With bjorkish runaway melodies and dreamscape lyrics, Laura Dunn combines banjo music with opera singers, toy pianos and rattling chains. With the Ghosts of Xmas Past's eerie harmonies and R&B trills, they make a new blend of creepy folk music.
"Canadian transplant and former jam band muse Serena Jean is a mighty fine country-rockin' gal. (She) doesn't waste time brawling under the roots tent about labels; the singer-songwriter's too busy vying for the crown of supreme artist on the come up... She and her cracking band will entice you to honky-tonk. This is the genuine hotness—with boots!" -The Village Voice
With the release of her debut album Town & Country, Serena Jean reaffirms her position at the forefront of the American roots music scene, where she has become one of the performers most popular with New York City audiences and most admired by her fellow musicians.
Meditative Songwriting
TUE 2/1
The singer/songwriter rarely makes the leap from the obscure safety of the basement to the challenge of recording and performing artist with the seamlessness of 19 year-old Chris Jennings. Swimming somewhere in the gene pool that spawned Paul Westerberg, Pete Yorn, Sondre Lerche and Sufjan Stevens, Jennings writes, plays and sings with the emotional awareness and force that makes a listener doubt his age. His songs are at once playfully literate and unmistakably catchy. Currently Chris is working on his debut album at Spirithouse Studios with producers Danny Bernini and Paul McNamara. Like Beck at the Knitting Factory and Conor Oberst at the 8th Grade Prom, you want to be able to see Chris Jennings early and brag that you were there when.
Singer of Thievery Corporation! Classically trained violist and a singer songwriter originally from Slovakia, also plays guitar and piano.
With bjorkish runaway melodies and dreamscape lyrics, Laura Dunn combines banjo music with opera singers, toy pianos and rattling chains. With the Ghosts of Xmas Past's eerie harmonies and R&B trills, they make a new blend of creepy folk music.
Wendy Parr is co-writer of Dreams on Fire produced and co-written by AR Rahman on the Grammy and Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. Training singers, Wendy's clients include Regina Spektor, 2AM Club & Mandy Gonzalez (WICKED, B'Way.) Wendy has been performed and worked with Patti La Belle, Bette Midler, AR Rahman, Paula Abdul, director George C. Wolfe. Written and recorded for AR Rahman, Dance Dance Revolution, Kangaroo Kids, Hipnotribe, Derek and the Darlings, and and is currently performing songs with an Americana, Alt. Country, Gospel Pop flavor. Timeout Mag says Wendy Parr one of the most creative NYers.
WED 2/2
Come on Down! Bring your friends and wrack your brains with mind-blowing rounds of trivia questions. Test your mental mettle in music, movies, visuals, top 10s, and other trivia miscellany. First Prize is a $25 bar tab, second prize is a $15 bar tab, and third prize is a tasty sandwich. The winning team each week also qualifies for the semi-annual trivia championships! Every Wednesday at 7:30pm. Give it a try, smart guy!
"Canadian transplant and former jam band muse Serena Jean is a mighty fine country-rockin' gal. (She) doesn't waste time brawling under the roots tent about labels; the singer-songwriter's too busy vying for the crown of supreme artist on the come up... She and her cracking band will entice you to honky-tonk. This is the genuine hotness—with boots!" -The Village Voice
With the release of her debut album Town & Country, Serena Jean reaffirms her position at the forefront of the American roots music scene, where she has become one of the performers most popular with New York City audiences and most admired by her fellow musicians.
Ukulele playing Brooklyn native, Fiona Silver channels a mixture of old jazz and new love into her cerebral performance. Creating her own genre through her soulful and at times operatic voice, this 22-year old is destined for greatness. Don't miss her intimate performance at Pete's!
THU 2/3
Meditative Songwriting
Sweet and soulful, edgy and lyrical, Lisa Jaeggi's amalgam of acoustic pop, soul, and folk draws from influences like Citizen Cope, Ray LaMontagne, Lykke Li and Cat Power. A native of Maryland and a Brooklyn transplant, Jaeggi weathers the New York singer-songwriter scene armed with a well-worn voice and themes that range from melancholy narratives to carefully constructed observations about city life.
FRI 2/4
Hillbilly fingerpicking from down South.
