Sonoran Serenade
Tickets: $20. Includes one free well drink/glass of house wine, entry into our raffles for door prizes and dance lessons, if desired. Details are below.
The Compound and Sonoran Serenade are putting on a dance event that'll put a little rock in your socks. This incredible 20-piece big band performs a vast variety of music and styles from the '40s through the '90s; we're clearing out a great big dancefloor and dancers, spectators and music enthusiasts of all types are welcome! Please purchase tickets early and call 480-585-5483 ASAP to make dinner reservations and ensure you get a table for this wonderful event!
The Sonoran Serenade Big Band, widely regarded as one of the best dance bands in Arizona for the past 5 years, plays all of your favorite hits from every era from the '40s thru the '90s including all genres and dance styles. The band features two fabulous singers and some of the finest musical talent in the Valley. The dance floor is guaranteed to be busy all night long!
7 p.m. dance lesson with Steve Conrad from the AZ Lindy Hop Society included with cover. No partner needed!
The band performs two sets at 7:30 and 9 p.m.
Sonoran Serenade -- creating memories that last a lifetime!
Paul Thorn
His newest CD is A Long Way From Tupelo, a collection of songs which once again illustrates Thorn’s versatility and authentic connection to the music of the Mississippi heartland: blues, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n' roll. Thorn excels as a musical storyteller. Maybe, given his background, he just can’t help it. His songs are conduits for that gritty part of the South where beleaguered wisdom is as likely from the bottom of a bottle of Johnny Walker Red as it is from the pulpit of an old country church. And the latest Paul Thorn CD remains true to form.
House of Floyd
House of Floyd is more than just a band; they're a full-on multimedia experience with LASERS, visuals and a whole lot more. This is a must-attend for any Pink Floyd fan.
Rachel Goodrich
Rachel Goodrich is the pioneer of "Shake-a-Billy," based in Miami, Florida. Her music has also been described as an "eclectic blend of vaudeville-inspired indie pop, swing-jazz and country-folk." Her first album, Tinker Toys, was self-released in 2008 to critical acclaim, including a feature in the New York Times which dubbed her as a "queen of the Miami indie rock scene" Her upcoming debut album is being produced by Grammy-nominated music producer Greg Wells. Goodrich's song, "Light Bulb", was recently featured in an episode of the TV series Weeds, and the song is also in a Crayola commercial advertising a product called the Glow Dome. Also 3 of her songs "Light Bulb", "Piggy Bank" & "Ukulele Water" are featured in the MTV show My Life As Liz.
Smile Smile
Wanting to bring something new to the Dallas music scene, Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme create their own modern blend of folk, pop and rock in Smile Smile. Their songs range from heart wrenching ballads to foot stomping sing alongs. Jencey’s classical piano background teamed with Ryan’s self-taught guitar style combine to create sounds which both soar above you and pull you in tight at the same time.
“When we formed Smile Smile, we looked at what was missing in the world of folk and pop and then tried to create a sound that was uniquely ours,” says Jencey. “We really wanted our music to be catchy and memorable, but also focusing on the issues that we care about.”
The duo garnered local and national success in 2006 with their debut full-length album Blue Roses. Its full of infectious melodies, dusty blue lyrics whispers, hand-claps and toe-tappable folk songs set to guitar and keys. Smile Smile were nominated for “Best Folk Rock Song (“Sad Song”) at the Los Angeles Independent Music Awards, nominated as “Best USA Act” in the Toronto Independent Music Awards, and have had several tracks from Blue Roses licensed for programming on MTV’s NEXT. Smile Smile was also featured in the film Jack and Jill vs the World starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Tarynn Manning.
Although known for their subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) back and forth jabs onstage, when the pair sing together their voices sound as if they are one. Stripping songs down to the bone and emphasizing the simplicity of beautiful music, is about the only thing the two can agree upon.
