The Holmes Brothers with Sol Roots perform Friday April 11, 2014 at Gypsy Sally's in Washington DC.
The Holmes Brothersâ¨
âTimeless, deeply soulful and uplifting gospel-drenched blues, street corner doo-wop, ballads, R&B, country and funk.â âThe New York Timesâ¨â¨
"Fervent, inspired and joyful blues, R&B, soul, roadhouse rock and gospelâŚbeautiful harmonies, true magic." âNPR
Sol Roots
"Sol is a fierce guitarist and soulful singer"- Jambase
"...a heavy groove! Sol tears out funk, blues, and rock, delivered with deep soul" - Music Maker Relief Foundation
The Holmes Brothers
â¨âGreat songs, whether we write them or not, bring great things,â says guitarist/pianist/vocalist/songwriter Wendell Holmes. âAnd we are all about striving to write, find and perform great songs.â The Holmes BrothersâWendell, bassist/songwriter/vocalist Sherman Holmes and drummer/vocalist and brother-in-spirit Popsy Dixonâare true treasures of American roots music. For 35 years, The Holmes Brothersâ joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock ânâ roll and country has been captivating audiences around the world. Their spine-tingling three-part harmony singing, mixing Wendellâs gruff and gravelly vocals with Popsyâs soaring falsetto and Shermanâs rich baritone, brings the spirit of gospel-inflected deep soul music into every song they perform. Equally gripping is the rhythmic foundation laid down by Shermanâs bass playing and Popsyâs drumming, perfectly complementing Wendellâs blues-soaked guitar solos and church-inspired piano playing. The band expertly blends Saturday nightâs roadhouse rock and blues with the gospel passion of Sunday morningâs church service. Rolling Stone says The Holmes Brothers play âimpressive, fervent country soul.â Entertainment Weekly goes further, declaring âThe Holmes Brothers are juke joint vets with a brazenly borderless view of American music...timeless and rapturous.ââ¨â¨
The bandâs new Alligator Records album, Brotherhood, was produced by Glenn Patscha (Ollabelle, Marc Cohn), Chris Bruce (Me'Shell NdegĂŠOcello, Seal) and Hector Castillo (Brazilian Girls, David Bowie). It is another stellar chapter in The Holmes Brothersâ storied and still-evolving history. Itâs also their most bluesy album to date, filled with roadhouse wisdom, late-night doo wop, proto rock ânâ roll punch, soulful R&B and closing with an amazing dose of Sunday morning spirit. Featuring fourteen songsâincluding eight new Holmes Brothers originals and six carefully-chosen coversâBrotherhood finds The Holmes Brothers at the absolute top of their game, creating timeless roots music. From the rocking Wendell original Stayed At The Party, to the sweet harmonies of Ted Hawkins' I Gave Up All I Had, to Sherman's soulful composition Passing Through, to the doo wop splendor of Popsy's vocals on the Stax classic My Kind Of Girl, to Wendell's gorgeous duet with his daughter Felicia on Loving You From Afar, to the final note of the band's most requested songâand a highlight of each and every live performanceâthe soul-stirring Amazing Grace, Brotherhood is a testament to the uplifting musical power that comes from the close-knit, fraternally telepathic relationship of The Holmes Brothers. âAs much as I love all of our albums, this is among my favorites,â says Wendell. âWe worked hard. We tried for a live, loose feel and we got it. Glenn, Chris and Hector captured The Holmes Brothers sound most distinctly.â
â¨â¨From winning multiple Blues Music Awards to sharing stages and recordings with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Osborne, Willie Nelson, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Merle Haggard, Al Green, Ben Harper, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Levon Helm, Rosanne Cash, Odetta, Marc Cohn and The Jungle Brothers, The Holmes Brothers have seemingly done it all. USA Today says that band is âglorious...full of soul and surprises.â The New York Times declares The Holmes Brothers âdeeply soulful, uplifting and timeless.ââ¨â¨
Their journey started in Christchurch, Virginia, where Sherman and Wendell were raised by their schoolteacher parents, who nurtured the boysâ early interest in music. As youngsters they listened to traditional Baptist hymns, anthems and spirituals as well as blues music by Jimmy Reed, Junior Parker and B.B. King. According to Wendell, âIt was a small town, and my brother and I were about the only ones who could playâ¨anything. I guess you could say we were large musical fish in a small pond. So we played around in all the area churches on Sundays.â The night before, though, they would play blues, soul, country and rock at their cousinâs local club, Herman Wateâs Juke Joint. âWhen he couldnât get any good groups to come from Norfolk or Richmond, heâd call us in,â Wendell recalls. âThatâs how we honed our sound. We used to say weâd rock âem on Saturday and save âem on Sunday.â
â¨â¨Sherman studied composition and music theory at Virginia State University, but in 1959 he dropped out and headed to New York for a promising job with a singer named Jimmy Jones (of Handy Man fame). His younger brother Wendell joined him in New York after completing high school. The two brothers played in a few bands before forming The Sevilles in 1963. The group lasted only three years, but they often backed up touring artists like The Impressions, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Butler, gaining a wealth of experience. Sherman and Wendell met drummer Popsy Dixon, a fellow Virginian, at a New York gig in 1967. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs. âAfter that second song,â recalls Wendell, âPopsy was a brother.â They continued to play in a variety of Top 40 bar bandsâWendell even toured with Inez and Charlie Foxx (Mockingbird)âuntil 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers band.â¨â¨In the early years, the band worked primarily at Dan Lynchâs, a New York club that featured weekly jam nights and performances by a wide variety of blues acts, most notably The Holmes Brothers. More importantly, the club served as a meeting ground for many members of New Yorkâs blues community, including future members of Blues Traveler, Joan Osborne and producer/harmonicist Andy Breslau, who brought the group to Rounder Records.
