Gin Palace Jesters News

NEWS & GOSSIP

The Gin Palace Jesters' have a NEW cd "Roadhouse Riot...and other songs with words" for available NOW and sound samples for you to hear free of charge! Thasssright! We're GIVING THEM AWAY!!! click here

Nov 19, 2011

It's been a long while since we updated our news page. A lot has happened and at the same time not much has happened. This summer had the Gin Palace Jesters gigging some locally in our Midwest home base of Chicago, Illinois and all the individual members were also touring all over the world in their individual side projects. Bandleader Dave was also trying to stay fit by playing Football (Soccer) in a men's league this summer and was in great shape until he suffered a collision with an opposing team member and broke his collarbone (clavicle). This meant he could not shoulder or play a guitar for 6 weeks! He is on the mend (though not fully healed) just in time to board a plane to Brussels for 10 days in Belgium and Holland. Luckily Dave had health insurance which is a pesky difficult reality all American musicians must contend with and it is because of this reality that many of the regular Gin Palace Jesters are going to be unable to make this trip back to the continent because to do so would risk losing that necessary health insurance that is so hard to acquire sometimes. So, Dave has assembled a 4 piece skeleton crew to make the trip: Pennsylvania Dave-Lead guitar & lead vocals, Spider Mike Hobson-Upright Bass, and from fellow Chicago Honkytonk group The Hoyle Brothers Lance Helgeson-Drums & Harmony Vocals, and finally Trevor McSpadden-Acoustic Rhythm guitar & both Harmony & Lead Vocals. Expect to hear many Gin Palace Jester originals, some Hoyle Brothers originals and the quartet will mine through some classics. Come on out and enjoy some true Hard Hitting Hillbilly and Honkytonk music and have a beer with the boys!

June 16, 2011

We have a few shows coming up at the annual Day In The Country show at the Hideout June 26 and Fitzgerald's Country Night In Berwyn June 30.

Gabriel Stutz has been very very busy gigging with Sarah and the Tall Boys as their steel man touring all around the country which has made gigging difficult for us. We have asked Pat Kiner to play with us and he has accepted the challenge. Pat plays table steel and electric mandolin and has been filling in wonderfully. We have no idea if we will ever play with Gabe again because he never returns our calls!!! Ha. We miss you Gabe.

We are working on getting to Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg November 24 - December 4. More details to come... Lookout Europe!

January 24, 2011

It's been a while since we have updated our goings on here and we are sorry for that. We were fairly inactive through the holidays as the various band members were working with their other projects and theater productions so now that the season is over we are back to working on new songs to take into the studio. We have quite a few real nice gems we hope to polish up to be worthy of recording. They run the gamut from Honkytonkers, Shuffles and Ballads to Country Pop, Western Swing and Hill Boogie tunes written by band members or songwriter pals of ours. You know how we roll... We like the OLD STUFF so as always our songs are NEW COUNTRY music that sounds like OLD COUNTRY music. It's an uphill battle since our tunes don't sound like 1970's rock but some of us out there in the world are stubborn! Right? Working song titles include: "The Bottom Of The Bottle", "91 Proof", "Texas 12 Step", "Show Me Your Tears", "Paycheck To Paycheck", "God Bless The Drinking Songs", "Diana", "Trail Of Tears" to name a few. Time will tell if they make it to tape. Yep... we still use tape. We had some talk with some folks about making it to Belgium and Holland before 2011 is over. We sure would like to make it back to the Continent so if we can work out the details and get all our ducks in a row we will be sure to let you know. Cross your fingers!

Now we heard the very sad news that Charlie Louvin passed away. We have always been big fans of Charlie's solo work and with his late brother Ira. The world has never heard tighter harmony vocals. Pennsylvania Dave had the opportunity to meet Charlie and give him a Roadhouse Riot cd which includes the song he wrote with Ira "Are You Missing Me". Rest in Peace Charlie.

Two Hillbillies-Charlie Louvin holding a Gin Palace Jesters CD in June 2009 with bandleader Pennsylvania Dave

Here's Charlie Louvin's swan song to his brother Ira. Now they sing together again.

October 2010

Ok ok ok... we haven't been updating our site which makes us very very lame. The webmaster failed us and we have decided to rededicate ourselves to keeping this thing up. For those of you who recently saw us at the Chicago Country Music Festival this past weekend and saw us on the WGN News piece can tell we are alive and well. We did get some nice coverage and are currently in the process of gathering and writing and learning new material for a 3rd CD release. This summer has been full of touring by the various band members but NOT together as the Gin Palace Jesters. Dave was on tour with Three Blue Teardrops and Spider was on tour with Deal's Gone Bad. Greg has been coast to coast with Mucca Pazza and Ken has spent nearly every weekend gigging with the Crown Vics regionally while Gabe continues doing side gigs on Pedal Steel and lead guitar with a few acts around town and did one national tour himself. Rick Murawski is just always busy so the long and short of it is we continue as a loose organization that expands and contracts and are currently trying to pull it back together to make some more music.

Our next upcoming gig is Friday October 29 at Chuck's Barbeque 6501 W. 79th St. in Burbank, IL. This should be a great chance to see the Gin Palace Jesters play all night long in full force. Don't miss it!

January 12, 2010

Lineup Shuffleroo take 5!
Well,
This whole project has become like a Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys thing with "people coming and going" (use Forrest Gump voice). Katie had a baby and moved to Reno, NV. Her new name is now "Fiddlin' Katie Reno". Look her up. She might play fiddle for you if you pay cash money. Diapers aren't free. We love you Katie.

Casey got married and decided to move on after a good 5 year run. We love you Casey. Best of luck.

"Spider" Mike Hobson is now playing the Upright with this band. He's good. He's young. He's eager. He's a songwriter. He wants to travel! YES! He was the upright man in the now defunct Chicago band THE STRANGER but is better known for being the electric bassist in International Ska and Soul sensations DEAL'S GONE BAD. Welcome aboard Mike.

Spider Mike "Spider" Mike Hobson

Greg Hirte is our hot shit new fiddle player. He really is red hot on that thing. We asked him after one of his blazing solos at rehearsal if he knew what the chords were or even wanted to know? He replied he, "did not know nor did he really think it would help." Well we agree because it was damn good. Welcome aboard Greg. Greg has been fiddling around Chicago for a few years now making a name for himself as a musician AND an actor. See him in the Goodman Theater production of A Chrismas Carol as... THE FIDDLER! Nice paycheck that gig.

Greg Hirte

I reckon we are back in business... Look out cruel world.

We also have some fun You Tube Videos to enjoy.

Gin Palace Jesters - Roadhouse Riot - by Pennsylvania Dave Sisson and Paul L. Cook- Keystone Cowboy Songs

Gin Palace Jesters - Ol' Webb's Bullhorn Pontiac-by: Pennsylvania Dave Sisson-Keystone Cowboy Songs

August 25, 2009	Well well well... You thought we were done huh? Not just yet...