“Bill Kirchen rules, it’s just that simple,” says the Austin-American Statesman. “His no-nonsense guitar attack, powered by great, booming, bottom-heavy licks still covered with axle grease, is undoubtedly the real thing, scattering scorching guitar runs in all directions. It’s all immediate, in your face, and more than a little dangerous.” That’s why Guitar Player Magazine dubbed Bill the Titan of the Telecaster – the man is a consummate showman who uses his guitar mastery to make music that blends country, Texas swing, and rock and roll in a honky-tonk blast of outlaw energy and pure fun.

He started off in his college days in Ann Arbor with a “psycho-folk-rock” group that brought together some of the musicians for his next band, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, which set up camp in California in 1969 and changed the musical landscape forever, with classics like “Hot Rod Lincoln” and “Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues.” Bill went on to join forces with Nick Lowe for a decade, formed the band Too Much Fun that rocked the DC area for several years, and recently moved to Austin. He’s put together a great band for tonight’s show, with Jack O’Dell on drums and vocals, Maurice Cridlin on bass, and the maestro of Marin County, Austin de Lone, on piano and vocals.

Hardin Burns is Andrew Hardin, best known for his longtime collaboration with singer-songwriter Tom Russell, and Jeannie Burns of the Ithaca-based trio the Burns Sisters. Showcasing Jeannie’s gorgeous voice and Andrew’s eloquent guitar playing, the duo mines a bluesy folk-rock vein of haunting originals and the occasional cover, like the stirring version of George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness” on their debut album, Lounge.

If too much fun is just enough, you won’t want to miss this rollicking evening.

Visit Bill Kirchen's website

Visit Hardin Burns's website

Listen to a track from Bill Kirchen:

Photo by Henry Hungerland