The Center for the Arts presents
Sunday, December 11
7:30PM, $25 members and $28 non-member
“As so few truly orginal voices exist in pop music, Dan Hicks
should be a national treasure.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“fly, sly, wily and dry…” – Tom Waits
As in years past, Dan, the Licks, and Lickettes will don their jingle bells and santa hats for another season of holiday fun. This year, the crew has a special treat for your Christmas stocking, a new recording, “Crazy for Christmas” to be released on Surfdog Records just in time for the tour. Included are seven original tunes written for the CD, along with Dan’s unique twist on traditional favorites like “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Run Rudolph Run,” and a scat version of “Carol of the Bells”. There will also be plenty of other slightly off-kilter (but never off-key) material from a singer-songwriter who’s a true American original.
Beginning as a drummer in the seminal 60′s San Francisco rock band The Charlatans, and continuing with his unique and legendary Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Dan Hicks is widely acknowledged as one of the defining figures in American roots music. Having earned a reputation as a true original with his signature eclecticism and humor, Hicks continues to carve his way through a number of genres from proto-psychedelia to western swing and jazz, from tin pan alley to country blues — all the while cultivating his own unique sound. The original Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks recorded five ground-breaking and Billboard-charting records for the Columbia, Blue Thumb and Warner Bros. labels. They toured worldwide, and Dan appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine three times.
| Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks have hijacked the holidays and created a Christmas album you’ll enjoy all year long. Crazy For Christmasis classic Hot Licks, full of the same dry wit and musical brilliance that has defined Dan Hicks’ music for the past four decades and established him as one of American music’s true cult heroes. “[Crazy For Christmas has] a joyously irreverent charm …[and is] a warm reminder of just how consistent, steady, and poignantly funny Hicks can be; any season of the year.” “You may not be able to believe in Santa anymore, but thanks to Hicks and the Hot Licks you can still believe in the infinitely more valuable vibe and spirit that the Fat Man represents.” “Necessary for any holiday hipster.” “[an] unholy combination of Mose Allison, Django Reinhardt and Frank Zappa.” “This CD is that rarest of beasts: a good Christmas record.” “Perhaps your holiday celebrations get a little rowdy. Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks have got you covered.” |
The newest incarnation of Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks released the wildly successful “Beatin’ the Heat” in 2000, featuring collaborations with Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Rickie Lee Jones and Brian Setzer. USA Today called it “one of the blessings of the new millennium.” That release was followed by the live CD “Alive & Lickin” in 2001. 2003 saw the release of “Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks – Featuring An All Star Cast of Friends” DVD/CD, a spectacular concert and video project that reunited Hicks with virtually every musician he has ever played and recorded with. Both Mojo and Downbeat magazines rated it “Four Stars…one of the best CDs of ’04.” 2005 brought the studio album “Selected Shorts”, featuring special guests Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Gibby Haynes, Jim Keltner and Van Dyke Parks. It was widely touted as one of the band’s best — The New Yorker magazine remarked, “As great as his early masterpiece “Where’s the Money?”…truly superb.”
In vintage Dan Hicks form, Tangled Tales, his tenth studio album (March 24, 2009/Surfdog Records) , mashes the outlaw swing music, insightful charm, and brilliant melodies that have endeared him to audiences and fellow artists for four decades. Featuring a world-class collection of musical talent including instrumental virtuosos David Grisman, Charlie Musselwhite, and slide-guitarist Roy Rogers, and produced by Grammy-winning roots music producer Chris Goldsmith, Tangled Tales delivers eight great new original tunes that feel like instant Dan Hicks classics (and some choice cover tunes too). It is yet another brilliant addition to the unique body of work of this great American songwriter. To quote Daily Variety, “Dan Hicks is at the top of his game … unlike many pop artists today, a new studio album from Dan Hicks is like a new painting from Picasso… STAY TUNED!”
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