EVENT DETAILS

The Hook and Ladder Theater

• Doors 6:30pm :: Music 7:30pm 
• 21+ 
• Reserved Seats: $30 
• GA: $20 ADV / $26 DOS
  —
  2 Sets with 15 minute Break
  8pm – 9pm
  9:15 – 10:15pm + Encore

EVENT DESCRIPTION

John Németh + The Claudettes

Join us for an exciting evening as award-winning artists John Németh plus The Claudettes take the stage in our main theater. Reserve your seats now.

John Németh was the recipient of the 2024 Blues Music Award for Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year. He has received Blues Music Awards for Soul Blues Male Artist, Soul Blues Album, Traditional Blues Album of the Year, Instrumentalist – Vocals and Instrumentalist – Harmonica. Recording eleven albums since 2002, Nemeth is known for his uncanny ability to skillfully blend retro and modern blues and soul into compelling music that is simultaneously old and new.

As a teenager in the early ‘90s growing up in the muddy potato fields of Idaho, John Németh was drawn to the hard-edged hip hop sounds and rock bands of the day, until a friend introduced him to the Junior Wells and Buddy Guyclassic “Hoodoo Man Blues.” Together they formed Fat John & the 3 Slims, which is still regarded as a legendary band in the Boise region. John relocated to San Francisco in 2004, where he had the bitter-sweet good fortune to undertake a two-year stint with Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, filling in for the ailing Sam Myers.

John’s talents did not go unnoticed and he soon signed a recording contract with Blind Pig Records. His national debut for that label, “Magic Touch” (2007), produced by Anson Funderburgh and featuring Junior Watson on guitar, received an ecstatic response from fans and the media, and he was hailed as the new voice of the blues. Living Blues enthused, “Magic Touch gives hope that the blues will survive.”

In 2008 Németh was recruited by Elvin Bishop to do some performances and contribute four vocal tracks to his Grammy-nominated album “The Blues Rolls On.”In 2013 John relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, where he teamed up with classic Memphis Soul band, the Bo-Keys, to create an album of revisited soul classics. In 2017 Németh released “Feelin’ Freaky” (produced by Luther Dickinson) on his own Memphis Grease label, crushing all barriers of style and genre with an album of original songs that defied all the usual pigeonholes, drawing from his strong influences in blues and R&B, as well as contemporary sounds in hip hop and rock ‘n’ roll.

“One of the best vocalists working today, John Németh has received a multitude of nominations for Blues Blast and Blues Music Awards, with four consecutive BMA nominations for the B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award. His live shows highlight his dynamic stage presence, super-tight band, and a wealth of original songs that range from down-home blues to fervent ballads.” – Blues Blast Magazine
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Grounded in blues and jazz yet pushing the boundaries of rock, The Claudettes are writing the most riveting chapter of their story now. With six albums on Forty Below Records and Yellow Dog Records, the Claudettes have earned international acclaim for their piano-powered “garage cabaret” sound featuring Rachel Williams (vocals), Johnny Iguana (piano, vocals, songwriting), Zach Verdoorn (bass, guitar, vocals) and Michael Caskey (drums).

While The Claudettes sound can be described as blues, rock, roots, jazz and even punk, when asked what words he would use to describe their sound, Iguana offers “garage cabaret,” a distinct term that conjures up the perfect image to describe the Claudettes visually and sonically.

Outside the Claudettes, Johnny Iguana has earned Blues Music Award and Living Blues Award nominations, toured with Junior Wells and Otis Rush, played on three Grammy-nominated releases, and recorded with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Derek Trucks, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and more.Johnny Iguana is also composer of the score for the Emmy-winning, smash-hit FX/Hulu series “The Bear.”

“Chicago’s original recipe band…The Claudettes’ sonic playing field is the blues and everything after, all tastefully and artfully blended together….Perhaps the band’s greatest super power: songwriting.”—NPR Music

“A skewed cabaret band of blues, jazz and rockabilly…a sensibility that feels equal parts James Deanand David Lynch.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune