Kickin the Mule
Sunday, Mar 4th, 2012
4 PM - 6:30 PM
Donation $10
Please join us on Sunday March 4, 2012 when Avonova presents the R&B blues band Kickin the Mule. The show starts at 4 PM and the donation is set at $10.
Kelvin Dixon, lead vocals and drums. Kelvin has played with John Lee Hooker, Charles Brown, Bo Diddley, Otis Rush, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, and Irma Thomas, and toured and recorded with Sylvester, Two Tons of Fun (Weathergirls), Tom Mazzolini’s Blues Cavalcade, Mz. Dee, Lady Bianca, and Joe Louis Walker, among others. His Texas-Louisiana roots come through loud and clear, with soulful singing and a heavy swamp groove that makes you have to get up and dance. Kelvin received his formal music training under scholarship at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Paul Branin, guitar/saxophone/vocals. Paul began playing the guitar at the age of 11 and the sax at 21. His versatile ability on both instruments has led him to back up such superstars as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Ben E. King. Paul has also worked with jazz legends such as Jimmy McGriff, Hank Crawford, and Jack DeJonette. He has also played with the band Orleans, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Robbie DuPree, Max Weinburg, and other numerous local and regional acts on both the East and West Coasts.
Lee Bloom, piano/keyboards. Lee has worked with a variety of creative artists in many genres including Madeleine Peyroux, Pete Escovido, Hal Stein, Denise Perrier, and Dan Hicks, Elvis Costello, and Rosanne Cash, among others. As a pianist, he has accompanied vocalists. As a session player, he has contributed to a variety of recording projects ranging from straight-ahead jazz to blues, R&B, funk, heavy metal, and country & western. He writes, not just music but also words, and has had his writings on jazz published in the All Music Guide to Jazz, 3rd edition. His work can also be found online at Allmusic.com and Getmusic.com.
Patty Hammond, bass. Bay Area bassist Patty Hammond has worked with blues/R&B greats Freddie Hughes, Johnny Nitro, Tia Carroll, Lisa Kindred, Craig Horton, Birdlegg, and Sugar Pie DeSanto. She has worked with the Bay Area bands Birdlegg & the Tightfit Blues Band, Johnny Nitro and the Doorslammers, the Dave Workman Band with John Broadway Tucker, Phil Berkowitz and the Dirty Cats, and Macy Blackman and the Might Fines. She was formerly the bassist for San Jose’s acclaimed Gospel Travelers directed by Gospel Hall of Fame Award winner Jesse McDaniel.