â¨â¨Since their debut on Rounder in 1989, The Holmes Brothers have toured virtually non-stop. Theyâve performed in 50 different countries, including dates across the United States, Canada, throughout Europe, and in Singapore, Japan, Russia, Turkey, South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to their four critically acclaimed Rounder albums, they recorded Jubilation for Peter Gabrielâs Real World label in 1992, becoming the first American group to record for the standout world music imprint. 1996 found The Holmes Brothers starring in the independent motion picture Lotto Land, for which they also recorded the soundtrack. Their albums all received massive praise. âMind-blowing,â said the Boston Herald. âRich and satisfying,â raved The Washington Post.â¨â¨
The Holmes Brothers joined Alligator Records in 2001, releasing the Joan Osborne-produced Speaking In Tongues to overwhelming popular and critical acclaim. They followed with 2004âs Simple Truths, 2007âs State Of Grace and 2010âs Feed My Soul (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart), each release earning the band more fans and more accolades. The success of their albums led to multiple appearances on national television, including visits to The Late Show With David Letterman and two trips to Late Night With Conan OâBrien, as well as a rousing performance on CBS Saturday Morning. Profiles and concerts on NPR have put them in front of millions of listeners. They have appeared on Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, A Prairie Home Companion and performed on NPR Musicâs Tiny Desk Concert. They played their original song Opportunity To Cry with Willie Nelson for the Willie Nelson & Friends: Outlaws And Angels TV special. The Holmes Brothers have been featured in countless newspaper and magazine articles and continue to tear up the highway, touring across the country and around the world. Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune said The Holmes Brothers are a âjoyous, foot-stomping carnival...a gift to the world of music.â
â¨â¨All of The Holmes Brothersâ musical gifts are displayed in full force on Brotherhood. With their deeply soulful singing, uplifting harmonies and unsurpassed musicianship, The Holmes Brothersâ ability to deliver gospel fervor and raw blues intensity is as legendary as their ability to bring audiences to their feet. The band is eager to bring their new release to the stage. âWeâre looking forward to exposing the new songs to our fans, and bringing new fans to our songs,â says Wendell. âIf you stay ready, you donât have to get ready, and The Holmes Brothers are always ready.â
â¨â¨Sol Roots
Sol Roots is a fierce guitarist and soulful singer who has toured around the world with many roots, funk, and blues legends. Sol's talent stretches from fiery rock to laid back jazz, and from funky innovative grooves to soulful ballads, drawing on a deep background in raw down-home blues.
Sol has performed on stage and in the studio with musical heavyweights Taj Mahal, Kenny Wayne Shepard, and with the international guitar hero Cool John Ferguson (nominated 2 years -Most Outstanding Guitarist-Living Blues), who he performed with steadily for years. With Cool John, Sol has opened for the great B.B. King, Derek Trucks Band, and other musical luminaries.â¨â¨
Sol has performed at many premier festivals and venues across the east coast US, and he and his band have co-billed with Soulive, Eric Lindell, Walter Wolfman Washington, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, The Wood Brothers, Jackie Greene, and more.â¨â¨
Paying homage to the greats, Sol seeks to push musical boundaries and bring Roots Music to a new generation of listeners.â¨â¨
Sol Roots is an official Home Grown Music Network artist.
âSol's playing has been described as âmusical glue," holding together many grooves and personalities. He has backed up legendary artists like Taj Mahal and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, opened for Robert Randolph, Wood Brothers, and has played with more obscure artists who have had unique perspectives and sounds. Though it all, he has learned many valuable lessons and is still able to hold on to the one thing that ties us all spiritually to one another â music.â- Jeff Reid - The Beat Magazine
âThe song âRough Catfishâ plants the listener firmly back in the barrens of the Mississippi Delta, as Sol howls like a man possessed. Think of Robert Johnsonâs âCrossroadsâ fused with Jimi Hendrixâs âMachine Gun,â and you get some indication of what this song âfeelsâ like. Tall comparison, I know, but this song, with its wonderful use of mood, proves worthy of the distinction.â- Evan Wade, Home Grown Music Networkâ¨â¨
Venue Information:
â¨Gypsy Sally'sâ¨
3401 K Street NWâ¨Washington, DC, 20007
â¨Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 8:30 pmâ¨
$20 in advance, $25 day of showâ¨
This event is 21 and over
Online sales stop at 5pm day of show.
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