The Kit Hillbillies

The Kit Hillbillies

Self-proclaimed old-timey, bluegrassy, ragtimey, toe-tappy, good-timey string band who do acoustic Americana, rootsy, retro and uptempo.

Our repertoire includes old-time favourites like Man of Constant Sorrow and In the Jailhouse Now, and the rattling bluegrass drive of Duelling Banjos and Foggy Mountain Breakdown. We place particular emphasis on old-fashioned harmony singing.

The music has an infectious swing and syncopation that's easily danceable, with a crisply percussive back-beat woven into it. Occasionally we'll deploy a stomp box, or place a snare drum within reach of Fidel Styx so that he can thwack the occasional beat with his bow.

But in the fine retro style of the old-time string bands, we don't use a drummer as such. This means we avoid being too loud. If you catch the Kit Hillbillies in a bar, you can usually talk to the person next to you without screaming. That's the way we like it, anyway. We're fussy about the sound and usually bring our own dedicated sound man.

We throw in some original bluesy songs with many a knowing nod to the backwoods and badlands of Devon and Cornwall. These *usually* avoid causing offence (happily people don't always listen to the words!). We always do some 20thC classics by the likes of Johnny Cash and Steve Earle. And, like Hayseed Dixie, we throw in songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Clash and even Radiohead, all delivered in good-time string band style.

In short, it's the makings of a rousing, stomping night of tunes.