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Stillhouse Junkies and Gilbert Louie Ray at the Mint - $10
Wednesday, February 8th @8pm ($10)
The Stillhouse Junkies are a force. Their brand of bluegrass is driving, melodic, and progressive. Cody Tinnin, the bass player of the trio is also a fantastic old-time fiddle and banjo player (and a proper fly fisherman). I was lucky enough to jam at his place in Durango last summer when I was on tour with Bar Jay Bar and when we walked in the door, Cody had a SlO County Stumblers album on the piano. I knew we were in good company.
Fred Kosak is one of a very few sponsored Yamaha bluegrass players. He is an accomplished flat-picker that also rips on mandolin.
Alissa Wolf is a real treat. Her fiddle has that fun shuffle when she’s playing a dance tune for old time but can switch effortlessly to blazing melodic bluegrass runs. She’s a technical heavy-hitter but also has groove, the best kind of fiddler in my opinion. One of the best jams I’ve had was with Alissa, Korey Simeone (of Ike’s Creek), Kenny Feinstein (of Watertower) and Cody Tinnin raging quad fiddles on “Chinquapin Hunting” by the fire after their performance here in Echo Park last year. Watch video clips of that performance and jam by clicking below:
Stillhouse Junkies (Echo Park 2021)
This will be their second trip ever to LA, let’s make them feel welcome!
Nocona, Gilbert Louie Ray, Jason Dea West @ The Redwood ($10)
The Redwood, Downtown LA @ 4:00pm
Nocona is an LA country music staple. I think I saw them first back in 2018 or so at Echo Park Rising and they were wonderful.
Gilbert Louis Ray is burning up the country folk scene with his band right now. Great stories, hot players and a legacy Angeleno, Gilbert is quickly becoming a name you need to know!
Jason Dea West is a multi-instrumentalist folk singer probably best known for his videos on Western AF and Gems on VHS. A great story-teller, he will be a good addition to the bill with Gilbert Louie Ray, a great storyteller in his own right.
Gilber Louie Ray at Cabin Creek Crystals (Santa Monica) FREE
Thursday, January 26th @ 7pm
Gilbert Louie Ray has a story to tell. He carries on the country folk tradition with witty songs and catchy tunes gleaned from personal experience, telling about the ups and the downs with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Be sure to catch him in a rare west side performance in Santa Monica and tap your toes to his swingin’ string band!
Rosie Nolan at Pappy and Harriet's and Victoria Bailey at the Echo
Rosie Nolan will be playing at Pappy and Harriets’s opening up for Rose’s Pawn Shop. I first met Rosie playing banjo in an acoustic duo called Old Time Machine. In the past few years she has made a name for herself as a singer/songwriter on her own and now fronts a formidable band of local Americana players (with David Baine on mandolin and Ryan Posner on bass) plus she has a new album in the works produced by Taylor Kropp (also her lead guitar player). Be sure to follow her for all the latest!
Victoria Bailey will play the Echo tonight opening up for Sam Outlaw. Vic is a great songwriter and she brings with her a solid band sporting Phil Glenn (fiddle) and Seth Richardson (bass), who both also play with the well-known local stringband Moonsville Collective. Go give this country music queen a listen, you won’t be disappointed!
What's LA Roots & Boots?
I’m lucky to live in one of the greatest live-music cities in the world, but “Los Angeles” isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of country and traditional roots music. When I talk to people about the thriving scene here and all the great people and music that are in our own backyard, they always respond “how do I get in on this?”
I often promise people that I’ll let them know when these great gatherings take place, but sometimes I get busy and forget. So I decided to create a resource where anyone who is interested can come and find out what is happening with country music in Los Angeles. What kind of music are we talking about?
Bluegrass, Old time stringband, Americana, Cosmic country, honky-tonk, traditional country and some variations that don’t fit neatly in a box but are worth a listen. What kind of events are we talking about?
Backyard concerts and jam circles, local small and medium sized clubs, brew pubs and are all on the menu. It will mostly focus on smaller events and not so much your larger stuff like the Greek or Hollywood Bowl. From local acts to traveling troubadours, if you want to hear the best things on strings, you’ve come to the right place!
Hope to see you real soon.
-Jordan