Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers present Seven Signs

Music Starts:05/20/2008 - 7:30pm

Doors Open:

7:00pm

Th' Legendary Shack ShakersSeven SignsTh' Legendary Shack*Shakers started their hell-for-leather, Penta-caustic roadshow just over three years ago and in a short time have earned quite a name for themselves with their unique brand of American Gothic that is all-at-once irreverent, revisionist, dangerous, and fun. Led by their wildly charismatic rail thin frontman, the blues-harpist J.D. Wilkes, th’ Shack*Shakers are a four-man wrecking crew from the South whose explosive interpretations of the blues, punk, rock and country have made fans, critics and legions of potential converts into true believers. A pre-show screening of the film Seven Signs (an absolute must-see for any fan, former or current resident, or visitor to the South!) will be featured, followed by a live set by Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers.

Described as "...the last great Rock & Roll frontman" by Jello Biafra (of the Dead Kennedys), Shack*Shakers front man J.D. Wilkes began yelpin’ the blues through a ham radio microphone at his boyhood home of Paducah, Kentucky—a short farmer's blow away from where his future bassist Mark Robertson was cutting his teeth on punk rock and gospel in Nashville, Tennessee. When their paths crossed a few years later in the lawless honky tonks of music city’s “lower broadway scene,” they found their individuated styles and common interests meshed and that’s when the like-minded, red-headed musical misfits began their crusade. With the recent addition of guitarist extraordinaire David Lee (South Carolina's preeminent bad-ass and "Illustrated Man") th' Legendary Shack*Shakers have quickly become know for providing some of the best entertainment—live or otherwise—that you can get for your hard-earned money.

"We try to tap into basic primal instincts," said Wilkes. "Rock ’n’ roll is a cathartic release. Anything that doesn’t realize that bestial nature isn’t rock ’n’ roll."

The band is also well known for "The CB Song", a.k.a: the soundbed for the long-running "Sunglasses" Geico commercial, featuring the famous gecko spokeslizard.

In addition to his musical accolades, J.D. Wilkes has also been recognized as an accomplished illustrator, painter, and filmmaker whose works further the band’s mission of celebrating and honoring the tradition of the American south. Alarm Magazine recently described him as the "Ambassador of Genuine Traditional Southern Culture" and compared his unique storytelling abilities to that of other Southern voices such as William Faulkner, Johnny Cash and Muddy Waters. J.D. Wilkes latest project is the featurette Seven Signs, about which he comments:

"This movie seeks to give resonance to the voices of true, southern individuals...each one unique, fearless and most importantly intelligent. This is NOT an exploitational slam-job on the South. This is about the humanity of my homeland. These are my people."