Bill Kirchen

Bill Kirchen September 19

American roots legend, grammy nominated, "titan of the telecaster" Bill Kirchen stops in Springfield on September 19 to perform for the Bedrock 66 Live music series. Kirchen is best known as guitarist and sometime vocalist for Commander Cody and the Lost Plant Airmen. In 1972 Kirchen's twangy telecaster runs could be heard all over the air waves on the top ten hit, Hot Rod Lincoln.

Kirchen has shared the stage with the likes of Nick Lowe, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Doug Sahm and Ralph Stanley. He is also a charter member of honky-tonk supergroup The Twangbangers along with Redd Volkaert and Dallas Wayne. He was nominated in 2001 for a grammy in the best country instrumental performance category for Poultry in Motion.

A Bill Kirchen show will leave you reminiscing about the great guitar players of the 20th century. From Hendrix to Maphis, Travis to Burton, Kirchen is a true guitar players' guitar player. Expect an evening of non-stop truck drivin, cryin' in your beer, drag racin', old school honky-tonkin' music.

October 10 Bedrock 66 Live!

Remember folks, this new series is a work in progress so check back often for updates on who we have lined up. October 10 we are excited to announce the appearance of a fabulous double bill.

The Boulder Acoustic Society and Otis Gibbs.






Boulder Acoustic Society - Blending sounds almost a century old with modern influences, BAS is jazz, country, folk and rock. Something they call, "American Roots music with the edge of punk rock and the grace of chamber music. Ukeleles, banjo, violin (or is that a fiddle), guitar, accordion, bass and percussion mixed to deliver a mesermerizing gypsy sound. In the 1920's when recorded music was young you could hear jazz, country, swing and blues all mixed together. At a BAS performance you still can!










If Woody Guthrie listened to Johnny Cash or if you took Steve Earle's midwestern twang and humanistic lyrics and combined them with Billy Bragg's punk rock socialism you might get Otis Gibbs. One of the things I like best about Otis Gibbs is that he wears his midwestern roots on his sleeve in a way that seems natural and not a cliche. His music is reminiscent of the great Texas singer/songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Butch Hancock, but Gibbs hasn't attempted to reinvent himself as a Texan. Like Mellencamp without the big record deal, the corporate advertising or the overproduction. Maybe I just relate to a guy that tells of meeting a girl "at a truck stop in Effingham". I've never felt the hot west Texas winds blowing the sand across my face but I might have met the "daughter of a truck drivin' man at a truck stop in Effingham" (from Daughter of a Truck Drivin' Man). Or is it his insistence that if we really want to end war and hunger we can, "if we want to" (from I Wanna Change It With You). I wonder, did Joe Hill write love songs?