SAT 2/5
Pete's is bringing back the popular music series for February and March. Great shows each Saturday from 3pm to 7pm. Come warm up with Hot Spiced Cider. Beer and drink specials, too. And as always the music at Pete's is FREE. Doors at 3:00, bands at 3:30.
james higgs, of the band seaghost, gives a rare acoustic performance. the hits will be remembered along with a slew of new material.
Nayaman is not a man, not a lion, not an insect, but she has antennas
Hailing from Portland, Maine, Billy Libby combines elements of indie, folk, and pop to craft ethereal, yet captivating music.
Singer/songwriter Elijah Ocean was born at home in the Hudson River Valley. He comes to Brooklyn by way of the woods of Maine, where he learned to write stories and play guitar in his barn.
David Tanklefsky is a 25-year-old folk musician and songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. He writes songs about riding bicycles at night, dogs and ice cream. He has been playing the guitar and writing songs since he was eleven years old. His formative musical years were spent as a member of Boston-based folk/rock/jazz kids Grimis, who toured the country, released three records and developed a steadfast following in the northeast music scene. He currently plays guitar in Brooklyn's Emil & Friends. He served on the jury of a murder trial. He announced the starting lineups at Fenway Park. He taught young Hasids. He lived in a van. His interests include White Cheddar Cheeze-Its, Bananagrams, and road trips.
SUN 2/6
MON 2/7
Soulful Acoustic Dream Rock.
"No Hank, No Cash, No Merle". Hosted by Nick Beaudoing (the Doc Marshalls) this evening features 3 songwriters performing country & Americana originals -- no covers allowed. You are guaranteed not to hear "I Saw the Light", "Folsom Prison Blues", or "Mama Tried". This month's lineup: Alastair Ottesen, Nick Beaudoing, Joe Ongie.
TUE 2/8
Kate McGuire is a singer/songwriter based in NY. She has performed with many musicians including Remy de laroque and Dan Strauss as well as fronted a number of bands. After a little hiatus she is back with some new songs and friends
Our collective improvisation will heat up the cold winter night as we bring a fresh perspective to a classic sound. We don't waste time naming up our style come check us out and hear for yourself.
With bjorkish runaway melodies and dreamscape lyrics, Laura Dunn combines banjo music with opera singers, toy pianos and rattling chains. With the Ghosts of Xmas Past's eerie harmonies and R&B trills, they make a new blend of creepy folk music.
The Mayor of Bad News consists of brothers Max and Sam Seeger: Max writes songs dealing with love, haunted houses, revenge and fainting, for which he sings and plays acoustic guitar; Sam plays guitar solos against his will. Their influences include but are not limited to Coast to Coast AM with George Noory.
WED 2/9
Come on Down! Bring your friends and wrack your brains with mind-blowing rounds of trivia questions. Test your mental mettle in music, movies, visuals, top 10s, and other trivia miscellany. First Prize is a $25 bar tab, second prize is a $15 bar tab, and third prize is a tasty sandwich. The winning team each week also qualifies for the semi-annual trivia championships! Every Wednesday at 7:30pm. Give it a try, smart guy!
"Canadian transplant and former jam band muse Serena Jean is a mighty fine country-rockin' gal. (She) doesn't waste time brawling under the roots tent about labels; the singer-songwriter's too busy vying for the crown of supreme artist on the come up... She and her cracking band will entice you to honky-tonk. This is the genuine hotness—with boots!" -The Village Voice
With the release of her debut album Town & Country, Serena Jean reaffirms her position at the forefront of the American roots music scene, where she has become one of the performers most popular with New York City audiences and most admired by her fellow musicians.
Brooklyn-transplanted lo-fi acoustic folk electronic duo. Songs on which to break your heart and/or face.
THU 2/10
Meditative Songwriting
The Bottoms Up Blues Gang is an acoustic duo in the styles of St. Louis Blues & New Orleans Jazz and features vocalist Kari Liston & Guitarist Jeremy Segel-Moss...with a gang of outstanding musicians.
Ann Driscoll is an Ohio-bred singer and multi-instrumentalist whose provocative, witty lyrics are juxtaposed with catchy melodies steeped in 60's pop. Influenced by everyone from Elvis Costello to Radiohead, she has toured Egypt this past December, showcased at the SXSW Musical Festival last March, has released three records digitally, and also fronts popular Boston-based all-girl band, MRS DANVERS. Driscoll will be playing a rousing yet intimate set of pop songs she wrote, orchestrated, and recorded on her laptop while crashing at the Harvard dorms before she made the move to Brooklyn in October.
