Currently on tour doing shows with Gov’t Mule and a string of openers for B.B. King, this New Orleans roots artist springboards through the Black Hills on his Bella Sol pre-party tour, for a double pre-festival show at the Knuckle Saloon in Sturgis on Sunday May 18th, also celebrating the 2nd annual Solstice Shakedown. Ticket giveaways for both festivals will happen on-site, and you must be there to win. An opportunity to score tickets to the Bella Sol festival in Geneva, MN May 23, 24, and 25; and the Solstice Shakedown June 20th and 21st. This is a free show and a chance to preview the Shakedown’s headliner for Friday, June 20th in the Knuckle’s Outdoor Pavilion! This national New Orleans heavy hitter is not to be missed. Join us for a summer kickoff zydeco-funk style!

From papamali.com:

MALCOLM WELBOURNE’s personification “PAPA MALI” is a salute to his home territory of north Louisiana. Malcolm was raised in Shreveport, where absorbing the blues along Bayou Pierre was just as much a matter of course as chasing the mosquito fogging truck with friends — and equally intoxicating. He spent his summers with grandparents in New Orleans digging that city’s rhythm (and blues) and after hearing the Wild Tchoupitoulas and the Meters on the streets of New Orleans at age eleven, he developed an early and ongoing attachment to Crescent City funk.

Papa Mali’s long-awaited second album, Do Your Thing, drops in January 2007. More than a follow-up to his legendary debut Thunder Chicken (which Zigaboo Modeliste claims to have listened to over and over on one particular Christmas day), the latest record marks a Louisiana native’s long overdue homecoming. Although he himself has been playing the clubs of New Orleans for over 20 years, this recording makes the connection to his musical roots more obvious. Featured guests for the journey are representatives from three of the Crescent City’s deepest traditions — Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles, Henry Butler, and Kirk Joseph — as well as Victoria Williams (also a Shreveport native) and Chuck Prophet.

Although Papa Mali is a solo artist (performing on stages as diverse as Tipitina’s and Bonnaroo), slide guitarist, singer/songwriter and acclaimed producer (Lavelle White, Ruthie Foster, and Omar & The Howlers), he can also be seen regularly collaborating with some of the most respected musicians on the scene today, including his longtime drummer extraordinaire Robb Kidd, Cyril Neville, Galactic, MOFRO, Robert Walter, Otis Taylor, George Porter Jr, Johnny Vidacovich, Anders Osborne, Jesse Mae Hemphill, Kevin Russell, and Double Trouble.

Agent Cooper presents
Modern Country-Fried Bluegrass
from Upstate New York
Sugar Hill national recording artists
The Gibson Brothers

Sunday, April 27th
Dublin Square
Mt Rushmore Rd & Main, Rapid City, SD
doors @ 8pm, showtime @ 9pm, $7 at the door
CMT video for The Gibson Brothers’ song “I Got a Woman”

Agent Cooper Presents

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES with special guest Charlie Parr The Back Porch
Spearfish, SD Sunday, April 20th $10 @ the door~doors @ 7pm, show @ 8pm  reminder: last call on Sunday is 11:30pm

From Nashville, TN
Gospel Blues Punks
BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES

and
from San Francisco, CA
The Electro-Rock of special guests
MASTERSLASHSLAVE

Monday, April 7th @ The Back Porch, 703 Main St., Spearfish SD
doors @ 9pm, showtime @ 10pm, $7 at the door

Alive Records new signing Black Diamond Heavies come to The Porch for one night to showcase their demon-possessed gospel punk blues. Their sophomore record, A Touch of Someone Else’s Class, due for release in May 2008, was produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, and promises to be an amazing follow-up to their debut album, Every Damn Time. Come and see them showcase their new tunes live before you get the new record.     If you like The Killers and Modest Mouse, you’ll dig the west-coast electro mod-rock sound of our good friends, MasterSlashSlave. Out on their third major national tour, they return to the Black Hills riding on the release of their first full-length LP, Scandal. A collection of new works and previously released singles and B-sides. Their Expensive Tastes EP will also be available at the show.

Agent Cooper
presents

Violent Hippie @ the Back Porch

with special guest

Corduroy Vinyl

March 17th
703 main, Spearfish, 57783
Cost : free!

Special sets of irish rock and dirty celt will be showcased from the area’s favorite soulpunks, Violent Hippie, with special guest, Corduroy Vinyl.

This show will be free and ages 21+

showtime 9:30p

 Agent Cooper Presents

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES  The Back Porch
Spearfish, SD  Sunday, February 17th doors @ 8pm, show @ 9pm $7 at the door

ages 21+

Agent Cooper Presents
The MadHats in support of their new album“Flight of the Jabberwock”with special guestsViolent HippieandSugar & Grains Mash BandThe Golden Hills Resort
900 Miners Avenue
Lead, SD 57754
ages 18+ doors @ 7pmshowtime@8pm no cover charge

DownLo

Deploi

Down Lo & Deploi collaboration album In Our World release

November 20th, 2007 – Twin Cities rockers and tour workhorses Down Lo have teamed up with Los Angeles-based emcee Deploi to make their first collaboration album In Our World, and will play their CD release on Tuesday, December 4th and Wednesday, December 5th at the Back Porch in Spearfish. Music starts at 10pm, admission is $7 and the show is 21+. Deploi is featured on the last track “Work” off Down Lo’s debut album Lead My Way and has hit the stage on tour with the group throughout the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and West Coast regions.

After playing over 175 shows in 2006 alone, Down Lo has established and developed an intense relationship with its extremely devoted and passionate fan base. By creating a name and reputation for themselves as one of the hardest touring bands out there, and boasting a recently featured track from their debut album on this season of MTV’s Real World: Sydney, Down Lo seems poised and ready to break onto the national scene. And even with a constant tour schedule they have managed to put together a soulful funk hip-hop album that shows their incredible musical diversity and will surely bring promising crossover opportunities.

Deploi has dominated the stage with Down Lo on and off since the band’s inception in 2003. Already established as a professional, hard-hitting rapper in southern California, Deploi brings the suave, smooth SoCal flavor to the eager and impassioned Midwest jam scene. Currently promoting his own release, Cali Cruisin’ Mixtape, Deploi is no stranger to the venues and festivals of the Midwest. The two groups have packed shows at the Cabooze and Bunkers in Minneapolis, Harmony Park in southern Minnesota and rocked appearances at 10,000 Lakes Festival in 2005 and 2007.

“From first note to last, they’re dead-on with chops to burn. Down Lo works like a chain gang on overdrive. When you go to see them, be sure to bring your dancing shoes.” – Dwight Hobbes

“With this much talent and the ability to lay down an easy groove, Down Lo may very well be the heir apparent to the jam-band throne currently occupied by the Big Wu.” – Rift Magazine

Tuesday-Wednesday, December 4th-5th

DownLo & Deploi
In Our World CD release shows
The Back Porch
Spearfish, SD 57783
$7 at the door
doors open at 9pm
show at 10pm

Agent Cooper presents Minneapolis-based artist
Nate Ball
for a special holiday show

with special guests
Switch
from Captain T and Switch
w/ Wellington Downz

Friday, November 23

Teddy’s Night Club
320 Main St
Rapid City

$10 at the door
Doors at 8pm
Show at 9pm

 

This video was taken by Dan Patterson of Creepy Sleepy on March 28th at the Golden Hills Resort.

Agent Cooper brings The Whigs back from Athens, GA to the Black Hills. If you missed them in March, here’s your chance to see the band that was named one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “10 Artists to Watch.”

The Whigs

Sunday, November 4th
The Back PorchSpearfish, SD

 

with special guest
Wild Sweet Orange

 

doors @ 6:30 pm
showtime @ 7:30 pm
$7 @ the door