Friday, July 19, 2019 - 7:30 pm
The Smoking Flowers
with Sonofmel & The Slideman
Described by taste-maker blog Pitchfork as, "...an edgy Civil Wars...or The White Stripes if Meg sang like a country angel." East Nashville husband and wife alt-country duo The Smoking Flowers are back in Hayward by popular demand, joined by regional favorites Sonofmel & Slideman.
There are not enough words to describe the intrinsic chemistry The Smoking Flowers' Kim and Scott Collins possess. They have discovered what some duos spend their entire careers trying to find: a fascinating marriage between artistic talent and subtle sensuality that pierces the attention of anyone in the same room as them. The Collins' have devoted their entire lives to music, and the second their wild feet touch the stage they exude just how tenured they truly are.
Musically speaking, Kim dances between drums, accordion, acoustic guitar, mandolin, harmonica, shimmering tambourine and her own sensual, simmering vocals. Scott plays electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica, and delivers his vocals with the voice of a feisty, gin-battered, heart-on-sleeve, hardscrabble troubadour.
They have influences that range from Led Zeppelin to Gillian Welch -- from the Ramones to Neil Young. Kim was ironically considered by one of those very influences when she was up for the female vocalist spot in Robert Plant's "Band of Joy". Unbeknownst to Kim, Mr. Plant had been listening to some of her recordings and loved her voice. But as fate would have it her friend Patti Griffin got the role. "The job was clearly destined for Patti. I mean look at her and Robert now! I do believe in a good love story, after all," says a sighing Kim.
The Smoking Flowers first album Sweet As Port debuted in 2009, initially recorded as a side project of sorts for the couple from their respective rock bands at the time. Their second full length album 2 Guns, was released in 2013, but was raucously brought into existence in single live recorded takes over about four days in 2011. It is a ferocious musical document that eerily proved to be a foreshadowing of a battle the couple was soon to encounter. Kim was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer just after they recorded and mixed 2 Guns, delaying the album's release by two years. Kim's breast cancer is in remission today due to only using holistic and alternative methods and a raw food diet (no chemotherapy, no radiation, no hormones).
In the wake of this experience Kim and Scott took life by the reins and hit the road in their vintage Volvo 240 station wagon, touring across America and Canada for three years straight promoting 2 Guns. With this life altering experience to draw upon, and three years of intense touring under their belt, the couple then tapped even deeper into their raw rock, punk and folk roots in the composition of their album Let's Die Together, released in June 2018. The undeniable urgency present in these recordings cannot be faked. Let's Die Together is a true story of triumph. And almost a year from that album release comes their latest, Snowball Out Of Hell, an "acoustic companion to Let's Die Together," according to the Collins, both albums being conceived during Kim's battle with cancer -- the two albums are being released together as a deluxe double album digitally and on vinyl.
The Collins’s continue to be activists and advocates for holistic and alternative medicine and healing. Their music and life have been an influence on many East Nashville artists, being early pioneers of the now popular underground scene.
The Smoking Flowers are currently on tour world wide. The Smoking Flowers live shows exemplify the gritty wanderlust of Kim and Scott, while their songs paint a picture of a couple that lives together (married 19 years), writes together, plays together and simply loves life together.
More information at www.TheSmokingFlowers.com.
Admission is $20 in advance, $30 at the door. Students 18 and under are admitted for $5.
Tickets are available in advance at Art Beat of Hayward, 15845 W. 2nd Street (Cash or Check Only) or may be purchased ONLINE.
