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San Francisco Bay Area
Honky-Tonk,
Western Swing, Alt-Country & Rockabilly
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Click
on the radio at the left to hear song samples from the Hicks
with Sticks radio program which aired on KALW on November 18,
2006. All of these songs are from SF Bay Area bands and
most of them are from CDs released in 2005-2006.
Scroll down and click on any song from A Town North of
Bakersfield below to hear it in its
entirety.
Find links to twanging Internet music streams at the
end
of this
page.
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A Town
North of Bakersfield
25 twangin' tracks from SF Bay Area bands.
Find out why the SF Bay Area is second only to Austin
in honky-tonkin',
twang-bangin', foot-stompin chicanery by clicking
on any of the full songs (used with permission from the artists)
listed below.
CD at
http://cdbaby.com/cd/bakersfield
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Jinx
Jones
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"License
to Twang"
-- A blazin' instrumental from a master of the six
strings. Jinx studied under the legendary Roy Buchanan
who could also make one guitar sound like three.
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Jenny Kerr
Band
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"Big Red
Truck"
-- A truck drivin' classic-in-waiting. Get outta
its way! Jenny, Philbilly and the boys are popular in Europe
where every summer they play festivals for tens of
thousands.
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Richard March
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"Helicopter"
-- A C/W song that
uses the view from a helicopter as metaphor for life's
misgivings. Go figure. Imagery is a big part of
Richard's songs which tend to paint pictures as their stories
unfold.
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Kitty
Rose
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"Hurricane"
-- A growin' up in
Texas song like no other. This was originally an alt-rock
song, but when Miss Kitty went country, it came along for the
ride.
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Shut-Ins
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"Dreaming"
--
Hawaiian-influenced hillbilly music ("Hulabilly") meets the '80s
band Blondie. Too cool for school.
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Loretta Lynch
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"Gone to
Stay"
-- Originally a Freakwater tune, this band of
urban twangers almost goes gospel on this effort to set a record
straight. Abandon a stereotype, all ye who enter
here.
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Tom
Armstrong
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"I'll
Match You"
-- Tom's brand of
"crunchy" country recalls Bakersfield of the early '60s when
players like Buck Owens, Red Simpson and Wynn
Stewart, who Merle Haggard listened to, made their
music.
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Red
Meat
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"This
Property's Condemned"
-- With three lead
singers and three CDs, one song can't do Red Meat justice.
But for a gritty little love-gone-bad song, "Here comes the
wrecking ball..."
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The Chop
Tops
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"Evil Six"
-- This is one of the
most versatile rockabilly bands
anywhere. Their rockabilly is a base for diversions into
vintage rock, blues, psychobilly or even spaghetti western tracks
like this.
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77 el
Deora
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"This
Record Sucks"
-- Haven't you always
wanted a song about a song that sucks? 77 el Deora features a
strong lead singer and a Telecaster, and knows how to use
'em.
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The
Cowlicks
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"Holdin'
Back"
-- Rompin', stompin' twang from 2004's California
Music Award (country) winners.
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The Mother
Truckers
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"Behind
the Bleachers"
-- Teal Collins sings
the lights out on this I-won't-get-fooled-again song. Are the
MTs a twang band that rocks or a rock band that twangs?
Actually, they're an into-breaking-new-ground band.
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Cari Lee & the
Saddle-ites
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"My Mama
Told Me"
-- Momma cautions daughter. Daughter grows
up. Teaches her daughter the opposite! CL and the
Saddle-ites are equally at home with western swing, honky-tonk,
blues or a touch of torch.
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Johnny Dilks and the
Visitacion Valley Boys
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"Comin' on
Through"
-- Our hero decides to take on the bully who stole his
gal only to learn about diminished expectations the very hard
way. From Acres of Heartache on
Hightone.
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Tom
Huebner
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"Baby
That's Alright"
-- This veteran of
Caribbean music found himself with a bunch of country songs, a
twanging band, and on Highway 43 to Hicksville.
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Valerie Jay & the
Americanos
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"Pacific
Time"
-- Originally a singer-songwriter, Valerie has a twangin'
sound that's influenced by singers like Patsy Cline,
Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and k.d.
lang
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The
Bootcuts
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"Forever
and a Day"
-- The Bootcuts wind
up their power-gal harmony machine on this one. With three
lead singers plus harmonies from others, this band brings a wealth
of vocal "looks."
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A. J.
Roach
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"Grandaddy"
-- This award-winning
song is based on the true story of AJ's grandfather's sidelines in
counterfeiting five-cent pieces and making moonshine. "If
he'd a-ever realized what he had back then..."
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Kay
Wheeler
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"Elvis
Makes His Move"
-- Every word of this
is true. Kay, who was President of the first Elvis fan
club, really did know him this well, and better. Even
hard-core Elvis fans don't have this.
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Dave
Crimmen
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"Old Enough"
-- Ahhh, the older
guy, younger gal theme. This song was inspired by a wisecrack
that was made during a visit to Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
in Bakersfield.
