Handsome Hank and his Lonesome Boys formed in 1997 as a bluegrass band. They played at bluegrass jamborees and festivals for a few years, but soon began to specialize on the countryfication of well-known rock and pop classics. The response was very positive and even rock celebrities such as Slash, Lemmy Kilmister and others patted the band’s head. Handsome Hank's first CD Greatest Hits is a classic in its own right and the cover version of Black Hole Sun had worldwide radio airplay.
The band toured in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. Now, a handful of years later, it's time for Handsome Hank to take off with his spanking brand new album called Handsome Hank sings about devils and angels and his new single Angel. It's a respectable collection for crossover audiences, as it contains many aspects of country music with additional pop appeal. (press release)
www.handsomehank.com
June 22-24 2012, Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt Hoechst/Germany
LUEFTEN MOUSON ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012
DIGGER BARNES & PENCIL QUINCY
SILKY THOSS & DM BOB
THE LOW ANTHEM
+ 160 OTHER BANDS & ARTISTS
Ok, this might be no special C&W festival, but there are some nuggets you don't want to miss during Frankfurt's first time ever "Lueften" festival. Located at the Jahrhunderthalle outside of Frankfurt, this place itself is full of the charme of the sixties with various cocktail lounges and so on... but much better, during three days a lot of international bands and artists are going to play. Make sure to visit the "Artcargobay" outside for lots of sideshow happenings...
www.lueftenfestival.de
Ask most music fans which cities come to mind and most will state the obvious – Detroit, Nashville, Seattle, Austin, Philadelphia, Portland.
But, tucked into the southwest desert is one that deserves a place in that list – Tucson. This “smallest big city in the USA” has always been
home to a steady music scene, but in recent years, has become a vibrant Mecca for musicians. With the ever-shining sun and cheap rent or generous spaces,
Tucson is the perfect place for musicians to stretch their legs and delve into their craft. Anyone visiting this dusty town, even just once (always worth your while),
is presented with a nightlife that thrives first and foremost on live music.
Pretty much every night offers a chance to see shows in the heaps of downtown clubs,
all within walking distance of each other, places such as the cozy Red Room at the Grill or the unique art/music gallery Solar Culture, larger venues like Plush,
The Hut and Club Congress (located in the infamous Rock’n'Roll hotel, Hotel Congress) or the big-crowd holders, The Rialto and The Fox theaters.
A veritable playground for musicians and the land o’ plenty for the music fan. (label info)
For the countrytroublers, Tucson is well known, and we're more than happy to see four acts from this melting pot and creative oasis in the desert during one evening.
www.hafen2.net
November 11 2011, Cockpit, Im Muehlahl12, 61203 Reichelsheim/Germany
BOB WAYNE AND THE OUTLAW CARNIES
SUPPORT: HEINRICH XIII AND THE DEVILGRASS PICKERS
One of the highlights of 2011 happening this day, so don't miss:
Best known for his leather vest, bandana and revolving crew of banjo players,
fiddle players and upright bassists, Bob Waynecarries the torch for the outlaw
country tradition with a modern punk snarl. But most of all, he offers furious live shows
with his band, starting a party from the first song on.
Doing his best to abide by the traditions of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and
Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., the forerunners of his friend Hank III,
Bob Wayne adds his own spin to the echoes of the past as well.
Support comes from Heinrich XIII and the Devilgrass Pickers, one of the few german
outlaw country bands. They play a mixture of patriarchal country music with bluegrass elements,
often paired with the aggressiveness, speed and the brutal candor of metal.
www.myspace.com/bobwayne
www.heinrich13.com
October 08 2011, Dreikoenigskeller, Frankfurt/Germany
HELLBILLY WILLIES (NEARLY BLUEGRASS)
The Down Home Special presents a great local act with its musical roots deep in the hills of Kentucky. These guys have shown their skills several times before at this venue, and this will be a long evening you really don't want to miss.
Fitting support at the decks will be delivered by Kirstin von der Heydt & Truck "Driver" Benson.
Taking place at Dreikoenigskeller, Faerberstrasse 71, Frankfurt Sachsenhausen
March 25 2011, saasfee* pavillon, Frankfurt/Germany
DESERT DUST CINEMA PRE-SCREENING
Before the Desert Dust Cinema opens its doors in the West Texan desert during april 22-24, a selected program of the clips will be presented at a special location in Germany. In cooperation with the Lichter Filmtage Frankfurt, the media/design/art collective saasfee* presents the Desert Dust Cinema in their beautiful spacious pavillon.
Surrounded by skycrapers and tower buildings in the middle of Frankfurt, close to the financial district, the contrast to the upcoming screening days in Lobo couldn't be much higher.
The screening starts at 9:00 pm and ends at about 10:00 pm.
The saasfee* pavillon is located at Bleichstrasse 64-66, backyard.
www.saasfee.de
www.filmtage-frankfurt.de
February 26/27 2011
THE LONG COUNTRY MUSIC NIGHT ON RADIO X
Endless sandy beaches or endless blue highways?
Caipirinha at the poolbar or Four Roses at the Honky Tonk?
House music or Merle Haggard?
