|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
• • • 
|
|
Listings are
in the opposite order of appearance: headliner is listed at the top,
next is the support band(s),
and the last band listed is the opener.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Saturday May 16
2026
8:00PM doors -- music at 8:30PM ••• 21 AND OVER $15 $19.81 in advance [15 face value + 4.81 service fee] -------Sven & The Masterful Orchestra off the bill Val Holly & the Wanderers instagram.com/valholly1959 50s Rock 'n' Roll Pine Box Boys hollinsandhollins.com Country, Bluegrass, Punk == Horrorbilly Emery Villains facebook.com/emeryvillains 1940's western swing Val Holly & the Wanderers -from the Bay Area, CA -Val Holly and The Wanderers was formed during the pandemic by Rhythm Guitarist/Vocalist, Aaron Barrett as a tribute to the music of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Aaron recruited fellow band members Chris Lawson- Drums, Paul Simmans-Lead Guitar, and David Rosenthal-Bass to round out what has turned into a 50's tribute to many other legends of the day, such as Eddie Cochran, Dion, The Everly Brothers, Link Wray, Santo and Johnny and more. Having played El Rio, Great American Music Hall, The Make Out Room, Retro Junkie and more, lookout for Val Holly and The Wanderers at live music venues around the Bay Area for a Rockin' Good Time! Pine Box Boys -from San Francisco, CA -4 guys make a lot of clatter (hollerin about killing folks) that sounds vaguely 'grassy, but is mostly just noisy. Proceeding from a series of in-jokes, The Hollins & Hollins Mortuary Entertainment Show is, first and foremost, The Pine Box Boys. That being said, anybody who knows anything about The Pine Box Boys’ front man Lester T. Raww knows that he has a tremendous affinity for coming up with side projects. These projects include Lester T. Raww’s Graveside Quartet, Lonesome Lester T. Raww and His Acquaintances, The Hollins & Hollins Mortuary Horns, and now, with the addition of Gentleman Jimmy Hadley to the line-up, we have Gentleman Jimmy and The Swindling Dwindlers. How, then, does one balance limited touring schedules, band member availability, and audience demand? The answer seemed simple to Lester: VARIETY SHOW. The Hollins & Hollins Mortuary Entertainment Show behaves as if it were an old time radio show from the 1930’s, sponsored by The Pine Box Boys’ fictional sponsor, Hollins & Hollins Mortuary Services (As they say, “We’ll be the last ones to let you down.”). Other fictional sponsors are referenced as well: Amalgamated Breakfast Ltd., Snakes In A Can, Skinflint Cigars, to name a few. In between the tongue-in-cheek advertisements, the various “bands” perform - now a song by The Graveside Quartet, now a song by The Pine Box Boys - with occasional announcer cues by Vang Kruntz (the fictional DJ for WRAW - Music For Ghosts). Think of it as an antidote to A Prairie Home Companion. All of this is fairly easy to pull off considering that all the bands have the same members. Lester T. Raww sings while plucking guitar or ukulele, blowing trombone, occasionally providing an extended kazoo solo. Alex “Possum” Carvidi plays banjo, saxophone, musical saw, piano and accordion. “Gentleman” Jimmy Hadley sings and picks guitar, but he distinguishes himself as the ensemble’s trumpet player. In each of the groups, the rhythm section is held down by Col. Timothy Leather on bass and Slade Anderson. The Pine Box Boys are familiar to most as darkgrass darlings, offering songs in the tradition of the murder ballad. The Pine Box Boys released their fifth album, The Feast of Three Arms, last year. The other iterations of the band may be less familiar to audiences. Lonesome Lester T. Raww and His Acquaintances is the name Lester uses for his smaller local gigs in San Francisco, focusing on Tin Pan Alley favorites, as well as some original material. In this format, Lester performs solo or invites a variety of other local musicians to join him as one of his “acquaintances.” Lonesome Lester released an album in 2014, Anarkansas. Lester T. Raww’s Graveside Quartet grew out of numerous requests to record a children’s album. Lester feels as though their album Lester T. Raww’s Graveside Quartet SINGS YOUR CHILDREN TO SLEEP does not accomplish what it was intended to do. This is due to the fact that the album is more likely to produce nightmares in children than warm, fuzzy, Raffi-esque feelings. This is, however, the band that Lester is focusing on the most recently; they will begin recording their second album this fall. Gentleman Jimmy and His Swindling Dwindlers is the latest project. The Boys put this band together to accompany trumpeter Jimmy Hadley as he performs newer material or songs from his previous band, Col. Jimmy and The Blackfish. The fun thing about The Hollins & Hollins Mortuary Entertainment Show is how blurry the lines have become. The guitar/banjo duel of “The Tardy Hearse” has changed into a conflict betwixt trumpet and sax. “Pretty Little Girl” swings at a steady, sinister pace. Crowd favorite “Mr. Skeleton” now sounds like something more suited to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins than a bluegrass band. All of this gives the musicians in The Pine Box Boys more room to express their gallows humor worldview, and if Garrison Keillor were dead today, he’d be spinning in his lonesome grave on the prairie. Lester T. Raww: Vocals, guitars, ukuleles, trombone, kazoo Alex “Possum” Carvidi: Vocals, banjo, accordion, saxophone, various sundries Col. Timothy Leather: Bass, vocals “Gentleman” Jimmy Hadley: Vocals, guitar, trumpet Slade Anderson: Drums Emery Villains -from Emeryville, CA -Emery Villains formed in 2019. Started by Scott Holderby (lead vocals and guitar) with Rhoda Jean Steen (vocals and guitar). The Carolina Drifters from the 50's, featuring Rhoda and her brothers Paul and Clarence were the backup band for the Black Jack Wayne Show on channel 2, backing Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and others. Rhoda Jean Steen's presence serves as a direct link to the roots of rockabilly and the Carolina Drifters' contributions to the genre. Her participation with Emery Villains is a beautiful blend of past and present, ensuring the music's legacy continues. Scott looked over to his guitar player Danny White (vocals and lead guitar) from Mordred to do the finger picking. Scott then turned to a high school friend, Hank Alva (vocals and upright bass) to round out the groove of the tunes. That's absolutely right! Emery Villains is a great example of a modern band keeping the rockabilly sound alive and fresh for a new generation of fans. They're part of a newer wave of rockabilly bands that are blending traditional sounds with modern energy and style. Bands like Emery Villains, and others like Brian Setzer, Reverend Horton Heat, and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, are all helping to carry the torch for rockabilly music, while also pushing the genre forward with their own unique twists and interpretations. It's great to see rockabilly's legacy living on through these bands, and introducing the music to new fans who may not have been born when the genre first emerged. They're keeping the spirit of rockabilly alive, with its signature blend of country, blues, and early rock 'n' roll, while also making it relevant and exciting for contemporary audiences. Emery Villains, in particular, has a great sound that blends classic rockabilly with a modern edge. Their music has a high-energy feel that's perfect for dancing, and their lyrics often have a fun, tongue-in-cheek vibe that's reminiscent of the genre's early days. |
 |