Chuck Prophet at Helsinki Hudson (photo Seth Rogovoy)

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Chuck Prophet, one of contemporary rock’s greatest songwriters, plays a rare, intimate solo show at Club Helsinki Hudson on Friday, October 23, at 9pm. Boston-based twang-rocker Sarah Borges warms up the crowd for Prophet.

Chuck Prophet writes and sings wry, trenchant rock songs that connect the dots, musical and otherwise, between Tom Petty and Warren Zevon. Stylistically, Prophet embraces a host of traditional and classic sounds, including country, soul, LA rock, indie-rock, folk-rock, and plain old rock ‘n’ roll. On his most recent album, “Night Surfer,” he adds a bit of glam and prog-rock to the mix.

Lyrically, Prophet is deceptive, seemingly tossing off one-liners in his wry twang, but often in the service of full-fledged story-songs or sociopolitical narratives that are always cinematic, often funny, and subtly brilliant. The California rocker is a quirky original who has been associated in one way or another with musicians and bands including Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams, Cake, Kim Richey and Kelly Willis. In recent years, Prophet’s music has been featured in several hit television series including HBO’s “True Blood,” Showtime’s “Californication,” and FX’s “Sons of Anarchy.” He also co-wrote all the songs on Alejandro Escovedo’s 2008 critically acclaimed album “Real Animal.” Think of him as America’s answer to Ray Davies.

Sarah Borges

Longtime Helsinki favorite Sarah Borges has been entertaining audiences for years with her diverse brand of punk-inflected noir-rock. Hers is a unique blend that could be the soundtrack of a David Lynch film, drawing equally on influences as diverse as Dolly Parton, Mahalia Jackson, X, Sid Vicious, Merle Haggard, Smokey Robinson, and bubblegum pop. She cuts an alluring figure onstage, and was seemingly born to play rock ‘n’ roll. Her latest album, “Radio Sweetheart,” was produced by Steve Berlin, best known as keyboardist and saxophonist for the similarly roots-music mining Chicano-rock group Los Lobos.
For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800.