The whole life is a decision. Who prefers the last-mentioned things is right - at least if you ask Dr. Zabel and his DJ comrade Truck "Driver" Benson. At the most adequate time - at night - they will proof their opinions at a special radioshow on Frankfurt's uncommercial Radio X.
Depending on your local time zone, here's the schedule:
European Standard Time: February 27 2:00 - 7:00 AM
Pacific Standard Time: February 26
5:00 - 10:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time: February 26 8:00 PM - February 27 1:00 AM
December 23 2010, Dreikoenigskeller, Frankfurt/Germany
MICHAEL HURTT AND THE HAUNTED HEARTS
A favorite of everyone from Lazy Lester to the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, the Haunted Hearts convened in 2003 with the sole purpose of single-handedly resurrecting New Orleans' once rich, now nearly invisible hillbilly music heritage. Blending their own classics such as "Mean Mean Moon," "Lonely Mardi Gras" and "I'm On My Last Go 'Round" with Deep South Rockers, West Bank Honky-Tonkers and Bayou Lafourche Ballads by the likes of Jay Chevalier, Red LeBlanc and original "Mardi Gras Mambo" man Jody Leavins, the Hearts' rural rockin' string band sound also salutes the great states of Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee and California, not to mention those Midwestern hillbilly strongholds, Indiana and Michigan. (Myspace info)
To
some folks Mr. Hurtt may be already known for his former group The Royal Pendletons. Also he was playing bass during a tour of the legendary Panther Burns, led by Memphis genious Tav Falco. And from time to time, he's writing about the music of the southern states in music's greatest magazine MOJO.
A very recommended concert
on the stage where we all in Frankfurt still wait to see Tav Falco and Panther Burns some day.
www.myspace.com/hauntedhearts
October 09 2010, Dreikoenigskeller, Frankfurt/Germany
This will be an amazing night full of fine, nostalgic and animalistic music, performed by some true gravediggers of the weird stuff. Just listen to "Kapitaen der guten Laune" on the first link below and you will get the point.
The "Down Home Special" is a monthly evening in Frankfurt's sleaziest bar, and due to the choice of excellent liveacts this event has established to a real 'must' if you are around.
Tonight, the DJ job goes to Kaiser L and Truck "Driver" Benson who will give their best during the intermissions of the live bands. So please come around and have a drink or two with us
..
Taking place at Dreikoenigskeller, Faerberstrasse 71, Frankfurt Sachsenhausen
www.myspace.com/speedchickenkassel
www.myspace.com/johnnytorpedo1
Great news:
MAMA ROSIN, the power cajun trio from Geneva,Switzerland, will play at the YACHTKLUB - located on a boat on the Main river in Frankfurt, Germany.
Those young rebels sound like nothing you've heard before!
They live and love the Cajun Music Style, whose roots go way back to the 18th century.
It was brought to the south of the United States, to Louisiana, by the french imigrants
from Canada. In this new country, fast rhythms met some slow walz, they were
played on instruments like the austrian melodeon, the fiddle or the triangle.
Mama Rosin brings this traditional music to the new century: the trio plays the Cajun music
from Lafayette with lots of rough energy. The traditional instruments are completed with drums,
an electric guitar and a banjo. The Mama Rosin style is inspired by the black-creole Blues,
the Zydeco from New Orleans. They have some records out on the famous swiss Voodoo Rhythm label, so low-fi quality is guaranteed.
Be there:
August 25 2010, early evening hours
Yachtklub, Frankfurt Sachsenhausen, on the river underneath the youth hostel.
Countrytrouble's Truck 'Driver' Benson will spin some records during the recreation intermissions of the trio.
As every summer, there's a DJ-Set by Wheelin' Weller & Truck "Driver" Benson at the sale at AIRBAG CRAFTWORKS in Kleestadt. You can find us in the garden close to the Wurstfontaene, and we will start at noon.
We'd be glad if you join us for some sausages, drinks, music and very nice outdoor atmosphere!
Taking place June 19 2010, 11am - 7pm at
Airbag Craftworks -
www.airbagcraftworks.com
Don't miss:
SMOKESTACK LIGHTNIN'
February 16 2010, Dreikoenigskeller, Frankfurt/Germany
Don´t you go to sleep, dear?!… intone Batke/Graef and board the musical loveletter. With three chord romance and druggy avant-garde, with B52 surf skills and testube folk, it propagates the obscure in Human being. Thereby the rhetorical question is meant quite aimed at the hallucinogenic effect of the weary gaffer. With an overdose of all this, anything from Peter and the Wolf to California daydreams, from submarine bubbling to fuck-you-mentality is packed into Country. As if it had always belonged there. And underneath it all, the Ringo-mania of rhythm beater M. Kargel moves the masses while D. Hess´s twang guitar cuts the raw piece of music into bite-sized slices. Someone here is obviously having a hell of a lot of fun playing with cliches. Is this still called, “Country”? Why don´t you go to sleep, dear?! Wonderful!
An extraordinary piece of downhome, rhythm, rockin' country - The german masters of the modern twang visit once more Frankfurts sleaziest bar.
www.smokestacklightnin.de
www.dreikoenigskeller.com