FRI 2/11
Georgie Porgie, Puddin' and pie. Kissed all the boys and made them fly. Born at the intersection of two roads and a couple of towns, Georgiana sings songs that need singing.
Elaine Lachica's 'I think I can see the ocean' lies somewhere between indie rock, art song, shoegaze and chamber folk.
SAT 2/12
Pete's is bringing back the popular music series for February and March. Great shows each Saturday from 3pm to 7pm. Come warm up with Hot Spiced Cider. Beer and drink specials, too. And as always the music at Pete's is FREE. Doors at 3:00, bands at 3:30.
I'm turning into is a Brooklyn based experimental pop band. The band seeks to combine a great range of sound and technique with universal melodies to create appealing and innovative songs. Their can-do attitude translates into a fun and unique live performance.
Galapagos Now! is one third punk carapace, one third lo-fi ingenuity, and one third twisted reinvention of Americana.
Burn Collectors is singer/songwriter Bryan Kerwin plus various friends at various times. They play folk-tinged rock influenced by the likes of Elliott Smith and The National, so they hope you like to brood.
Tall Stranger is Sin and Death in four-part harmony. Verses are the Bible with a beat; choruses the human retort. An oak-solid six-piece folk-rock outfit dressed up with a saw, a banjo, and bells, Tall Stranger molds existential thorns into musical hooks.
Liz & Morgan play blues: acoustic set, performing original material, chicago and delta blues, come check it out.
SUN 2/13
The Yarrows play melancholy, folk-tinged rock & roll with a submerged artiness. They are admired by stoners, lonelyhearts, and sometimes critics and people who are clever about music.
"...the sound of a world being created." - Drowned in Sound
"...The Yarrows' slow-burning songs a re couched in a hazy beauty you might find on an album by Wilco or The Flaming Lips." - PopMatters
Hailing from the UK and Canada, singer/songwriter Tamsin Wilson pulls from the warm folk sounds of Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell, with a dash of Feist, to create a beguiling ambiance and heartfelt, sweet-tongued songs.
MON 2/14
LOVE: A Shamanic Journey & Guided Meditation
("I AM the Warrior, Bang Bang")
w/Lavender O'Neill
Join us this February 14th at Pete's Candy Store, for a special evening as Lavender O'Neill takes us on LOVE: A Shamanic Journey and Guided Meditation. O'Neil, an unlicensed practitioner of the healing arts and a Chiffon Lifestyle enthusiast, will discuss Love and its counterpart, Heartbreak. O'Neill will also lead participants in spiritual awakening exercises, stirring the Kundalini and healing the wounds of the past. Special guests include Cupid, Mr. X and your own Heart Chakra. Please join us for an evening of mysticism and humus. THIS PRESENTATION IS SUITABLE FOR ANYONE WHO IS IN LOVE, WISHES THEY WEREN'T, OR WANTS TO BE. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION IS NOT MANDATORY, BUT WILL BE ENCOURAGED. VALENTINIS ON SPECIAL FOR ATTENDEES!
O' Neill hails from Los Angeles, via Petaluma, CA. She received her BA in Health Education from College of the Redwoods, 2001. Her other interests include auto harp, weaving and the harmonic conversion. She is the co-founder of Chiffon Lifestyle, a semi-nudist organization that meets annually. O'Neill is not a professional, but rather a self appointed Loving Arts Healer. Her practice focuses on Love and Heartbreak, utilizing group and solo exercises to strengthen partnerships, create awareness and liberate those struggling from the grips of bad decisions or old wounds . O'Neill is a three time heart break recipient who finally said "enough." She can't wait to meet you.
Sweet Valentine's Party at Pete's. FREE.
with special guest: sweetriot chocolate. FREE (first come first served)
9:30 - Late
LOVER'S SELECTIONS
Join this inner circle of noted NYC musical talents and national acts for an amazing love-themed musical get together on Valentine's night. First come first serve for this intimate performance; it's free.
Aoife O'Donovan (Crooked Still)
Christina Courtin (Nonesuch Records)
Kristin Andreassen (Uncle Earl)
Jefferson Hamer
Angelina Moysov (Persephone's Bees)
The Jenkins Sisters
Ryan Scott
And the ever lovely Valentini cocktail (vodka/pomegranate martini) will be priced at a heart warming $7.
