(HUDSON, N.Y.) – San Francisco-based soul-jive outfit Royal Jelly Jive and roots-blues musician David Jacobs-Strain will entertain the crowd at Club Helsinki Hudson on Friday, July 3, at 9pm.

Fronted by the sultry and soulful vocals of Lauren Bjelde, Royal Jelly Jive play a fusion of the jumpin’ jive of the 1940s, brass band music of the 1950s and ‘60s, and today’s Gypsy punk as popularized by groups like Gogol Bordello and Golem. Horns, bass, drums, and keyboards surround Bjelde’s vocals that recall the elegance of Nina Simone and the rough grit of Tom Waits.

A highly percussive guitarist and slide wizard, David Jacobs-Strain buries himself inside a song and seemingly channels decades more life than he could possibly have experienced and miles beyond what he must have seen growing up in Eugene, Ore. But what comes out sounds like a modern version of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Lightnin’ Hopkins or Skip James mixed in with a little Michael Hedges or Kelly Joe Phelps. He favors modal blues and his playing often takes the music back to its African roots. His live show moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll.

Jacobs-Strain began playing on street corners and at farmers markets as a teenager, and bought his first steel guitar with the quarters he saved up.  Before he dropped out of Stanford University to play full time, he had already appeared at festivals across the country, often billed as a blues prodigy, but he had to fight to avoid being a novelty act:  “I wanted to tell new stories, it just wasn’t enough to relive the feelings in other people’s music.”

David Jacobs-Strain has appeared at festivals from British Columbia to Australia, including Merlefest, Telluride Blues Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly, Bumbershoot, and Blues to Bop in Switzerland.  He’s taught at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch, and at fifteen years old was on the faculty at Centrum’s Blues and Heritage workshop.  On the road, he’s shared the stage with Lucinda Williams, Boz Scaggs (more than 60 shows), Etta James, the Doobie Brothers, George Thorogood, Robert Earle Keen, Todd Snider, Taj Mahal, Janis Ian, Tommy Emmanuel, Bob Weir, T-Bone Burnett, and Del McCoury.

For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800.