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Little Feat: Can't Be Satisfied Tourwith Special Guest The Steel Wheels
August 20, 2024
5pm doors // 7pm show
Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company | South Deerfield, MA
For more information on Summer Stage concerts, please visit the FAQ page: https://treehousebrew.com/summer-stage-faqs
Join us outdoors at Tree House Brewing Company Western Mass for an incredible performance with...
Little Feat
https://www.littlefeat.net
The members of Little Feat emerged from the pandemic with their sense of humor, chops, and collective joy in playing intact. Over the past three years, they’ve focused tours on their epic live album Waiting for Columbus and re-issues of their second through fourth albums (Sailin’ Shoes, Dixie Chicken, and Feats Don’t Fail Me Now. Audience response has been rapturous.
The band builds on a deep, over 50-year history. Little Feat used a combination of elite musicianship and brilliant, idiosyncratic songwriting to create a repertoire that transcends all boundaries. California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country and rockabilly mixed with New Orleans swamp boogie led to a powerful sound that has kept the audience dancing for decades.
Their groove – in songs like “Dixie Chicken,” “Spanish Moon,” “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” – was so infectious it allowed them to endure and press on even when losing their founder, Lowell George, and founding drummer, Richie Hayward. They’re in top form now with Scott Sharrard on lead/vox and Tony Leone on drums/vox, and with founder Bill Payne on keys/vox, Fred Tackett on guitars/vox, Kenny Gradney on bass, and Sam Clayton on percussion/vox.
Now it’s time for something new. Their creativity has been renewed, and 2024 will see the release of the brand-new Sam’s Place, in which Feat backs their linchpin conga player, Sam Clayton, on vocals. The album features a new song, “Milk Man,” by Sam, Scott, and Fred. There’s a live version of “Got My Mojo Working.” Sam and Bonnie Raitt duet on Muddy’s “Long Distance Call.”
Sam’s Place scratches a deep itch. Sam added, “I'm very happy because I was never expecting anything like that. I mean, I have wanted to, but I just wasn't expecting it to come to the fruition. It was a long wait, but it’s satisfying.”
The Steel Wheels
https://www.thesteelwheels.com
It takes time
For the seasons to change
It takes time, sometimes so much time
To welcome a reason not to stay the same
-“Time Is All I Need,” from Everyone a Song Vol. 2
The Steel Wheels have long been at home in the creative space between tradition and innovation, informed by the familiar sounds of the Virginia mountains where the band was formed, but always moving forward with insightful lyrics and an evolving sound. In 2005, Jay Lapp (vocals, guitars, mandolin) and Eric Brubaker (vocals, fiddle) joined lead singer Trent Wagler (guitar, banjo) in forming the band as a vehicle for Wagler’s songwriting. They released several albums under Wagler’s moniker, before officially adopting the The Steel Wheels name with the 2010 release of Red Wing. Quickly staking their claim as independent upstarts in the burgeoning Americana scene, The Steel Wheels followed up this release with three more self-produced albums in the next five years, before joining forces with producer Sam Kassirer for Wild As We Came Here (2017) and Over The Trees (2019). Kevin Garcia (drums, percussion, keys) joined in 2017, bringing a new level of sonic depth and polish to the outfit. Newest member Jeremy Darrow rounds out the rhythm section and grounds the band as they continue to explore deeply rooted yet fresh folk rock sounds. Having gained the experience of thousands of shows, festivals and many miles on the road, the stubbornly independent band has formed deep bonds with each other and the audience that sustains them.
The Steel Wheels have responded to this time of isolation and loss by seeking to connect with their audience in new ways. In 2020, unable to perform their rootsy brand of Americana for crowds in live settings, the musicians turned their creative powers to crafting songs for individuals. Produced in isolation in the band’s home studios, the Everyone a Song albums are part of an ongoing project to collect the personal experiences of fans and forge them into that most enduring, yet ephemeral, format we call “song.” An accompanying podcast, We Made You a Song, explores the stories behind these songs, and the songwriting process itself. While each song was commissioned to honor a specific relationship or event—a birth, a wedding, a memory of home—the emotions evoked are universal.
Nowhere is this shared humanity more evident than at the band’s own Red Wing Roots Music Festival, a weekend-long celebration of music, community, and the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Hosted by The Steel Wheels every summer, the festival provides a space for the band to shine, from their high energy Saturday night main stage set to their afternoon showcase with young Red Wing Academy students. At Sunday’s gospel hour you are as likely to hear Steel Wheels originals or Warren Zevon covers as you are traditional gospel fare. The weekend is rounded out by the beloved tribute set in which the band collaborates with a cadre of fellow artists to honor an influential figure in American music, with past tributes ranging from Dolly Parton to John Prine.
Whether at a joyous summer festival, in their many shows across the country and beyond, or in the studio, The Steel Wheels continue their mission set out over a decade ago; shaking up traditions to see what sticks, telling stories, and joining communities through song.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company Western Mass, 1 Community Pl, South Deerfield, MA 01373-7328, United States,South Deerfield, Massachusetts
Tickets
