. The last attempt to change it failed in 1988, but 20 years later it might be worthy of another attempt.
CalAmericana is developing a list of local, regional and statewide roots Americana music associations. This is potentially the type of coalition
that could petition Sacramento for a more interesting and representative Golden State song like "California, Here I Come." Of course "Hotel
California" is tempting, but it's doubtful that the legislature would go for checking in any time they liked, but never being able to leave. |