Mofo Party Band
With strong influences from old-school Chicago Blues and West Coast Jump, The MoFo Party Band is headed by the Clifton Brothers: John - blowin' harmonica and growlin' vocals, and Bill - pickin' licks on his Guitar. Performing over 150 shows yearly, The MoFo Party Band is known for its energetic live performances, dynamic stage presence and loyal fan base. The band's performance almost always translates to full houses. Music aficionados everywhere have taken notice.
The MoFo Party Band has taken their act world wide with 3 major tours of Europe under their belt in the last 2 years. They have performed in 5 countries including and extensive tours of Poland where they have performed for sell out crowds in many of the Major Cities including the capitol Warsaw.In July 2007 The Band performed at one of the largest blues festivals in Western Europe the Belgium Rhythm and Blues Festival in Peer Belgium. With great reviews and audience response they were a big hit. The band also performed at the Luxemburg Jazz and Blues Rally attended by 23,000 people, Polish Boogie Woogie Festival and the Satyr Blues Fest in Poland.
The MoFo Party Band has played many high profile shows in the US including the San Francisco Blues Festival, the BB King Blues Festival with Johnny Lang and the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Mark Humel's Harmonica Blow Out with James Cotton and Huey Lewis. They have also worked as a backing band for such great blues artists as harp-master Johnny Dyer, the great James Harman, and the late Little Walter guitarist Luther Tucker.
The Band has also been invited to play an outstanding 10 consecutive years at Central California's #1 Blues Festivals Fire On the Mountain's Sonora Blues Festival. No band has ever appeared that many times.
In addition to their impressive performance history, the band has recorded four critically-acclaimed harmonica blues CDs on the Vivid Sound label, "Ten Dynamite Hits","Call the Doctor","Voodoo Dolls and Jungle Drums" and their latest "The Sound of MoFo Party Band" adio of Poland.
From their Retro look, dynamite stage show, and fresh lively blues grooves, the MoFo Party Band is considered one of the most original and well received acts on the music scene today.
Rasputina
Rasputina returns with Sister Kinderhook, their 6th studio album and 9th overall. The Brooklyn cello-driven trio has been kicking around since 1991, coming to the attention of Sony Records in 1996. Since returning to the Indie side of The Force, Rasputina have continued to create eccentric Baroque-Folk driven by anachronistic vocal harmonies and cello-led arrangements. Rasputina's supporting character continue to (r)evolve, but Melora Creager continues at the core for Sister Kinderhook; an album that is all that any Rasputina fan could ask for. The songwriting is tacitly obscure, delving into deep historical and political references that in and of themselves will be unfamiliar to all but the most learned listeners, but in theme serve as practical parables for today.
Melora grew up in Kansas in a musical family which did play together as an ensemble, though certainly not publicly. At 18 she moved to NYC where she studied photography at Parsons School of Design. While there, she began playing the cello with drag performers and eventually the 4AD band, Ultra Vivid Scene. That exposure to the glamorous world of professional rock music led her to found Rasputina. She thought it would be easy. Touring with Nirvana taught her lessons in avoidance of immense fame, which she has successfully practised since.
Ruthie Foster
Wicked Creek Productions presents Phoenix Blues Society's Terry Scott Memorial Acoustic series featuring Ruthie Foster (solo acoustic), The Dirt Music Express with special guest George Bowman, Sir Harrison with Jimmy Mack.
""Blues Powerhouse" -O Oprah Magazine
"...a full-on blast of soul and blues..." -Blues Revue
"There's no denying the power of Foster's monstrous voice..." -Paste magazine
"Music this moving doesn't come around often these days..." -Sonic Boomers
Garage A Trois
Garage A Trois is a collaboration between four of the most visionary improvisers of the time: Skerik on saxophones, Mike Dillon on vibes, Marco Benevento on keys and Stanton Moore on drums. And while improvisation is at the heart of what the quartet has staked its reputation upon at their legendary New Orleans Jazzfest sets and rare, but in demand, club tours, it's the intricate sonic tapestries, tightly orchestrated arrangements, refined melodies and positively modern approach to instrumental songwriting.
