Dan Hicks digs Christmas tunes. But it took him over 30 years in the music business to get around to doing his own album of holiday music. The singer/songwriter/guitarist and leader of the Hot Licks, a swinging band with a cult following in the rock world going back to the '70s, has just released Crazy for Christmas on Surfdog Records and is on his way around the country on a tour he calls "Holidaze in Hicksville". The group will perform at a mix of theaters, clubs and coffeehouses, including the Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., the City Winery in New York City and McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, Calif.

Talking via phone from his home in Marin County, California, Hicks says that he's always done Christmas tunes during that time of year with his band, the Hot Licks. "I've been doing Christmas songs with the Hot Licks for a couple of decades. We did about eight or ten tunes, but we didn't do them all at once. We've been doing shows we call Holidaze in Hicksville. We have a canvas backdrop with a cartoon scene of Christmas."
[Jazz Times]

Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks kick off their "Holidaze in Hicksville" tour in NJ tonight (11/27). From there they continue on to Piermont, NY before hitting City Winery in NYC with special guest John Hammond on Tuesday (11/30). All dates and a preview of the Christmas album, below...

Continue reading "Dan Hicks released a Christmas album, touring (dates)"

The Blind Boys of Alabama will curate a three-night series at Lincoln Center on July 12, 14 & 16. The events start with an opening night concert featuring rock artists Yo La Tengo, Lambchop, Exene Cervenka of X and Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket [plus Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Horns]. On July 14 the focus shifts to country music, with performances by Yonder Mountain String Band, Ralph Stanley, Alison Moorer and Randy Travis, plus Ray Benson and Jason Roberts of Asleep at the Wheel. The final evening, The Blind Boys' Family Revival, will feature songs from all of the group's Grammy Award-winning albums and includes collaborations with Aaron Neville, Joan Osborne, Hot 8 Brass Band, Dan Zanes, John Hammond, and Charlie Musselwhite, among others.

Tickets for all three are on sale now.

More details on the gospel group's Lincoln Center shows, their full upcoming schedule, a video of their performance on Letterman earlier this year with Lou Reed (they also visited Daytrotter in March) and more are below...

Continue reading "Blind Boys of Alabama touring, curated 3 shows @ Lincoln Center w/ many guests (Yo La Tengo, Jim James, more)"

Starting Tuesday, June 23rd, Hudson Square will be another one of the spots in NYC with a free weekly music series -- it joins free programs at Stuy Town Oval, Madison Square Park, Williamsburg Waterfront, Hudson River Rocks, Seaport Music, East River Park, NYC CityParks Concerts, Central Park Summerstage, BAM R&B Fest at Metrotech, Celebrate Brooklyn and several free movie series, to name a few.

The Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival will take place on Tuesdays from 5-7pm in the parking lot of City Winery (between Varick, Spring, Hudson and Vandam Streets). Series highlights include Jason Isbell, William Elliot Whitmore, Marc Ribot and La Cumbiamba and Budos Band (who already played a free show this summer at Stuy Town Oval).

Full schedule for the eight-week series, with a flyer, below...

Continue reading "Hudson Square Music & Wine series - free Tuesday shows w/ Budos Band, William Elliot Whitmore, Marc Ribot, more"