Down From the Mountain to Marin

This will be the first SFBOT show to take place at this exciting new Marin venue.

Bucket BoysTurns out that the Pacific Northwest is a bubbling cauldron of activity in the folk music world. Leading this vibrant community of square dancers and bluegrass fanatics, The Water Tower Bucket Boys have a unique vision of traditional music in a brand-new century. They know the roots of the music inside and out and have stayed up through many an all-night picking party. But don’t forget that they’ve been raised on raging punk music just as much as Tommy Jarrell, and half the band have received jazz degrees in university. Put that together with the wanderlust of youth that has carried them throughout Europe and across the US, and you get their wildly eclectic vision of folk music for the 21st century; dominated as much by psychedelic music and punk rock as old 78 recordings and toothless fiddle masters. The Water Tower Bucket Boys bring a no-holds-barred approach to the music in their attempt to share the joy and exuberance of American folk traditions with a new generation.

Cow StringBandThis unpretentious all-acoustic string band from the mountains of southern West Virginia play with an authenticity rarely heard in these times. BrownChicken BrownCow StringBand blends old-time fiddle music with shades of gypsy, folk, jazz, celtic, and bluegrass to deliver a fresh sound with a driving rhythm and sophisticated melodic arrangements that provoke audiences across the country to rave about their talent. Xander Hitzig (lead vocals, fiddle, guitar, and tenor banjo) writes many of the songs along with Justin Morris (vocals, guitar, bass, five-string banjo), Orion Hitzig (vocals, mandolin, claw hammer banjo, spoons), and Matt Del Olmo (vocals, bass, guitar, 5-string banjo). The string band is exciting to watch as they play waltzes, reveries, reels, and stomps, and join the audience in drinking and merriment. The familiar becomes strange, and the strange familiar; a tension rises up in the playful songs, and there is an edge to even the most romantic themes. The band moves from romping jigs and swinging dances to seductive ballads, uniquely styled covers, and wholly original songs about love, relationships, coal miners, tragic murders, driving with red glasses, and storms that won’t drown out their sound. This is music the entire family can enjoy.