J.P. McDermott and Western Bop

A Celebration of the Life and Music of Buddy Holly Hosted by J.P. McDermott and featuring Carl Sonny Leyland with Jake Penrod, Molly Kruse, and Brian Hogan A Grand Ole Country Bunker Presentation $Free! Though it’s been 65 years since the world lost Buddy Holly in the first major tragedy of the rock and roll era, his memory and his music live on. To mark the occasion and honor this amazing musical legacy, noted Holly superfan J.P. McDermott will be hosting a series of celebrations of Buddy’s life and music across California at venues from Solvang to San Diego. Holly was only 22 years old on that bitter cold night in February 1959, when the light plane he was traveling in crashed in a corn field outside Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all on board, and putting an end to one of the most creative and prolific careers of the rock and roll era. In a scant three years, Buddy left behind nearly 100 recordings, including at least 40 original songs, among them some of the greatest in the rock and roll canon. Though we lost Buddy, songs like "Peggy Sue", "It's So Easy", "Rave On", and "That'll Be The Day" live on through the years. Among the many and diverse acts that have covered Holly’s songs you'll find The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Blondie, The Stray Cats, Los Lobos, and many many more. These celebrations will feature Buddy's exciting, fun, and heartfelt music all night long, with diversions into the careers of Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper who also perished in the same plane crash. J.P. McDermott & Western Bop to Host An award-winning singer and band leader, J.P. McDermott has an abiding love for Buddy's music, and has presented Holly events for many years, including a lecture at the Smithsonian Institution on Buddy's life and musical legacy. His series of YouTube deep-dives into Holly’s songs have been viewed more than 250,000 times. J.P. says, "I’m really happy to be able to bring this celebration to LA on the 65th anniversary of the last show Buddy ever played. While it could be a somber occasion, there is so much joy in Buddy’s music, this really calls for a celebration of all these great songs. It’s a chance share some of Buddy's story and explore the connections and influences he had on rock and roll through the years.” “I don’t imitate Buddy – this isn’t a ‘Tribute’ or an impersonation,” says McDermott. “I just love Buddy’s music, and I just try and play it straightforward and from the heart.” McDermott's versatile and hard-rocking combo, Western Bop will back him all night, playing in the many styles that Buddy explored, from real rock and roll, to country, to Tex-Mex, to orchestral ballads. Incidentally, the name of the band comes from Buddy's original business card that touted that he played both kinds of music – Western and Bop. A Unique Venue The Los Angeles celebration will take place in the charming Sassafras Saloon, on Vine. This unusual space includes an actual townhouse from Savannah, GA, giving the place a big dose of southern charm. It’s in the heart of Hollywood, and at the heart of what Los Angeles Magazine calls the “cool Country and Americana scene…exploding in Los Angeles''. Sassafras is the home of the popular Honky Tonk & Vine series presented by Grand Old Country Bunker. The shows regularly bring together LA's finest Country, Rockabilly, & Americana performers, along with nationally-known touring acts. An Exciting Group of Featured Guest Stars Joining the festivities in LA, Long Beach, and San Diego will be internationally renowned boogie woogie piano player, Carl Sonny Leyland. Keyboards were an integral part of some of Holly’s best-known songs from the rollicking solos on “Rave On” and “Think It Over” to the gentle celeste (a keyboard instrument often mislabeled a glockenspiel) on “Every Day”. McDermott says “Having Carl join us is really a treat, for us, and the audience. He’s a world-class musician and a fantastic entertainer. His featured set will be sure to bring the house down”. Also featured, all the way from Austin, TX, is Jake Penrod, a singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader from the Piney Woods of East Texas. In 2017, he was given the Ameripolitan Music Award for Honky Tonk Male. In 2015, he was recognized as the Academy of Western Artists’ Pure Country Male Vocalist of the Year. He’s worked with and played with some of the greats -- Ray Price, Charlie Pride, Asleep at the Wheel, and Dale Watson, to name just a few. Despite his accolades, Jake really isn’t too concerned with image, persona, or delusions of stardom. He’ll tell you he’s more about “listen to this,” than “look at me.” Penrod says that his greatest honor is that Kinky Friedman once called him “A Great Texan.” Molly Kruse is one of the hottest stars in the burgeoning LA Country scene. Elle Magazine says of her latest release, “…this newest project is a resounding, unapologetic shout—firmly in the country and Americana music traditions. Where before she might have felt the compulsion to mix genres for crossover appeal, Kruse is done tip-toeing around her devotion to country. In a milieu where musicians are eager to show their breadth, she’s focused on depth instead.” Popular roots-rocker Brian Hogan rounds out the bill. Says LA Weekly, “Show-stopping rocker Brian Hogan has been plying his trade for a few years throughout the region, and the Hollywood native's engaging presentation of self-penned originals and shrewdly selected classics is a solid mix that defies retro cliché and gleefully drags the genre into a high-voltage present tense.” This show promises to be one of the highlights of the season. Experience some of the greatest rock and roll music ever written at one of the finest venues in California!