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The legendary Dan Hicks returns to The Center for the Arts with his celebrated musical extravaganza Holidaze in Hicksville. This much-loved and one of a kind musical evening features an entertaining view of the holiday season told through Dan's original songs and dance, as well as his signature eclecticism and humor.
Songs could include such “Hicks-ian” gems as “Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit,” “Rudolph the Bald-Headed Reindeer,” and “Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Christmas Card.”
There will also be plenty of other slightly off-kilter (but never off-key) material from a singer-songwriter who's a true American original — including his well-loved classics, and selections from the recent highly lauded Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks release, Tangled Tales.
Beginning as a drummer in the seminal 60s San Francisco rock band The Charlatans, and continuing with his unique and legendary band, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Hicks is widely acknowledged as one of the defining figures in American roots music.
Having earned a reputation as a true original with his signature eclecticism and humor, Hicks continues to carve his way through a number of genres from proto-psychedelia to western swing and jazz, from tin pan alley to country blues — all the while 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 Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks 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 millennium.” That release was followed by the live CD “Alive & Lickin” in 2001. 2003 saw the release of “Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks — Featuring An All Star Cast of Friends” DVD/CD, a spectacular concert and video project that 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 studio album “Selected Shorts” featuring special guests Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Gibby Haynes, Jim Keltner and Van Dyke Parks. It was widely touted as one of the band's best — The New Yorker magazine remarked, “As great as his early masterpiece ‘Where's the Money?'... truly superb.”
In vintage Dan Hicks form, “Tangled Tales”, his tenth studio album (March 24, 2009, Surfdog Records), mashes the outlaw swing music, insightful charm, and brilliant melodies that have endeared him to audiences and fellow artists for four decades.
Featuring a world-class collection of musical talent including instrumental virtuosos David Grisman, Charlie Musselwhite, and slide-guitarist Roy Rogers, and produced by Grammy-winning roots music producer Chris Goldsmith, Tangled Tales delivers eight great new original tunes that feel like instant Dan Hicks classics (and some choice cover tunes too.) It is yet another brilliant addition to the 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!”
Songs could include such “Hicks-ian” gems as “Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit,” “Rudolph the Bald-Headed Reindeer,” and “Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Christmas Card.”
There will also be plenty of other slightly off-kilter (but never off-key) material from a singer-songwriter who's a true American original — including his well-loved classics, and selections from the recent highly lauded Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks release, Tangled Tales.
Beginning as a drummer in the seminal 60s San Francisco rock band The Charlatans, and continuing with his unique and legendary band, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Hicks is widely acknowledged as one of the defining figures in American roots music.
Having earned a reputation as a true original with his signature eclecticism and humor, Hicks continues to carve his way through a number of genres from proto-psychedelia to western swing and jazz, from tin pan alley to country blues — all the while 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 Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks 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 millennium.” That release was followed by the live CD “Alive & Lickin” in 2001. 2003 saw the release of “Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks — Featuring An All Star Cast of Friends” DVD/CD, a spectacular concert and video project that 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 studio album “Selected Shorts” featuring special guests Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Gibby Haynes, Jim Keltner and Van Dyke Parks. It was widely touted as one of the band's best — The New Yorker magazine remarked, “As great as his early masterpiece ‘Where's the Money?'... truly superb.”
In vintage Dan Hicks form, “Tangled Tales”, his tenth studio album (March 24, 2009, Surfdog Records), mashes the outlaw swing music, insightful charm, and brilliant melodies that have endeared him to audiences and fellow artists for four decades.
Featuring a world-class collection of musical talent including instrumental virtuosos David Grisman, Charlie Musselwhite, and slide-guitarist Roy Rogers, and produced by Grammy-winning roots music producer Chris Goldsmith, Tangled Tales delivers eight great new original tunes that feel like instant Dan Hicks classics (and some choice cover tunes too.) It is yet another brilliant addition to the 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!”
