Honey Island Swamp Band September 1, 2011

Hailing originally from New Orleans – the righteous roots music capital of the South, the Honey Island Swamp Band is swampy, sweet and bluesy. When Aaron Wilkinson (acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Chris Mule’ (electric guitar, vocals) were marooned after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, they had a chance encounter with fellow New Orleans evacuees Sam Price (bass, vocals) and Garland Paul (drums, vocals) at the John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom Room on Fillmore Street, San Francisco. Soon they were attracting an eager crowd of roots music lovers every week.

Great music begins with great songs, and great songs are what the Honey Island Swamp Band is all about. The band came together after 4 friends were marooned in San Francisco after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Formed on the strength of timeless songs from Aaron Wilkinson and Chris Mulé, HISB’s "Bayou Americana" sound has been compared to the music of such forefathers as Lowell George, Earl King, Taj Mahal, Jerry Garcia, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Gram Parsons and Jimmy Reed. Their eponymous EP was recorded in 2006 at famed studio The Plant in Sausalito, CA, and was received so well that they all decided to continue the band upon moving back home to New Orleans in 2007. Wishing Well, the band's first full length album (produced by Tom Drummond of Better Than Ezra) won "Best Blues Album” of 2009 from OffBeat Magazine, which has also honored Honey Island Swamp Band as "Best Emerging Artist" of 2009 and “Best Roots Rock Artist” of 2010. And most recently the band was awarded “Best Roots Rock Artist” at the 2011 Big Easy Awards, widely considered the “Grammys of New Orleans”. HISB's newest offering – Good To You – was nominated by OffBeat Magazine as “Best Roots Rock Album” of 2010, and has become a staple of most DJs on the Crescent City's legendary radio station WWOZ, as well as on Sirius/XM satellite radio’s Bluesville and traditional stations from coast-to-coast. Featuring the southern strut of songs such as “Country Girl”, "300 Pounds" and the album’s first single “Chocolate Cake”, Good To You illuminates the mix of country-inflected rock and New Orleans funky blues that makes Honey Island Swamp Band's music so familiar and unique at the same time.

We’re excited to add this show to our growing number of New Orleans-influenced concerts on StageOne, a sound and a place we care deeply about preserving and sharing with you. Come out and have fun with the Honey Island Swamp Band.