Kelly's Lot plays Americana and Blues with a
roadhouse rockin' sound that is upbeat, heartfelt and fun. The band was formed
in 1995 by singer Kelly Zirbes after years of songwriting and playing for
friends and family. Kelly Z, a folk singer with a heart for southern rock and
blues, recorded her first demo CD, "Kelly's Lot", with J. Peter
Robinson, composer and keyboard player. Working with Peter and manager Alex
Rylance was the inspiration Kelly needed to actually pursue music as more than
just a hobby. Kelly was always a late bloomer and music was no exception.
"With age comes fearless confidence or maybe it was a little bit of 'life
is too short'”.
Next came "Test Drive" which gave
the band their first official release. It gave the insight to others that this
band can play a variety of styles and rock them all. Along the way they
recorded 3 LIVE CDs , 'Live at The Troubadour'. 'Stop And Make A Difference'
and 'Trio', headlined local festivals, toured regionally and embarked on 2
national tours. Many USA radio stations, traditional, college and internet have
played their CDs including their next 7 song EP 'Come To This' which was
recorded to showcase the band's journey towards more blues. It was played in
Europe and brought the band some international attention. Europe started
calling but journey would have to wait. Playing for charity became a norm for
the band starting in 1999 after Kelly realized that music and giving made a
good match. It gave Kelly the extra inspiration to perform and write more.
Kelly’s Lot has been featured on many media outlets for her music and for the
charity work she has embraced. These include ABC Perspectives, Channel 4 in
Milwaukee, Rock City News, LA times, Pasadena Weekly, Independent Songwriter
Magazine, Mixdown Magazine, The Debra Duncan Show, Good Morning Texas, The
Gordon Keith show and Fox TV Houston.
Many of Kelly's Lot fans are blues lovers and
during this time they kept encouraging her to play more blues. It was a natural
step since that is what she grew up with. Listening to her mother play records
late at night. Kelly started composing music that fit that genre as well as the
roadhouse and southern rock that Texan, guitar player and co-writer Perry
Robertson added to the mix. In 2008 'The Light' was released which showcased
most styles the band is known for. Three years in the making and playing lots
of gigs during that time tested the band and it's members. With bills to pay
and families growing the love of music took a back seat but eventually music
won the battle and the band survived. Their next release in 2009, Pastrami and
Jam, included a list of covers the band enjoys playing. It was never meant to
be a CD, just a casual band get together to help a friend. But the magic spoke
for itself and a CD was made. After booking more blues festivals including The
Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland Oregon, the Big Fish Blues Festival,
Maxson Roadhouse, The Santa Clarita Blues Festival and the Pasadena Blues
Festival everyone felt it really was a natural direction for Kelly Z and the
band to go down.
Never forgetting her roots, folk and rock were
blended with those blues to capture the forever growing sound of of Kelly's Lot.
"I'm excited to do more traditional blues but other styles are part of
this band’s journey and there's room for it all." Matt McFadden on
bass and Robert Dill on drums add the signature rhythm and Rob Zucca adds the
tasty licks on guitar. Recently they have opened for Tommy Castro, Shemekia
Copeland, Marcia Ball, John Mayall, Curtis Salgado and have hosted blues events
for charities and for fellow blues musicians. And finally with the help of
European fans and friends they toured across Belgium, France, Germany, England,
Scotland, and The Netherlands. In 2011 they released a live CD from Brussels,
BE. 'Live in Brussels' which was released both in Belgium and The USA. It was
the push the band needed to focus on Europe more. Their latest release, 'Plain Simple
Me', brings the listener back to the beginning of this band, when Kelly was
playing solo shows and calling herself a singer/songwriter.
Soon they will begin recording a new full band
CD that will focus on their blues material as they introduce a horn section and
keys for the first time on a recording.
Website: www.KellysLot.com
YouTube: KellysLot
Twitter: @KellysLot
FB: Kelly's Lot
Stay tuned for Kelly's Interview on
Tuesday, February 11th at 2pm EST!
#TheSashaMarinaShow