Jill Sobule

(((folkYEAH!))) Presents UK Legends The Mekons!

Tuesday, July 29th

Doors: 7pm / show: 8pm

$28 in advance / $32 day of the show

21+*

*Tickets on sale Friday, Nov. 20th at 10am PT*

THE MEKONS

Sonic adventurers, punk rock fundamentalists, exuberant luddites, willing outcasts. The Mekons are the most revolutionary group in the history of rock n roll wrote rock critic Lester Bangs. The genre-defying Mekons formed in Leeds, England in 1977. Born from the emerging British punk scene, they progressed from art students with no musical skills to the prolific, raucous progeny of Hank Williams.

This current classic line-up has remained intact since the mid-1980s, continuing to regularly tour and release new music through to now. Theirs is an improbable history: a surprising and influential embrace of folk and country music with occasional forays into the art world. They have always worked collaboratively and collectively with all work credited to the band, never to individuals.

Their mind-boggling output consistently blurs the lines between high art and low and has included exhibitions in the UK and US, a deranged pirate musical recorded and staged with Kathy Acker, an art performance with Vito Acconci, and several books including the unique art catalog/unfinished novel Mekons United. Revenge of the Mekons, a documentary about the band, received nationwide release in 2015 on Music Box Films.

The Mekons continue to make bold, unpredictable music while staying true to the punk ethos. Their mind-boggling output consistently blurs the lines between high art and low, and they remain one of the truly great live bands. Their last album Exquisite was recorded completely remotely during the early months of lockdown and released on Bandcamp in June 2020. The band are working with Fire Records on their new album which comes out in 2025. The single from that album You’re Not Singing Anymore will be released on Fire Records in early November 2024.

JILL SOBULE

Jill Sobule has released a dozen albums spanning three decades of recording, tackling such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise, LGBTQ issues, and the Christian Right, to name a few - with her trademark wit and aplomb. The Denver-born songwriter/guitarist/singer's work is at once deeply personal and socially conscious, seriously funny and derisively tragic.

While her songs cover expansive thematic ground, they benefit greatly from Jill's subtle intelligence and skillful light-handedness. No sloganeering flag-and-fist waving here, but rather portrait-&-story songs about human beings, real and imagined, which allow us to step back from the issues they tackle, be they individual or societal, and relate to them as we would to a close friend.

On stage, she entertains, amuses, provokes, and more often than not, takes her audiences on an emotional roller coaster, from comedy to pathos in a few bars of music, often within the same song.

Important Information

This event is 21 and over. Any ticket holder unable to present valid identification indicating that they are at least 21 years of age will not be admitted to this event and will not be eligible for a refund.