Sings Like Hell

What the Hell?
Sings Like Hell is a radical, critically-acclaimed series of musical concerts being presented at the luxurious Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. We stole the name from a friend, decorated the venerable Lobero with gold pitchforks, saints, candles, and other irreverent trappings, and generally created an air of spirited musical debauchery.
The music for Sings Like Hell ranges from pop and rock through folk and reggae, with rap, bluegrass, and even jazz thrown into the mix. The musical focus is on singer songwriters (the in-crowd of the music business), and we're inviting you to take a look at why music critics rave on about records that are so hard to find in the chain music stores.
Who's been to Hell?
Jackson Browne, John Hiatt, Richard Thompson, and David Lindley have each been there a couple of times . . . and even told their friends about it. David Crosby not only played, he got season tickets. It’s the smallest place Tracy Chapman has played in years. Same with Shawn Colvin, who appeared seven months pregnant. And the same with Randy Newman (not pregnant), who called Hell “the best gig in the world". Current sensation Rufus Wainwright played . . . and then his father Loudon Wainwright III two months later (Mother Kate McGarrigle had already appeared with her sister Anna).
Jesse Winchester played his first gig in nearly twenty years in Hell . . . and liked it so much, he came back. Hell has welcomed artists from Ireland (Mary Black, Solas), Senegal (Cesaria Evora), Brazil (Ivan Lins), New Orleans (Beausoleil), and the U.S. heartland (Ralph Stanley, Robert Earl Keen, Tom Russell). Artists have appeared a cappella (Rockapella, The Persuasions) or brought a full band (Mickey Hart & Planet Drum, Neil Finn, Dave Alvin & Guilty Men) or just a guitar (Guy Clark, Leo Kottke, Roger McGuinn).
Santa Barbara goes to Hell with alarming regularity. There are two seasons of concerts (each featuring six shows) every year - one series in Spring/Summer and another in Fall/Winter. And there are always a handful of additional shows each series . . . all garanteed to raise hell of course!