Warner E. Hodges Band / Ryan Hamilton

Warner E. Hodges Band / Ryan Hamilton
Saturday October 29th @ 8.00pm
The Orkney Theatre, Kirkwall

Tickets available from Sinclair Office Supplies Stromness & Kirkwall 01856 851063, sales@sinclairoffice.co.uk or from www.ticketsource.co.uk/frantic-music-orkney

Warner E. Hodges: Gunslinger

World-renowned six-string pioneer, Warner E. Hodges, continues to blaze trails with his signature brand of guitar driven rock. Visit www.warnerehodges.com to feast your ears!

Born in Wurtzburg, Germany, Warner cut his teeth on the music of his father, Edger, a serving U.S. Army officer, and his mom, Blanche, who both fronted a USO country music outfit on base. The Hodges family settled in Nashville TN upon returning to the states and Warner soon found himself playing drums in his parents’ band. The bolt of lightning that compelled him to switch to guitar hit at an AC/DC concert in 1973. By the end of the 70’s, the punk movement had invaded Music City U.S.A. and Hodges’ high octane approach to life and the guitar were a perfect match for the burgeoning DIY scene. These early sparks were about to catch and Warner’s legacy was about to begin. Fast forward to 1981.

“Help Me Warner Go!” Both words of warning and a battle cry, all in one. Signaling the spinning, smoking, spur-wearing Hodges to action in front of rabid fans of Jason & The Scorchers, the mold-breaking, original wild child of rock n roll aggression and country music roots. The WEH sound is the perfect volatile mixture of these juxtaposed musical brothers. Part Jimmy Page, part Don Rich, Warner blends the two like no other player in history, period! With 10 albums to their credit, The Scorchers are still turning on and inspiring a new generation of alt-country fans and artists. They are the first recipients of the Americana Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award and recently celebrated their 30 year mark with a live DVD release. Visit www.jasonandthescorchers.com for more details.

Warner E. Hodges is a busy man these days. In 2009, he joined Dan Baird & Homemade Sin, has recorded five studio albums, including 2017’s Rollercoaster, and has relentlessly toured internationally with the former Georgia Satellite. A new studio album is also in the works.

Always searching for new creative roads to explore, Warner formed The Bluefields in 2011, an American rock group from Nashville, where he can stretch his imagination on instruments ranging from Les Paul’s to ukuleles! The band has recorded 3 well-received studio albums, including 2014’s Under High Cotton.

When Hodges hits the road in 2022, it’ll be a while before the dust clears. Warner will be bringing his latest albums Right Back Where I Started and Gunslinger to life for UK fans during his UK tour with Ryan Hamilton in October. Talking of which........

Ryan Hamilton is a native of Dallas Texas and combines Americana with Power Pop to create an almost unique sound. Think Fountains of Wayne or Ginger & The Wildhearts with a little dash of Tom Petty and you have an approximation. In fact The Wildhearts took Ryan on tour with then not long before Covid and he has also toured the UK with Terrorvision & The Alarm and as a result is cowriting material with Ginger Wildheart & Tony Wright from Terrorvision. He was signed by the legend that is Steven Van Zandt (Little Steven of E Street Band) & his new album “1221” just came out via that label. I'd respectfully describe Ryan as a genius but don't just take my word for it. Check out his latest single 'Paper Planes' meander through his rich back catalogue of clever, catchy tunes (and innovative video such as 'Bottom's Up', 'All My Exes Live in Texas', 'Karaoke with no Crowd' and 'Records and Needles'. Simply excellent!