TUE 2/15
Draw. Your. Folk. Sword.
The 3-Headed Dragon of Folk series brings some of the region's best singer-songwriters together on Pete's stage for a relaxed, intimate and hilarious evening of great music and great stories. Featuring Alec Gross, Will Knox, and Jake Hill, this upcoming event will feature 3 songwriters with different styles, but who share a similar commitment to exploring songcraft and performance.
Alec Gross
Will Knox
Jake Hill
With bjorkish runaway melodies and dreamscape lyrics, Laura Dunn combines banjo music with opera singers, toy pianos and rattling chains. With the Ghosts of Xmas Past's eerie harmonies and R&B trills, they make a new blend of creepy folk music.
Acoustic duet featuring percussionist Elizabeth Pupo-Walker with original songs by Dejha Colantuono.
WED 2/16
Come on Down! Bring your friends and wrack your brains with mind-blowing rounds of trivia questions. Test your mental mettle in music, movies, visuals, top 10s, and other trivia miscellany. First Prize is a $25 bar tab, second prize is a $15 bar tab, and third prize is a tasty sandwich. The winning team each week also qualifies for the semi-annual trivia championships! Every Wednesday at 7:30pm. Give it a try, smart guy!
"Canadian transplant and former jam band muse Serena Jean is a mighty fine country-rockin' gal. (She) doesn't waste time brawling under the roots tent about labels; the singer-songwriter's too busy vying for the crown of supreme artist on the come up... She and her cracking band will entice you to honky-tonk. This is the genuine hotness—with boots!" -The Village Voice
With the release of her debut album Town & Country, Serena Jean reaffirms her position at the forefront of the American roots music scene, where she has become one of the performers most popular with New York City audiences and most admired by her fellow musicians.
THU 2/17
Meditative Songwriting
"Leland Sundries, a band from New York led by Nick Loss-Eaton, is dedicated to storytelling in a way that recalls Woody Guthrie and his Folkways brethren. [Their] scrappy Americana will get you longing for empty two-lane highways and kudzu-encased back porches." – New York Times
FRI 2/18
{CITY ON FIRE} is a four piece band featuring Andrea Diaz, Marc Anderson, J Mcnamara, and Stephen Steers, that blends sensual torch songs with indie-rock swagger and speakeasy theatricality. So come straight down the rabbit hole and into their loving arms.
"An eclectic blend of Americana and folk, Inland Traveler is a collective made up of singer/songwriters Gerald Edward, Lucas Madrazo and Katie Locke. The Brooklyn-based trio's refreshing emphasis on melody and good storytelling hearkens back to the vocal-heavy supergroups of the 70's."
Swear and Shake is a New York-based indie-folk-rock quartet that features singer-songwriters Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffey, bassist Shaun Savage and drummer Tom Elefante.
SAT 2/19
Pete's is bringing back the popular music series for February and March. Great shows each Saturday from 3pm to 7pm. Come warm up with Hot Spiced Cider. Beer and drink specials, too. And as always the music at Pete's is FREE. Doors at 3:00, bands at 3:30.
Old Time Musketry will not arrive at Pete's wielding American Revolution-era weaponry, but they will bring a joyous music that draws on the exuberant spirit of early jazz, the poignant melodies and soulful grooves of rock and folk music, the energy and spontaneity of free improvisation, and a willfully experimental attitude towards combining these elements into a unique vision of American music. The band features Adam Schneit on saxophone and clarinet, JP Schlegelmilch on piano and accordion, Phil Rowan on bass, and Max Goldman on drums.
Country-tinged gothic folk, with refined looping from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Trinitron was created in 2005 as the ongoing solo project of Mark Weinberg. Based out of New Brunswick, New Jersey, he has performed, recorded, and released music with Risk Relay, Beautiful Bear (Osa Bella), Walking With Cavemen, and Secret Photos and has opened for the likes of The Rapture, Ezekiel Honig, and Octant. He has curated and performed at hundreds of concerts, including the experimental festival, The Omega Sound Fix, which took place at the Alfa Art Gallery in New Brunswick in the fall of 2010. He also embarked on a successful tour of the mid-Atlantic during the summer of 2010. As Trinitron, he has released two recordings; a third, “A Quiet Echo,” is set for release via Love/Hate records in early 2011. Having cut his teeth amidst the New Brunswick basement show culture, and with a sound that crosses many genres, Trinitron is garnering attention both locally and beyond.
