Doors 4pm, Music 7:30pm

Peter Case

“I try to take things I love and use them in a new way,” said triple Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Peter Case of his 16th solo album Doctor Moan. Case brings his considerable songwriting ability to an 11-song collection, largely performed on piano, including his first solo recorded instrumental. Released by Sunset Blvd Records on March 31, Case’s piano-based songs are emotionally, sonically and stylistically rich.

As a founding member of the early punk era trio The Nerves, in 1977 Case toured the nation sharing bills with the Ramones, Mink DeVille, Pere Ubu, and Devo. The Nerves single “Hanging on the Telephone,” was covered by Blondie. In 1979, Case formed the Plimsouls, a record-breaking live act in California, recording albums for Planet/Elektra and Geffen. Their independent single, “A Million Miles Away,” entered the Billboard charts and remains a garage rock standard, performed by bands around the world. The band performed in the cult classic film Valley Girl and the Nerves and Plimsouls timeless teenage rock ‘n’ roll continues to appeal to fans of each new generation.

After the Plimsouls, Case rediscovered his musical roots on his self-titled solo debut, produced by T-Bone Burnett. The New York Times declared Peter Case the best album of 1986. It earned a five-star Rolling Stone review and a Grammy nomination. As one of the first songwriters of his generation to turn from rock music toward an acoustic sound, Case also helped usher in what became known as American music.

Peter Case

Ben de la Cour

With songs that explore life's murky corners and shadowy characters, Ben de la Cour's music occupies the intersection between gothic Americana and dark, gritty folk. It's a sound fueled by the stories and struggles of its creator, a lifelong searcher who's never been afraid to shine a light on his own demons.
Born in London and raised in Brooklyn, Ben experienced a coming of age when he left home at seventeen to become a farm worker, a janitor, a boxer in Havana, and in his own words one of the laziest and most inept bouncers and bartenders in history. After logging several years on the road with various metal bands Ben followed his muse to New Orleans before landing in Nashville in 2013 where he found a community of simpatico musicians and songwriters who weren't afraid to chase down their own musical horizons.
Albums like Ben's 2012 debut, Ghost Light and 2018's career shifting The High Cost of Living Strange chronicled not only that deep sense of restlessness but also his various attempts to wrestle his own vices into submission. The result is a haunting, harrowingly personal version of folk music that earned praise from outlets like American Songwriter and NPR. Ben was named a Kerrville New Folk Winner shortly after the 2016 release of Midnight in Havana and began maintaining a regular presence on the road, playing more than 100 shows a year. In a genre that has become increasingly polished and pop friendly throughout the 21st century, his stark tales of heartbreak, supernatural menace, God and the ever present specter of death seem to harken back to folk's roots, making him a modern torchbearer of a classic sound.

https://www.bendelacour.com/

Tickets: $25 and on sale now online at https://abilene.showare.com and tonight at the bar