(HUDSON, N.Y.) – You might as well just set up shop at Club Helsinki Hudson for the weekend, as the cutting-edge nightclub boasts three back-to-back shows that span rock, roots and R&B, and that you won’t want to miss. The music kicks off Saturday, December 7, 2013, at 9pm, with Simi Stone’s patented style of original “Mountain Motown,” performed by the singer/violinist/guitarist with an all-star backup group of veteran musicians who have collectively worked with David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Gang of Four, the B-52s, Ani DiFranco and Indigo Girls, among many others. The next night, once again the holiday-funk spectacular Holidelic – the brainchild of Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, actor and dancer Everett Bradley – will usher in the holiday season at Helsinki Hudson, on Sunday, December 8, at 8pm. And the neverending party runs into Monday, December 9, at 8pm, with Midwestern rockers Trapper Schoepp & The Shades, longtime opening act for the Wallflowers and associates of Hudson’s Tommy Stinson.
Woodstock singer-songwriter Simi Stone brings her unique blend of pop, rock and soul – what she likes to call “Mountain Motown” – to Club Helsinki Hudson on Saturday, December 7, at 9pm, for a concert that will cap off the city’s Winter Walk celebration. Joining Stone will be a supergroup of legendary rock talents, including Gang of Four/B-52s bassist Sara Lee; David Bowie bandmates Gail Ann Dorsey and Zack Alford; and keyboardist David Baron; as well as a two-man horn section.
Simi Stone can’t be contained in a single word or sentence. She plays violin, guitar and percussion and boasts a huge, versatile voice. She writes catchy pop tunes, dance numbers, and compelling, introspective folk songs. Her alluring presence has been engaged in the services of videos and album art for Metallica and Cornershop, and she’s a dynamic performer both in the recording studio (check out her YouTube video for “Fear the Beat”) and onstage, no doubt owing in some part to her early experience in musical theater and off-Broadway.
Simi Stone has led a variety of bands, including Slithy Toves and “Afro-Punk” group Suffrajet, and shared stages with the likes of the Roots, Erykah Badu, Conor Oberst, Natalie Merchant, Cheap Trick, Urge Overkill, and Joan Jett. Her upcoming solo album, for which she raised over $8,000 from fans in a Kickstarter campaign, features musicians including drummer Zack Alford (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Vernon Reid), bassist Sara Lee (Indigo Girls, B-52s, Ani DiFranco), and Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie, Tears for Fears), who plays guitar with Simi.
Part dance party, part funk concert, part comedy show, the Yuletide-themed Holidelic features original holiday songs as well as loose, funk-infused adaptations of Tchaikovsky, “Frosty the Snowman,” “Little Drummer Boy” and the like. With Holidelic, Everett Bradley puts a fresh spin on holiday cheer, through lively holiday party tunes, outrageous costumes, and a theatrical stage show worthy of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. There’ll be no “Silent Night” when Holidelic reinvigorates the season, prompting concertgoers to shake their holiday booties to Sly Stone-style funk ‘n’ roll. Ho-ho-ho.
In 2012, Milwaukee-based Trapper Schoepp & The Shades released their national debut, “Run, Engine, Run,” as a love letter to their beloved home state of Wisconsin. The album’s mix of rocking tunes and sweet Americana-laced tales has helped paved the way for the group to share stages all over the country alongside such kindred spirits as the Wallflowers, Old 97’s, Soul Asylum, Cory Chisel, and more.
The heart of the group are brothers Trapper Schoepp (lead vocals, guitar, and songwriting) and his brother Tanner Schoepp (bass and vocals). The band boasts a Rolling Stones-like hard-charging electric guitar attack that should appeal to fans of John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, the Replacements and the Kinks.