September 05
The Pabst Theater
CONTENT/BIO – Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
Beginning as a drummer in the seminal 60’s San Francisco rock band The Charlatans, and continuing with the unique and legendary Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Dan Hicks is widely acknowledged as one of the central defining figures in American roots music. Hicks has earned a reputation as a true original with his signature electicism and humor. He continues to carve his own way through a number of genres from proto-psychedelia to western swing and jazz; from tin pan alley to country blues, while always cultivating his own unique sound. The original Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks recorded five ground-breaking and Billboard-charting records for the Columbia, Blue Thumb and Warner Bros. labels. They toured worldwide and Dan appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine three times. The newest incarnation of DH & HL released the wildly successful “Beatin’ the Heat” in 2000, featuring collaborations with Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Rickie Lee Jones and Brian Setzer. USA Today called it “one of the blessings of the new millenium.” That release was followed by the live cd “Alive & Lickin” in 2001, and the late 2003 cd/dvd “Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks Featuring An All Star Cast of Friends” That project reunited Hicks with virtually every musician he has ever played and recorded with. Both Mojo and Downbeat Magazines rated it “Four Stars…one of the best cds of ’04.” 2005 brought the newest studio release “Selected Shorts” featuring special guests Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Gibby Haynes, Jim Keltner and Van Dyke Parks. Widely touted as the band’s best cd yet — The New Yorker Magazine remarked "As great as his early masterpiece “Where’s the Money?”… truly superb." Early 2009 will bring the release of Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks tenth studio cd to be produced by Grammy-winner Chris Goldsmith (Blind Boys of Alabama) featuring all new Dan Hicks original songs with special guests. This promises to be another classic addition to the truly unique body of work of this great American songwriter. To quote Daily Variety, “Dan Hicks is at the top of his game…unlike many pop artists today, a new studio album from Dan Hicks is like a new painting from Picasso…STAY TUNED!”
“Dan Hicks is an American Treasure. ‘I Scare Myself’ and ‘It’s Not My Time to Go’…
I think they’re two of the best songs ever written” – Elvis Costello
“Dan Hicks is fly, sly, wily and dry!” – Tom Waits
“Dan Hicks is lightning in a bottle.” – Bette Midler
His latest work of genius, Tangled Tales, is a return to the roots of Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks’ earliest days. This version of the Hot Licks has perhaps grown a bit warmer with age, but it has the same innovative mix of old-timey authenticity and modern swagger that has made Dan a favorite of listeners and fellow artists for over 40 years. Working with his touring band in the studio for the first time in decades, Dan also invites a California cartel of special guests. But instead of featuring guest vocalists, as he’s done on other recent releases, this time Dan has assembled an amazing cast of instrumentalists. In addition to mandolin master David Grisman, harmonica legend Charlie Musslewhite, and renowned slide guitarist Roy Rogers — also featured are bluegrass violin master Richard Greene, and the world’s foremost cowboy swing guitarist, Bruce Forman.
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