LOS ANGELES, CA. (By Michael Jensen/ Jensen Communications) - Landmark Sunset Strip venue The Whisky A Go Go has been the epicenter of rock and roll in Los Angeles since it opened its doors in 1964. In fact, its hallowed walls have perhaps given shelter to more legendary rock performances than every other club in
America combined. In the great tradition of showmanship that has defined the Whisky, veteran music industry producers, promoters and men about town Cy Langston and Benford Standley launch a new weekly Monday night series -- ROCKIN COUNTRY NIGHTS -- at the club on June 12 with a show from Austin, TX-based singer/demon guitar player
Junior Brown. The series is produced under their banner RCN Presents, which also encompasses Standley's West Multimedia, which will Webcast the entire ongoing series online at StudioClub.com.
Brown, whose wild hybrid of rock 'n roll and kick-ass country has won him major crossover success, is the ideal artist for kicking off the honky tonk heaven of ROCKIN COUNTRY NIGHTS, which Langston and Standley describe as, "so rock you can roll with it… so country you can step in it." The night also features special guest Buck Page, "the last of the Singing Cowboys." As the series builds, the partners guarantee that top acts featured will encompass, "western, country, country rock, roots, alt-country, bluegrass and country folk music from tune-town Nashville to the Austin Outlaw scene, the Village in New York, the Haight in Frisco and back to our very own LA Rockin' Country sound... with some blasts from the past each night." Tickets are available through www.studioclub.com/rcn/ and at the Whisky box office (310-652-4202).
Future dates scheduled include June 19 with legendary singer-songwriter and ultimate rock 'n roll session man Leon Russell (plus special guest Adam Hood) and June 26 with Texas-born country/rock icon Joe Ely and special guest Dave Somerville, former lead vocalist for The Diamonds. To be confirmed soon are Mondays with contemporary trad-country hitmaker Jack Ingram, Asleep At The Wheel, Rosie Flores, Commander Cody and others.
Appearing every week will be the RCN house favorites The Bunkhouse Band, comprised of stellar members Skip Edwards, Jay Dee Maness, Larry Mitchell, Cary Park, Taras Prodaniux and Mark Sellers, who have all played with a who's who of music legends, and will get things going each week with a raucous celebrity jam before the headliners take the stage. Rounding out the evening's festivities are the smokin' RCN Go Go Cowgals, whose dance/DJ/fashion show carries on the Whisky's legacy as the birthplace of the go-go girl!
RCN's Cy Langtson started his storied career as a professional guitarist in his native England. He went on to become an internationally renowned sound engineer and producer, and has worked with artists including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Arthur Brown and Ginger Baker. His long association with The Who, collectively and individually, has also involved sound production on five of their films, including "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia." Cy managed John Entwistle until his death in 2002, and continues to work closely with Roger Daltrey. He is also actively involved with David Fishof and JBL as a director for the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp.
RCN's Benford Standley - who's been known to ride bulls and rodeos - has an amazing and colorful four decades experience producing concerts, music, rodeos, wild west shows and more with luminaries including Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Hoyt Axton, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Aaron Neville and more. Recently, he has been working with the Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan camps, Merle Haggard and other legendary musicians on a DVD project related to "The Father Of Country Music," Jimmie Rodgers.
A pioneer in the world of webcasting, Standley's West Multimedia produced one of the first-ever online audio/video webcasts in 1995 - an all-star concert from L.A.'s Troubadour nightclub -- and has continued to deliver major online events including projects with Willie Nelson and Yahoo.com. He launched StudioClub.com in 1998, "A Virtual Entertainment InterNetwork on the World Wide Web" that will webcast ROCKIN COUNTRY NIGHTS for one and all!
ROCKIN COUNTRY NIGHTS: So rock you can roll with it... so country you can step in it!
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.studioclub.com/rcn/
