The Nickel Slots, Jill Rogers and Crying Time

Handsome Hawk Valentine presents Saturdays at The Utah

Saturday, May 11 8PM $15

A Night of Ameripolitan Music

An alt-country, Americana-styled roots rock band out of Sacramento, California consisting of drummer Christopher Amaral, vocalist and guitarist Tony Brusca, bassist and vocalist Paul Zinn, and lead guitarist and singer Steve Amaral, THE NICKEL SLOTS were formed in 2008, and their bright, energetic sound, which at its best crosses Johnny Cash country with a punk veneer, garnered them an enthusiastic and loyal fan base. The band self-released two albums, the eponymous Nickel Slots in 2009 and 2011's Five Miles Gone, both of which impressed critics and expanded the group's audience. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi 

thenickelslotsmusic.com

Country singing from Oakland standouts. Real musicians, not just stompers. Jill Rogers is an amazing singer. Just plain beautiful.  - KALX Radio

JILL ROGERS and CRYING TIME play straight-up honky-tonk, 1970’s cross-over country, and elegiac originals. They’ve been packing dance floors, clubs, bars, and listening rooms for a decade in Northern California’s lively country scene. With a beautiful 70’s-era voice, Jill Rogers connects with audiences through her original songs, which are often about love at the edge of dissolution, or a look back at what might have been.

Backing her up, Crying Time is a musicians’ band, with a deep bench of accomplished players. Myles Boisen is an inventive guitarist who provides soulful, unpredictable, and sometimes blistering solos, reflecting decades of experience as a session player (Tom Waits) and record producer (California Honeydrops, Club Foot Orchestra). Western swing veteran Tony Marcus (Cheap Suit Serenaders) plays the whole of American music on fiddle. Russell Kiel (bass) and Tim Rowe (drums) work together to keep the grooves deep and swinging. Each musician brings a wealth of experience in performing and recording, and together they produce tightly woven, spry and energetic sets that turn heads and keep audiences enthralled. Crying Time is known for the variety and dynamism they bring to their interpretations of the classics and Jill’s beautiful, sad songs.

Based in Oakland, CA, Crying Time has played throughout the Bay Area and Northern California, and on radio shows across the country. Crying Time has released four albums: Ten Golden Hits (2015), Linda (2016), Last Saturday Night (2018), and King George (2019). Each one captures a particular musical phase in the band’s journey and offers a superb set list of Jill Rogers’ originals and country classics by the likes of George Jones, Bob Wills, Lynn Anderson and Jeannie C. Riley, and surprising covers of works by Glen Campbell, the Bee Gees, Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis Costello, Linda Ronstadt and more. Their most recent release, Many Worlds Theory (2023), showcases nine new original songs, including California Waltz, Golden Hour, and the title track, along with interpretations of country classics by Willie Nelson, Roy Acuff and Johnny Cash.

A stalwart of the Bay Area’s vibrant country music scene, Crying Time ran the celebrated Friday night  “Honky Tonk Heaven” series from 2017-2019 at Oakland’s Parkway Lounge, sharing the stage with Nashville Honeymoon, Bear Flag Trio, Maurice Tani, Moonshine Maybelline, and many other great bands.

Jill Rogers delivers convincing, full-throated, but not faux-hillbilly, lead vocals...Add guest virtuoso Bobby Black on pedal steel and you have another great spin on the no-nonsense country of Bakersfield and pre-pop Nashville —in a tradition that includes Jimmie Rivers, Asleep at the Wheel, and others. Crying Time begs for a dance floor to accommodate your happy feet and a beer to catch your tears.

- Derk Richardson (Oakland Magazine/ KPFA) 

Rogers has that Iris DeMent quality to her voice that I love so much.

- Ann Powers (NPR) 

cryingtimeband.com/