THE TARBOX RAMBLERS

“Homemade rock ‘n’ roll with a dose of rattlesnake venom and gospel-drenched howling.”
                                                                                                                      -  NPR All Things Considered -

"They take forgotten music and breathe a freshness into it that lights up the room, causing folks to take a collective leave of their senses. . . ." --Steve Morse, The Boston Globe

"If the Rolling Stones had happened 10 years earlier, hailed from Memphis and been produced by Ike Turner, they might have sounded like The Tarbox Ramblers. The way the Ramblers lay down their backroads grit and raw hillbilly-rock jive, you're unlikely to hear a more genuine blast of sandpaper rhythm and roots." - Tristram Lozaw - The Boston Herald

Michael Tarbox’s songs have what one fan describes as “a spiky backwoods sound.” They’re rooted in 60s rock ‘n’ roll and the music of the American south, and frequently written with a sense of hard-won perspective. Tarbox pulls them together with a guitar sound that’s tough as Texas barbed-wire.

Where folk revivalists too often take a neutered, pedigreed approach, the Tarbox Ramblers prefer a mongrel mix with plenty of growl and bite. Much of the material from this Boston quartet comes from the Mississippi Delta, with the music's bluesy spirit reinforced by Michael Tarbox's unvarnished vocals and the slash of his slide guitar. Yet fiddler Daniel Kellar sounds like he was borrowed from a traditional string band, while the stand-up bass and stripped-down percussion recall the rhythms of skiffle or jug-band music. The Ramblers' dynamic blows the dust off standards such as "The Cuckoo," "St. James Infirmary" and "Stewball," but what's most encouraging  are a couple of atmospheric originals: "Third Jinx Blues" and "No Harm Blues." What the Pogues did for traditional Irish music, the Tarbox Ramblers  do for traditional American.

Tarbox’s early musical experiences include playing in rock bands and as a street musician in Spain and France. He later immersed himself in pre-war blues and gospel music, listening to mix tapes while driving a taxi to put himself through school, and practicing guitar between fares. It became something of an obsession, leading Tarbox to form The Tarbox Ramblers. The group gigged relentlessly, playing arrangements of songs Tarbox was listening to as well as his own compositions. The band went on to release several well-received albums on The Rounder label.

Michael Tarbox’s solo releases include My Primitive Joy, Works and Days and Paler Suns, with songs by heroes like Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and The Mississippi Sheiks.

The Fallout Shelter is an all ages performance venue welcoming worldwide, world class music in an intimate setting. Our studio audience attends to watch the creation and production of the music television series The Extended Play Sessions. The Fallout Shelter events are immersive experiences for both audience and performers alike...a live music experience like no other. We are fully ADA compliant and have wheelchair access. We have a wide selection of beer and wine for your adult beverage pleasures and each show comes with a free commemorative event poster. Our doors open at 6PM. Seating is General Admission. We recommend you arrive at the time the doors open.