The only guy I know who's met both Ernie K. Doe and Sky Saxon! Telecaster-wielding Mike Wolf and I started playing together in '98 and '99, as I was wrapping up the recording of my first CD, and he has been a part of my band ever since. We played a few shows together as a duo before the full Jukebox Cowboys band came into fruition. The great state of Mississippi lost a valuable treasure when he relocated to San Francisco a while back, but their loss is our gain as we are pleased to feature this fine fella's twangy talents at all of our live appearances. Mike is also a member of Smelly Kelley's Plain High Drifters; his other credits include Calamity & Main and the Bootcuts.

 

I hitched up with Les James way back in '98, while recording my first CD. He's what you might call a "feel" drummer, attentive & supple while laying down a stompin' beat. His talents are much in demand, and he can be heard with such excellent groups as Red Meat and the Plain High Drifters. Must be something in the water back there in Oklahoma that makes 'em turn out so friendly and personable-like too. As an added bonus, Les is a fine singer who can hit the high notes to great affect, adding that little bit of close country harmony to the Jukebox Cowboys sound. PS: If you're ever in the Sunset district of San Francisco and you find yourself in need of a cold, refreshing beer, be sure to stop by Les's bar, the Riptide.

 
The word "eclectic" doesn't do justice to steel guitartist David Phillips' wide ranging resume & musical interests. He might play the Livermore Rodeo one day, and a tribute gig to the late avant-garde guitarist Snakefinger the next. He's recorded with artists as varied as Tom Waits, Richard Buckner, and Jeff Bright & the Sunshine Boys, and gigged with countless others. David's got great chops, boundless creativity, and a profound love of all kinds of good music.

 
The only bona-fide Texan in Tom's band, fiddler Doug Adams can give David Phillips a run for his money in the "varied musical interests" category. Skilled on fiddle, guitar, and harmonica, Doug leads his own country band Bravo, masterminds world music combo Light Rain, and plays solo singer/songwriter gigs. Light Rain is notable for anticipating the world music trend as early as the 1970s, incorporating Arabic influences into their swirling acoustic sound and collaborating with the highly regarded Kronos Quartet. I'm always excited when Doug can make a Jukebox Cowboys gig and add his bluesy, gutsy fiddling to our sound.

 

Honorary Jukebox Cowboys:

Paul Olguin makes a lot of our gigs, anchoring the band with his fine bass playing. Other great guys who have filled the bass slot include Hank Maninger, Rob Douglas, and Greg Reeves.

Christopher Fisher pounds the skins in Les' absence. Christopher's other credits include 77 El Deora, Calamity & Main, and Jeff Bright & the Sunshine Boys.

When David Phillips is unavailable, I call the multi-talented pinch-hitter Max Butler to play steel. Max has done significant stints with Red Meat and Chuck Prophet.

UK emigree Mary Pitchford is a fabulous fiddler who's filled in for Doug a time or two.

She only played one gig with us, but I have to mention Sandra Mello, bassist, songwriter, and lead vocalist of Bay Area honky-tonkers the Bellyachers, just because she's such a fine gal!