The Hot Bluegrass & Cool Originals of the Kathy Kallick Band Meet the Sycamore Slough String Band, An Acoustic Band Playing the Music of The Grateful Dead

"A profound songwriter and expressive singer, San Franciscan Kathy Kallick is a mountain gal at heart. Her singing has always been earthy and passionate. As a songwriter, she knows how to pen beautiful impressionistic pieces with memorable contemporary messages."~ Joe Ross

Kathy Kallick continues to evolve as one of the music’s extraordinary composers and vocalists, now releasing her 17th live album "Time", recordings which include over 100 of her original songs.  Song tracks from "Time" include four unique and powerful Kathy Kallick originals plus two sizzling instrumentals written by band members Tom Bekeny and Greg Booth. "Time" also contains fresh interpretations of songs learned from Bill Monroe, Vern & Ray, the Delmore Brothers, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, Rose Maddox/Mike Seeger, and Kathy's mother. This mixture of original and classic material mirrors the distinctive combination of traditional and contemporary sensibilities that have come to define the Kathy Kallick Band.

Kathy has been among the elite of contemporary songwriters and singers since co-founding the internationally-acclaimed band, Good Ol’ Persons, in 1975. Her latest CD, "Between the Hollow and the High-Rise", and the song "Where Is My Little Cabin Home", were fixtures on the national bluegrass charts for two years. The song had more chart time than any other 2010-11 release!

Along the way, Kathy has: *Won a Grammy and two IBMA Awards for her part on True Life Blues: The Songs Of Bill Monroe. *Had three title tracks and three albums (Call Me A Taxi, Walkin' In My Shoes, and Warmer Kind Of Blue) each spend a year in the upper echelon of the bluegrass charts. *Appeared on three high-profile Rounder collections of bluegrass songs by women, as well as many other noteworthy collections of songs. *Toured throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.

Sharing the stage October 19th will be the Sycamore Slough String Band which gives a unique acoustic twist to the the music of The Grateful Dead.  The Sycamore Slough String Band was newly founded in January 2012 by David Gans. It includes mandolinist David Thom who worked for 2 years as a guitarist with the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, has lead the David Thom Band since 1996, and plays in Grandpa Banana's Band.  SSSB's fiddler Muhlethaler was a co-founder of Cornmeal, has toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer's the Artimus Pyle Band and recently spent a year playing in The Fall Risk, a band led by Furthur's Jeff Pehrson. Bassist Roger Sideman has performed with Michael Kang (String Cheese Incident) and bluegrass legend Frank Wakefield, and currently performs with The China Cats.

SSSB founder David Gans performs solo electric and he also performs with Chris and Lorin Rowan in the Beatles jam band Rubber Souldiers. David does a lot of Grateful Dead-related stuff  including his KPFA radio program "DEad to the World", as well as online and in books. These musicians share an affinity for the music of the Grateful Dead, and came together in an Oakland recording studio in January 2012 to see what they could conjure. The result was their debut CD "First Rehearsals".

Kathy Kallick Band is:
Kathy Kallick: guitar, vocals
Annie Staninec: fiddle, Banjo, vocals
Tom Bekeny: mandolin, fiddle, vocals
Greg Booth: dobro, banjo, vocals
Sharon Gilchrist: acoustic bass, mandolin, vocals

Sycamore Slough String Band is:
David Gans: guitar and vocals
David Thom: mandolin, guitar and vocals
Dave Muhlethaler: fiddle, mandolin and vocals
Roger Sideman: bass and vocals.

Between the Hollow and the Hise Rise is "Great stuff! A nice mix of Kathy Kallick songs, lesser-known bluegrass gems, and instrumentals/songs from her bandmates. Kallick is in fine voice through-out, more than ably assisted by her first-rate band. Special kudos to Greg Booth, whose reso playing is stellar, and Annie Staninec, who is brilliant on fiddle throughout. Six of the fourteen tracks are Kallick originals, and all are strong. A fabulous recording, one that will bring pleasure to anyone who enjoys good songs, and quality picking and singing.” ~ John Lawless, Bluegrass Today