The music of OCTANT is performed by Matthew Steinke and his home-built mechanical orchestra of digitally controlled acoustic player-piano-like devices. A series of solenoid driven instruments create a cosmos familiar yet eerie where the likes of a possessed marionette smacks the drums to the poltergeist of a self played harmonium and toy piano. The vocals are sung and shouted into a rewired microphone like the voice in an AM radio echoing through a grandparent's basement. Each song is a glimpse into an incomplete and claustrophobic universe. OCTANT will be giving away FREE LIMITED EDITION HAND-STAMPED CDs of the latest release.
Last Good Tooth is Penn Sultan(lyrics, singing, guitars) Arthur Kapp (drums) Kevin Sullivan (bass) and Alex Spoto (fiddle). Penn sultan is inspired by his parents and grandmothers home of the mountains of NC and the old Appalachian music from the blue ridge area, mixed with his love and hate of New York city. Penn and Kevin met in Providence, RI at the Rhode Island School of design where they liked art for a while so that they could play music for real. Then they met Spoto fiddlin' around Brown town. He's some sort of genius but no one understands when he explains what he studied there. Now: the perfect band mates- a love and happiness in the union along with Arthur, old-time-high-school-drummer-buddy-friend. They're driving around with the drums but parking the car will always be their biggest obstacle. Still mainly in providence, Last Good tooth is a heavily live show oriented band. -Fran
SUN 2/20
The Lost Shores is the musical group showcasing the songs of Richard Aufrichtig. They will be playing mostly songs from the new Spring Songs songwriting project.
The Jersey native, New York transplant singer/songwriter, Ryan Doyle, has been writing and recording songs since before the war. He was raised on Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, and has learned most of what he knows, and most of what he'll probably ever want to know, from them. You can download his four albums for free at http://ageofaviation.blogspot.com/
MON 2/21
hosted by Jason Crosby + Megan Palmer
W/Special Guests Dave Diamond and Rachel Zamstein.
TUE 2/22
As founder of the 1990s band Velvet Cactus Society, David released 2 full length CDs on the label Shimmy Disc while barely out of high school. After recording and distributing a half dozen lo-fi tapes in limited quantities throughout the 90s, Heatley has since returned to making music in the studio. He is working on a full length album with Jeff Lipstein as drummer and producer. His graphic memoir My Brain is Hanging Upside Down was published in 2008 by Pantheon Books. The New York Times Book Review called it "a riveting... beautifully unsettling mosaic of comic-strip jokes..."
With bjorkish runaway melodies and dreamscape lyrics, Laura Dunn combines banjo music with opera singers, toy pianos and rattling chains. With the Ghosts of Xmas Past's eerie harmonies and R&B trills, they make a new blend of creepy folk music.
Greenfield, Massachusetts resident Russell Kaback's rhythm and folk style combines the spirit of Bob Marley, the heart of Stevie Wonder and the realness of Taj Mahal. His live performance features his versatile voice and his rare wooden-bodied National guitar.
WED 2/23
Come on Down! Bring your friends and wrack your brains with mind-blowing rounds of trivia questions. Test your mental mettle in music, movies, visuals, top 10s, and other trivia miscellany. First Prize is a $25 bar tab, second prize is a $15 bar tab, and third prize is a tasty sandwich. The winning team each week also qualifies for the semi-annual trivia championships! Every Wednesday at 7:30pm. Give it a try, smart guy!
"Canadian transplant and former jam band muse Serena Jean is a mighty fine country-rockin' gal. (She) doesn't waste time brawling under the roots tent about labels; the singer-songwriter's too busy vying for the crown of supreme artist on the come up... She and her cracking band will entice you to honky-tonk. This is the genuine hotness—with boots!" -The Village Voice
With the release of her debut album Town & Country, Serena Jean reaffirms her position at the forefront of the American roots music scene, where she has become one of the performers most popular with New York City audiences and most admired by her fellow musicians.
THU 2/24
New York musician John Brodeur has made a reputation as a talented recording artist, composer of first-class alternative pop songs, and a restless multi-instrumentalist. On April 5, John will release Tiger Pop Ten, a 2-CD set featuring a newly recorded version of his debut album coupled with a 10th-anniversary reissue of the original disc.
