With a new album, Tangled Tales (Surfdog), due March 24, Dan Hicks And The Hot Licks can add grizzled roots-rock vets David Grisman, Charlie Musselwhite and Roy Rogers to the honor roll of past collaborators, a list that includes Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Rickie Lee Jones, Elvis Costello, Bette Midler and Jimmy Buffett. The jazzy pipes and dustbowl-dry, wiseguy humor of Hicks have been making crowds squirm with delight since his early days as drummer/vocalist for the Charlatans, the Edwardian-garbed combo that launched San Francisco’s psychedelic revolution with its performances at Virginia City, Nev.’s Red Dog Saloon in the summer of 1965. Hicks moved out front when the Hot Licks—an upbeat blend of Brasil ’66-like vocals and the Western swing of Bob Wills—opened shop in 1968. Just as much as genre-bending band classics “Milk Shakin’ Mama,” “I Scare Myself” and “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?” Hicks is revered for deadpan onstage remarks like, “You probably think it’s easy bein’ up here … singin’ and playin.’ It’s not. It’s not easy … Thank you.” Tour dates below.
“The Diplomat” from Tangled Tales:
Dan Hicks Tour Dates
March 25 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach CA
March 26 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles CA
March 28 – Yoshi’s – San Francisco CA
April 03 – One Longfellow Square – Portland ME
April 04 – Bull Run – Shirley MA
April 05 – Iron Horse – Northampton MA
April 06 – BB King’s Blues Club – New York NY
April 07 – Turning Point – Piermont NY
April 10 – Sellersville Theater – Sellersville PA
April 11 – The State Theater – Falls Church VA
