Hamell On Trial
with special guest: Ruth Theodore
Saturday, June 29
- The Mission Room
- Doors 7:30pm :: Music 8:00pm :: 21+
- General Admission*: $15 ADV / $20 DOS
- *Does not include fees
- NO REFUNDS
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Hamell On Trial returns to the Hook & Ladder along with special guest Ruth Theodore. Hamell on Trial is the musical alias of New York-based folk punk hero Ed Hamell. A one-man explosion, he is loud-as-war one minute, stepping off the microphone to whisper to an enthralled audience the next. This is a dynamic performance informed by politics, passion, intelligence and the all-important sense of humor.
His caustic wit and devil-may-care attitude have long been a favorite of anti-establishment icons Aesop Rock, Kimya Dawson, Ani DiFranco, and the critical elite inciting Rolling Stone magazine to call him “Bald, bold, and superbad!” Henry Rollins says “Hamell is a one-man rock show!” He has been described as “Bill Hicks, Hunter S. Thompson, and Joe Strummer all rolled into one” by Philadelphia Weekly and a “one-man Tarantino flick: loud, vicious, luridly hilarious, gleefully and deeply offensive” by the Village Voice.
“He plays a 1937 Gibson guitar with a jackhammer force that makes you wonder how it doesn’t fall apart. The powerful, profane, hilarious, one-man wrecking crew known as Hamell On Trial.” – Brian Cornish
Hamell tours the world constantly, seemingly enjoying every performance challenge. From larger stages and theaters, winning the coveted Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to house concerts and DIY underground spaces, this is a man who clearly loves to play. Armed with a battered 1937 Gibson acoustic guitar that he amplifies mightily and strums like a machine gun, a politically astute mind that can’t stop moving, and a mouth that can be profane one minute and profound the next, with Tackle Box, Hamell sets his sights on the new America and issues personal and spiritual. His performances invoke thoughts of the great, rebellious satirists and social commentators of the past: Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks. Hamell is a great mind with acoustic punk rock mixed with a seeker’s soul. There’s no way around his obscenity but in that is a willingness to fight for the free thinkers of the world. Don’t we need that now more than ever?
Ruth Theodore has just signed an exciting record deal with Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records in the USA and is on her debut tour of the US this spring to celebrate the release of her highly anticipated 5th studio record - ‘I Am I Am’
She’ll perform from the new album which is the fruits of her ongoing collaborations with Grammy and Tony award winning bassist/producer Todd Sickafoose (Hadestown) and Swiss American percussion virtuoso Mathias Kunzli (Regina Spektor), recorded in upstate New York by Eli Crews (Tune-Yards).
Theodore will also perform tracks from her critically acclaimed back catalog, archived in the British Library for its contribution to British music. Theodore is an enigmatic performer and has performed her music in iconic venues in the UK including the London Palladium and Glastonbury Festival.
“The last time I played the London Palladium Ruth Theodore was on the bill with me. I watched from the wings inspired by her authenticity, her connection with my audience, and her free artistic spirit. That night I saw her as a true Righteous Babe. Last fall, when she reached out with her new album, it seemed the perfect time to reunite and help introduce her to North America.”
— Ani DiFranco
"Britain’s answer to Ani DiFranco”- Red Guitar Music
“Her tales leave you breathless” ★★★★ Mojo