Meditative Songwriting
Resisting (but never completely ignoring) her musician father's love of country and folk music, Emily Long spent her teenage years listening to the likes of Liz Phair, Nirvana and PJ Harvey, though her Gibson J-200 was always nearby. Zach Jones, a drummer and lifelong fan of his dad's favorites (The Beatles, The Monkees, James Taylor), was finally inspired to pick up a guitar and write songs by the music of Ryan Adams, Hank Williams and The Flying Burrito Brothers. In July 2009, Emily found herself in need of a drummer. Zach responded to her ad on Craigslist and the two became bandmates and fast friends. After attending a taping of the television show "Spectacle", featuring Elvis Costello, Ron Sexsmith, Jesse Winchester and others, Emily and Zach were inspired to create the same kind of honest, no-frills music that had so moved them that night. Thus, The Stone Lonesome was born. Their debut album, "Words & Whiskey", somehow manages to combine it all: country music with an indie edge, folk with a Top 40 twist.
She and the Sun is an up and coming brother/sister duo group. They have played music together from a young age, yet have just recently joined forces as song writers. By bringing different strengths and influences to the stage, they make for an interesting folk-rock combination.
FRI 2/25
Merenda's knowledge of how to write effective hooks, and his play on simple Words - turning them into genius phrases - are his refreshing contributions to The music world.
Brooklyn quintet BROTHERS bring back the kind of soulful, scuzzy, harmony-soaked rock & roll that made the '60s and '70s so sexy—back when the barn was stocked with whiskey, Harley's replaced tour vans, bands knew how to dance, and bros were bros.
Booker J brings his zany cast of characters to Pete's Candy Store for a late night party jam.
SAT 2/26
Pete's is bringing back the popular music series for February and March. Great shows each Saturday from 3pm to 7pm. Come warm up with Hot Spiced Cider. Beer and drink specials, too. And as always the music at Pete's is FREE. Doors at 3:00, bands at 3:30.
Alternative acoustic soul.
Argyle Johansen's self-titled LP dances circles at several genres. With influences in lo-fi, folk, blues, and even pop, it is almost next to impossible to characterize their sound.
One-liners, duets, and compromises between Ben Yakas and Fanny Tristan. Mostly, it's two people talking like people, in song. Not exactly Lee and Nancy, but close enough.
Brother-sister collaboration that combines solemn, layered vocal harmonies with weathered electric guitars and organs to create vibrant pastoral folk.
Peter Squires makes funny, sad, and sweet indie folk with a lo-fi, DIY sensibility. His songs address love, loss, and growing up with refreshing humor and self-awareness that keeps things playful while they break your heart.
Milly Beau creates a unique sound of urban soul pop from twangy roots. Spacious harmonic chords are supported by jazz melodies, and poetic lyricism. With an emphasis on fervent songwriting, they continually push the boundaries of their music in front of new audiences.
"a soulful, unique and intimate musical experience" - Flavorpill Brooklyn
"Usually at shows, my mind races, but for once, I was content with just being still, and it was a beautiful thing." - Sonic Smorgasbord
SUN 2/27
"A hip, smooth-voiced singer/songwriter from Minneapolis... whose debut EP evokes comparisons to Grant Lee Phillips or Josh Ritter..."
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
singing some quiet songs
MON 2/28
The Sawdust Parlour Revue is a monthly vaudevillesque show, with three musical acts and a dance act. The audience and performers are encouraged to dress in garb of the era. The theme for the February show is "1945, The Grand Ole Opry", and will feature: Jason White, Austin McCutchen, Cal Folger Day and Her Orchestra, and the snazzy dancing duo, The HMS Petticoats. This month's show is dedicated to Bob Wills.
A little history: In 1945 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys had achieved enough notoriety that they were invited to play at the prestigious home of country, and unknowingly created quite a stir. A drum set was a natural, integral part of the Playboys' music, but it was unheard of in the world of country music back then. When the Opry staff told Bob that his drummer couldn't play, he angrily declared that he would not leave a band member out. It was all the Texas Playboys or none. Bob did agree, however, to let the drums be set up behind the curtains. That is, until time to play, when he hollered, 'Move those things out on stage!' In that moment, Bob Wills had left a permanent mark: there would forever be a beat in country music...