‘Girl Howdy’ brings classic Honky Tonk and retro swing to Governor’s Inn

ROCHESTER – Playing music from the honky-tonk era spanning the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s, the five piece band Girl Howdy coming to The Governor’s Inn this Sunday, July 24 plays songs from such legends as Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Ray Prices, the Davis Sisters and Buck Owens. Hogwild for raw, retro twang, this band plows through their music with energy, enthusiasm, and utter devotion.

With Girl Howdy, girls rule … all three front men are in fact women: Betsy-Dawn Williams on banjo and fiddle, Paula Bradley on piano, and Rose Sinclair on sliding steel guitar. To keep the women on beat, Brian Rost backs on bass and Texas dancehall veteran drummer Billy Nadeau holds the rythem. With all its ‘gurl-power,’ however, the band is primarily characterized by sweet harmonies, sliding steel, and sawing fiddle to bring an infectious honky-tonk groove, country swing genuine jukebox sound. Girl Howdy has been bringing this nostalgia on tours across the country and to Europe. The concert will be held Sunday from 4 to 7pm at The Café at The Governor’s Inn, as part of The Governor’s free Summer Music Series, which features music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings as well.

Thursday night features weekly artists Matt Gelinas and ‘Hopeless Folk’ from 6 to 9pm. Friday night July 22 brings the acoustic sounds and sweet musical melodies of the duo ‘Brian and Cherrie’ from 7 to 10pm, and on Saturday night July 23 Rochester’s own Art Nicless brings his party rock band – the ‘Nickless Band’ - to the soundstage of the Café from 7 to 10pm.

The Summer Music Series is brought forth by Center Stage Sponsor MetroCast. Other sponsors for the Music Series are Associates in Family Dentistry, Federal Savings Bank, Spence & Mathews Insurance, Bourque's Flooring, Animal Health Center, Burke’s Tree Service, Artstream and Studley’s Flower Gardens.

All music events at The Governor’s Inn and Café are free but donations are appreciated and many of the bands have CDs for sale. The full evening menu of Spaulding Steak & Ale is available at all four evenings of music. To click into band links and view the full schedule of the three-month lineup visit www.governorsinn.com, or call the Inn at 332-0107 for more information.