Honky-Tonk Showdown: The Country-Bluegrass Show

Tonight’s Honky-Tonk Showdown is a celebration of classic country music, dance, and hillbilly fun, and will include the following shenanigans:

Dance Contest!

Pie Eating Contest!

Best Dressed Contest — come dressed in your best country duds!

Classic Country Music Trivia!

Free country dance lessons (7-8pm)

DJ Blaze Orange spinning classic country and bluegrass records!

Every since those first recordings in the 1920s, country music has gone through multitudes of changes and seen it’s popularity raise and fall. Each decade seems to take on it’s own flavor and style of what they call country music. For many a moon the current Nashville pop sound has ruled the radio air waves and music sales across the country, but some pockets of America still thrive and flourish on the old classic sounds of way back when. San Francisco is one of those pockets.

Misisipi Mike & the Midnight Gamblers  This all-star band take their classic country music serious. It’s like these boys were born in the 20s, honed their chops in the 30s, became superstars in the 40s, and were killed by either drugs, drinking, or a plane or car crash in the 50s. Classic country music never sounded so classic. Brand new CD out now! Pick up your copy, it will change your life. Featuring the best looking country boys this side of Misisipi Mike: Misisipi Mike Wolf (Misisipi Rider, The Mission Three, The Bootcuts, Sally Rides A Broom Stick), Mike Anderson (Hang Jones, The Cowlicks, 77 el Deora, Muffin & Cupcake), Leif Karlstrom (Lady A & The Heel Draggers, The Midnight Gamblers, Leif & Mrs. Garrett), Adam Roszkiewicz (The Whisky Richards, No More Tacos!) and Tony Sales (Misisipi Rider, Afternoon Delight Social Band, All You Can Eat Cream Corn Band).

The Mad Cow String Band formed in 2003 and for the ensuing years have honed their craft, keeping their enthusiastic fans dancing to their very own brand of high-energy acoustic string music. Somewhere along the way, the raw, youthful enthusiasm they poured into their performances morphed into a highly-skilled sound that walks the line between bluegrass and old-time music. The Mad Cow String Band draws from influences ranging from the slick bluegrass new guards such as Hot Rize, the energetic old-time music of the contemporary Dickel Brothers, and the classic high and lonesome sound of the Stanley/Monroe era. Multi-instrumentalist and song-writing members Tim Delaney, Alex Roth, Danny Chaves, and Andy Lentz gather around a single microphone, swapping instruments, lead vocals, and solos on guitar, mandolin, upright bass, banjo and fiddle.

San Francisco based Misisipi Rider is a folk pop quartet featuring rich four-part vocal harmonies, clever songwriting, and a tight, lively stage show. Fiddler Katy Rexford, ‘Misisipi’ Mike Wolf and Cree Reiter on guitars, and bassist Doug Blumer create original music that’s an infectious mix of joy and pathos, both live and on CDs–like their new “Live in the Studio,” a track from which (“The Voice of Johnny Cash”) was recently selected as one of the 20 Best Songs of 2009 by KALX radio.

Sweetback Sisters Emily Miller and Zara Bode may not be blood relations, but their precise, family-style harmonies recall the best of country music from the Everlys to The Judds, as well as the spirited rockabilly energy of Wanda Jackson, one of the band’s role models. Like the artists they admire, the Sweetbacks are concerned with the traditional subjects of heartbreak, revenge, remorse and staying strong in the face of relationships gone wrong, albeit with a contemporary sensibility. “We’re a renegade retro band that mixes up country, swing and honky tonk,” explains Bode. “Sometimes what we deliver is straight out of the 50s; other times it’s BR549 meets The B52s.”