Poi Rogers + Laura Benitez & The Heartache + Kate Burkart Band at Ivy Room

ivy room presentsSUNDAY OCT 12TH"Dot’s Sunday Hoedowns”—POI ROGERSLAURA BENITEZ AND THE HEARTACHETHE KATE BURKART BAND----Doors 2pm / Show 3pmADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE / $15 DOOR----IVY ROOM860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+—POI ROGERS—Somewhere in-between the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles and the honky tonk beer joints of rural 1950s California, you'll find Poi Rogers.Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, the duo performs original and vintage American roots music, with Gerard Egan doubling on acoustic guitar and triple-neck steel and Carolyn Sills on standup bass, their timeless harmonies anchoring the show.Carolyn and Gerard have been nominated for many national awards over the last few years with their other group, The Carolyn Sills Combo, including winning the 2018 and 2024 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group, Carolyn being named the Academy of Western Artists' Western Swing Female Vocalist of 2020 and the couple both being inducted into the Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame...

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ivy room presentsSUNDAY OCT 12TH"Dot’s Sunday Hoedowns”—POI ROGERSLAURA BENITEZ AND THE HEARTACHETHE KATE BURKART BAND----Doors 2pm / Show 3pmADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE / $15 DOOR----IVY ROOM860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+—POI ROGERS—Somewhere in-between the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles and the honky tonk beer joints of rural 1950s California, you'll find Poi Rogers.Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, the duo performs original and vintage American roots music, with Gerard Egan doubling on acoustic guitar and triple-neck steel and Carolyn Sills on standup bass, their timeless harmonies anchoring the show.Carolyn and Gerard have been nominated for many national awards over the last few years with their other group, The Carolyn Sills Combo, including winning the 2018 and 2024 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group, Carolyn being named the Academy of Western Artists' Western Swing Female Vocalist of 2020 and the couple both being inducted into the Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame. Carolyn’s reputation for creative and clever storytelling got her writing published in the 'Lyrics as Poetry' chronicles.What began as a fun way for the couple to explore the vintage musical styles they love turned into an in-demand touring act, with Poi Rogers ‘accidentally’ playing almost 300 shows since 2023. Their debut album, Twilight Blues, was dreamt up over the course of numerous dog walks throughout the duo’s sleepy seaside town in California; the collection of eight songs are both cinematic snapshots from the couples’ life together and witty odes to their antiquated passions.Poi Rogers debut album, Twilight Blues, was released in June of 2025, and hit #2 on the US alt-country chartsLAURA BENITEZ AND THE HEARTACHE—Laura Benitez and the Heartache use the three chord tools of country music to tell the simple, unvarnished truth about love, too much whiskey, and the call of the road. Their new album, "California Centuries," finds the band delving deep into themes of collective denial ("Bad Things"), gaslighting ("Invisible" and "Gaslight") and romantic lessons learned ("I'm the One" and "Are You Using Your Heart"). Their twangy honesty shines through in straightforward arrangements, crystalline harmonies, and spare instrumentation. Beware their catchy hooks and sweet melodies - these stray puppy tunes will follow you home and become your most steadfast companions.Laura Benitez, songwriter, lead singer and founder of Laura Benitez and the Heartache, has been making her mark on stage and screen since 2000. She spent several years appearing in soap operas and commercials in Los Angeles before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004, diving into the region’s rich Americana and Roots music scenes. Taking her musical cues from the heavily rock influenced Bakersfield sound, and her lyric inspiration from her favorite songwriters Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, Laura began writing songs in 2008. She released her first album, "For Duty or for Love" on her own label, Copperhead Records, in 2010.In 2012 she recruited the multi-talented singer, songwriter, and drummer Michele Kappel-Stone (Kirby Grips/Tippy Canoe/Heartache Sisters) into the band, and was lucky enough to secure the talents of Bob Spector (The Spectones) and Ted O'Connell (The GoldDiggers, Moonshine Maybelline) on twang guitar and bass. These four joined together with Ian Taylor Sutton (Vincent Neil Emerson, Logan Ledger, Jesse Daniel) on pedal steel to record their critically acclaimed full length album, "Heartless Woman," which was released in 2014. 2015 saw the band touring to festivals in Southern California and Nashville, but also saw some changes in personnel, with Michele Kappel-Stone and Ted O'Connell turning their full-time attention to other projects. Members of The Heartache in this time period included Steve Pearson (Secret Town, Kate Burkart Band), Mike Anderson (77 El Deora), Jim Goodkind (Whiskey Pass), Patti Maxine (Island Breeze, Henhouse), Chris Weinress (Mojo Mix), and Russell Kiel (Secret Town, Crying Time, Muddy Roses). Benitez won an honorable mention for the song "Our Remember Whens" in American Songwriter Magazine's lyric contest for January of 2016. The band released the much-praised album "With All Its Thorns" in 2018. Laura took time off of recording and touring for the birth of her daughter, Ada, in 2019, and the global pandemic shut down any hope of touring in 2020 or 2021. The band spent the pandemic working on demos of new material, and those demos became the album "California Centuries," recorded at 25th St. Studios in Oakland and released in September of 2022. The end of the global pandemic saw more personnel changes to the band, with Bob Spector and Russell Kiel leaving to pursue other projects. New band members Ian Michell (Bitter Diamonds) and Jamie Duncan (Aaron Burnham and the Brushfires, Dogweed String Band) have reinvigorated the Heartache with their talent and energy.THE KATE BURKART BAND—Kate Burkart has been writing, singing, and playing in the San Francisco Bay area for over a decade. She released “Faith To Fall”, her debut album, in 2010. The six-song EP “Save Me a Seat” followed in 2015, and she’s released several singles since, including “Last” and the Blaze Foley cover “Moonlight,” as well as her latest single, "Twisted Wind.The Kate Burkart Band is a true Americana blend of rock, twang, and some quiet introspection. The common thread? Lyrics that tell a story and draw the listener in. Most often compared with Lucinda Williams, Kate was recently called “Neil Young with a dash of Karen Carpenter”… shows are everywhere throughout the San Francisco Bay Area!

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