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Kathi Kamen Goldmark
and Kathleen Enright Salvia
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"Older
than Him"
-- Ahhh, the older gal, younger guy theme.
"Would he really care that I have underwear older than
him?" Amy Tan (below) and other fun finds are on
Kathi's label, "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records.
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The Real Sippin' Whiskeys
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"The New
Drummer's Wife"
-- Ahhh, the scoping
out a bandmate's wife theme. The RSWs, a low-profile band,
only do a few shows per year, but they've been playing for ten
years and have a CD, but it's all a secret, so
shhhh.
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Audrey
Auld
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"Doin' Well"
-- A tasty addition
to the C/W tradition of "my way" songs. Audrey tours mainly
as a solo twanger/songwriter, but her three CDs have full
instrumentation and feature her pals who are fine musicians in
their own right.
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Rusty
Evans
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"If This
Is Country Music"
-- Rusty challenges
"new country" (a.k.a., pop music with cowboy hats).
This live track was sung from the stage of the Grand Ol' Opry in
Nashville during a Kitty Wells tribute. You tell 'em,
Rusty!
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Amy
Tan
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"These
Boots Are Made for Walkin'"
-- Best-selling
author's (Joy Luck Club) whip-crackin' version of the
Nancy Sinatra hit penned by Lee Hazelwood. From
Stranger than Fiction, a two-CD compilation of music-minded
authors.
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BAY AREA
RADIO
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STATION - TIME -
DESCRIPTION
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America's Back
40
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KPFA Berkeley, 94.1 FM -- 1:30-3:30 PM, Sundays.
American roots, the hicks from coast to coast with Mary
Tilson.
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Bluegrass
Signal
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KALW
San Francisco, 91.7 -- 6:30-9:30 PM, Saturdays. Bluegrass and
guests hosted by Peter Thompson.
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Crush
Uncorked
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KRSH Santa Rosa, 95.9 FM -- 8:00-11:00 AM, Sundays.
Coya Silverlake hosts acoustic, folk, bluegrass
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Cupertino
Barndance
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KKUP
Cupertino, 91.5, -- 9:00-Midnight, Sundays. Stompin' Steve
Hathaway's
honky
tonk,
western swing, bluegrass, rockabilly.
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KPIG
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KPIG
Santa Cruz, 107.5 -- 24/7. Broadcasting a twanging mix most
of the time.
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Grinder's Grooveyard
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KPOO San Francisco, 89.5 FM, 8:30-2:00AM, Mondays.
Old School R&B and jump blues.
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Panhandle
Country
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KPFA Berkeley, 94.1 FM -- 3:30-5:00 PM, Alternating
Sundays. Western, honky-tonk,
bluegrass & Cajun with Tom
Diamant
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Pig in a
Pen
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KPFA Berkeley, 94.1 FM -- 3:30-5:00 PM, Alternating
Sundays. Bluegrass with Ray Edlund
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Roadhouse Twang
Presents
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KWMR
West Marin 90.5 FM -- 6:00-8:00 PM, Wedednesdays.
Kay Clements hosts hick, hillbilly, retro and
roots.
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Swing
Boogie
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KKUP Cupertino, 91.5, 3:00-6:00 PM, Saturdays.
Bluegrass, country, western swing.
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Vida Lee, etc.on
KKUP
91.5
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KKUP
has a lot of Americana shows, but their schedule, which switches
shows and hosts from week to week, makes them hard to list in
detail here. Click their link for show listings.
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Why Baby
Why
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KALX Berkeley, 90.7 FM -- Midnight-1:00AM,
Tuesdays. Uncle Naes, Joe Sixpack and others host a
broad range of Americana. Also see
Joe Sixpack's
site
for his take on Bay
Area twangers and more.
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INTERNET
AUDIO
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DESCRIPTION
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Live365
Rockabilly
Radio
45rpm.net
Biker Bar
Music
Western Beat
Music
Rock-It
Radio
Freight Train Boogie
(Santa
Rosa)
Radio
Paradise
Video
Times
WDVX
Cowboy Cultural
Society
XM
Alt-Country
BootLiquor
Radio
(San Jose)
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Largest
selection of on-line stations on the Internet.
A Live365 RAB station.
Dedicated to rockabilly. Bands,
they'll play your record.
Programs an eclectic American mix ideal for creating biker bar
ambiance in your own home!
Hillbilly music on-line and more.
50s music and 50's-influenced contemporary Doo Wop, RAB, R&B --
Lots of rarities. Good links.
Twangin' up a storm. Mostly new releases with older
"touchstones" in the mix.
An eclectic,
intelligent rock music blend
If you're still holding a grudge because Michael Nesmith was a
Monkee, think about an update, okay?
Broadcasting out of a 14' trailer from a White Bread and Miracle
Whip trailer court in East Tennessee.
Highly listenable '50-'60 cowboy music mix out of Watsonville,
CA. (Read the blonde cowgirl joke too.)
Good alt-country from XM radio
A mix out of San Jose that's a great listen while drudging away on
the ol' computer.
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updated: 09/17/2007 13:08:02
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