It's been many a long year since they graced our stage, but now Asylum Street Spankers fans can rejoice! As part of the SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival, the indefinably great septet makes a triumphant return to the Freight. Currently in the midst of their Salvation and Sin tour, the Spankers showcase several different facets with a heavenly selection of rousing gospel music from their new CD, God's Favorite Band, balanced by a set of songs about the joys of sinning. "Jesus Walking on the Water" and "Wade in the Water" nestle cheek by jowl with classics like "Beer" and "Leaf Blower"...you get the picture. According to the Spankers' theology of non-dogmatic musicality, "It's not what you believe, but how you sing it."

It's been a decade and a half since the Asylum Street Spankers first conquered Austin with their mischievous concoction of ragtime, two-step parlor dances, jazz, vaudeville, off-color blues, and country swagger. Since then, bandleaders Christina Marrs (vocals, guitar, tenor banjo, ukulele, musical saw) and Wammo (vocals, harmonica, washboard, percussion) have pushed their ever-evolving troupe from country blues revivalism toward original compositions, new works for the stage, and sociopolitical commentary. The band also features Nevada Newman on guitar and mandolin, Morgan Patrick Thompson on string bass, percussionist Mark Henne, fiddler Shawn Dean, and multi-instrumentalist Dave Long on everything else.

Make sure you check out the band that Rolling Stone lauded for their "Inspired, lunatic brilliance" and Jazz Review called "An audacious, genre-deying national treasure!"

Tonight's show is opened by The Henriettas (Nell Robinson & Cary Sheldon), a revival of the 1930s novelty yodeling act, the Dezurik Sisters, the first women to become stars on both the National Barn Dance and the Grand Ole Opry.

Visit the SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival's website

Visit the Asylum Street Spankers website

Visit the Henriettas website

Listen to a track from the Asylum Street Spankers:

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