The New Sound of the Old Ways

The New Sound Of The Old Ways Left Lane Cruiser and Restavrant to headline Hillgrass Bluebilly Records & Entertainment Annual Summer Tour. Tapping into the same musical DNA that sowed the seeds of country music in the 1920s, Delta blues in the '30s, and rock and roll in the '40s, Hillgrass Bluebilly Records & Entertainment is looking forward while keeping a keen eye on the rearview mirror. Working with a variety of artists, all with similar musical sensibilities yet signed to a number of different labels (including their own), this loosely knit confederacy has been attracting attention for it's ongoing mission to re-introduce the world to American roots music. To that end, the second edition of their annual summer tour turns the spotlight on two two-man bands, Left Lane Cruiser and Restavrant. The tour rolls through....
JULY 1 - EMOS - AUSTIN, TEXAS
JULY 2 - OFF
JULY 3 - RUDYARDS - HOUSTON, TEXAS
JULY 4 - FINNEGANS WAKE - ALEXANDRIA, LA
JULY 5 - OFF
JULY 6 - ROBBIE O'CONNELLS - DAYTONA BEACH
JULY 7 - BEACHSIDE TAVERN - NEW SMYRNA BEACH
JULY 8 - THE GARAGE - ST. PETERSBURG, FL
JULY 9 - WILLS PUB - ORLANDO, FL
JULY 10 - PASTIMES PUB - SARASOTA, FL
JULY 11 - STAR BAR - ATLANTA GEORGIA
JULY 12 - 4620 REINVENTED - KNOXVILLE, TENN
JULY 13 - OFF
JULY 14 - RIOT ROOM - KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 15 - MOJO'S - COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
JULY 16 - DEEP BLUES FEST

Left Lane Cruiser have been hailed as new torch-bearers for the fractured blues most recently finessed by the late R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, but the Indiana duo go well beyond the traditional stylings of those legends, churning out an even rawer, more pounding sound.

Restavrant, hailing from Los Angeles by way of Victoria, Texas, "use expired license plates for drum parts and bodily drag truly addled hillbillyism into the digital age. They engineer a sloppy collision between Hasil Adkins and DJ Assault that boils down to beat, guitar and rooster-..at-sunrise screaming, and behind them the drunkest dancers fall obediently in line." (The Echo)

The pairing of these two acts on one stage promises to be an evening of unrepentant stompin', hollerin' and drinkin' until sunrise or last call, whichever comes first.

The first release on Hillgrass Bluebilly Records, Hiram & Huddie: A Double Disc - Double Tribute To Hank Williams Sr. & Leadbelly, was released in March 2009. This unique compilation features

William Elliott Whitmore (..ANTI-Records)
Scott H. Biram - (Bloodshot Records)
Wayne Hancock (Bloodshot)
Bob Log III (Fat Possum / Birdman Records)
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band (SideOne Dummy Records)
Truckstop Honeymoon
C.W. Stoneking
Possessed by Paul James
Jawbone
....and more covering songs made famous by these two pioneers. A follow-up album, JR & RL: A Double Tribute to Johnny Cash & R.L. Burnside, is scheduled for release in 2010. In the interim, the label has four release scheduled for the second half of 2009. Hillgrass Bluebilly Entertainment, headquartered in Austin TX, has spread it's own roots to five cities across the South, Southwest and Midwest, where official "chapters" have sprung up (Phoenix, AZ; Ft. Wayne, IN; Alexandria, LA; St. Petersburg, and Sarasota, FL).

These chapters help promote shows by the bands affiliated with Hillgrass Bluebilly when they come through town as well as like-minded homegrown talent. As many as eight more chapters are slated to launch in the next 18 months.

"Hillgrass Bluebilly will turn the world of music upside down." — John Carter-Cash