Double Bill!: Sam Morrow + Ellis Bullard w/ special guest Mike Hellman
Events
Moe's Alley
Thursday, June 20th
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
$25 in advance / $30 day of the show
21+
SAM MORROW
Five albums into an acclaimed career, Sam Morrow has carved out a sound that exists somewhere outside of genre and geography. It's his own version of modern-day American roots music: a mix of roadhouse rock & roll, bluesy R&B, and country-fried funky-tonk, driven forward by groove, grease, and guitars.
It's also a sound that owes as much to the road — where Morrow spent most of the past decade on tour, supporting albums like Concrete & Mud and Gettin' By On Gettin' Down — as the various places he's called home. This is music for the fast lane. Music for empty highways. Music for people who, like Morrow, always seem to find themselves in transit. "I feel like I'm searching for something," he says. "I've been on some kind of journey. Maybe I don't know what I'm looking for, exactly, but I'm keeping my eyes open."
On The Ride Here marks the latest leg of that journey. Morrow takes us along for the ride, singing in a laidback Texas drawl about highway haunts ("Thunderbird Motel"), peyote trips in the Mojave Desert ("Searching For Paradise"), and the glamor and grind of the open road ("Hired Gun"). On The Ride Here offers more than roadside ephemera and travelogue tales, though. Morrow isn't just focused on the drive these days; he's interested in the destination, too, and a number of these songs deal with the hard lessons and new perspectives that come with rest, reflection, and time spent at home.
ELLIS BULLARD
MIKE HELLMAN
Mike Hellman is a country and americana troubadour with a bent for the unconventional. Slinging songs with substance, conviction and grit, he’s on a mission to tell his truth and he insists on being heard. While firmly rooted in the rich country and blues traditions of his home state of Texas, he refuses to pander to cliché and his sound is anything but predictable.
Ellis Bullard
Mike Hellman
Mike Hellman is a country and americana troubadour with a bent for the unconventional. Slinging songs with substance, conviction and grit, he’s on a mission to tell his truth and he insists on being heard. While firmly rooted in the rich country and blues traditions of his home state of Texas, he refuses to pander to cliché and his sound is anything but predictable. His lively performances swing from ballad to barn burner to outright rock ‘n’ roll, and his rich baritone conjures earnestness and humor while dealing head-on with all aspects of the human condition (and with a not-so-subtle nod to the underdog). An “outlaw” for outlaws, Mike's music transcends the often narrow boundaries set by the mainstream country music establishment.
Mike released three singles in 2021-22, which have enjoyed enthusiastic reception on Gimme Country, NPR, Pacifica and independent radio stations across the United States and Europe. His debut full length album "Trials and Triumphs" is expected in 2023, and he plans to tour extensively to support the release.