Jim Messina
His first producing job was a six-album contract with Columbia Records to produce the albums of singer Kenny Loggins. Messina produced Loggins' debut album, Sittin' In, and also played on it and sang backup vocals. The results pleased both of them so much that they agreed to keep working together, including concerts -- and suddenly Messina was back performing again. Loggins & Messina released nine albums in seven years with a sales figure of more than two million copies. Their style embraced folk, country-rock, jazz, and classical, with hit songs like "Watching the River Run," "Travelin' Blues," "Your Mama Don't Dance," and "Pathway to Glory." Their voices and playing, coupled with Messina's production and arrangements, made their work among the most finely produced (and popular) soft rock of the mid-'70s. Indeed, their success was sufficient to result in the reissue of Messina's long-ago surf album, credited to Jim Messina & the Jesters, on the Thimble label.
They split the partnership in 1976, following the release of Native Sons and the accompanying tour. With a few years off for rest and relaxation, Jim Messina reentered the music industry, issuing the albums Oasis (1979), Messina (1981), and One More Mile (1983). His revival also included singing and touring again with Poco on their 1989 reunion release, Legacy. Messina has continued to tour and perform new songs on an intermittent basis; the 1996 album Watching the River Run consists mainly of re-recorded versions of selected hits but also features Messina's signature country-rock sound on several new pieces. In 2005, Messina and Kenny Loggins embarked on their first tour together in 29 years, which resulted in the new live CD/DVD Sittin' in Again along with a revival of interest and a fresh round of CD reissues and upgrades of their '70s catalog. In August 2009 a new Messina solo effort, the Latin-tinged EP Under a Mojito Moon, was released, featuring four new songs and two re-recordings of earlier material. ~ Kim Summers & Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Star Anna
"Star Anna is an American original. I am a huge fan of her music and especially her voice. I watched Star Anna steal the entire show at our Hootenany for Haiti last year and we had about 16 local and well known musicians playing on and off the whole night!"
- Mike McCready
"She is the real deal. She will be a talent that we can all say that we saw her when . . . . Guaranteed."
- Duff McKagan
"Some stars burn brief and dim, Star Anna burns like S Doradus gone nova. She and the Dogs deliver passion, grit and rock’n’roll and right now there really isn’t anyone out there to touch them."
- Jeremy Searle, Americana UK
The Tubes
The Tubes with special guest The Static Session
JJ Grey and Mofro
JJ has brought his music to countless festivals, including Austin City Limits Festival, Byron Bay Blues Festival (Australia), Bonnaroo, Montreal Jazz Festival and Fuji Rock (Japan). Over the course of his 15-plus year career, Grey has shared stages with the likes of the B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Los Lobos, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, Booker T. Jones, Mavis Staples and many others. In the spring of 2010 Grey was awarded the opportunity of a lifetime as a solo acoustic opener with soul legends Mavis Staples and Booker T. Jones on the What It Is! tour. JJ reminisces, “Getting to open up for such legends, it’s just something I’ll never forget.”
His songs have also appeared in film and on network and cable television programs including House, Flashpoint, Crash, Friday Night Lights, The Deadliest Catch, and the film The Hoot. In November 2009, JJ wrote his first film score for the critically acclaimed documentary The Good Soldier that appeared in theatres and on Bill Moyers' Journal on PBS. Recently, Grey played piano, sang and contributed a song (The Wrong Side) to Buckwheat Zydeco’s Grammy-winning Alligator album, Lay Your Burden Down.
With the release of Georgia Warhorse and a relentless world tour to follow, Grey is set for a breakout year. Commenting on his musical future, he says, “Life just makes itself up right in front of me and I just roll with it. All I know is to have the family I have, see the places I’ve been, meet the people I’ve met and to get to play music with some of the most talented folks around has got to make me the luckiest man alive.”
