We are thrilled to be celebrating over 20 years together - 21, in fact, making us of legal drinking age in these here parts. We want to celebrate with you all, so SAVE THE DATE Friday, May 19th for a Lynchtacular party at Berkeley’s Starry Plough! What will make this gathering so special, you ask? We’ll be playing, but best of all some of our most talented pals, including High Diving Horses (Laura and Danny Allen), Joe Rut, Ira Marlowe, Yard Sale, Paul Pot and more are getting together to cover our songs! Do stay tuned, as more special guests will be revealed.

Hooray! Mark those calendars!

Love,

We are so happy to announce that Loretta has two shows coming up. That's right - two!

The first will be playing with the incomparable Carmaig de Forest and DeathGrooveLoveParty at the MakeOut Room (www.makeoutroom.com ) Sunday, July 31st. If you have not heard Carmaig, you are in for a huge treat. And in addition to playing at opening set, much of Loretta Lynch will be joining the band as DeathGrooveLoveParty. It's an early show, with doors at 7, tickets $10, and proof of vaccination will be required as well as masking strongly recommended. Happy to report that the MakeOut Room takes Covid seriously, and in addition to big ol' high ceilings, there are multiple devices to keep the air circulating. It's going to be a great show!

The following Friday 8/5, Loretta will be playing the BIG BLUEgrass Benefit Concert at Sugar Pine Point State Park, outdoors and right on the shore of the unbelievably lovely Lake Tahoe. We are so happy to be part of this concert, which runs from 4PM - 8PM and benefits Sierra State Parks. Keep Tahoe Blue! We'll be playing with Broken Compass, Coburn Station and more ... food and beverage booths will be open and serving. Get your tickets soon, as they do run out!

https://sierrastateparks.org/event/big-bluegrass-benefit-concert/

We look forward to seeing your beautiful faces! It's been too long.

Love,

After a long hiatus, we;re gonna be playing two shows in the upcoming month. That's right, TWO!

First, we have the good fortune to be teaming up with the incomparable Carmaig de Forest at San Francisco's Make Out Room July 31st. We;ll be playing a full set as Loretta, and then picking and hollering to back up Carmaig. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmaig_de_Forest

As if this were not enough, we'll be playing an outdoor concert to benefit Sierra/Lake Tahoe State Parks on Friday, August 5th at Sugar Pine Point State Park! Info can be found here: https://sierrastateparks.org/event/big-bluegrass-benefit-concert/

and here: https://sierrastateparks.networkforgood.com/events/42232-big-bluegrass-benefit-concert

Come help keep Tahoe BLUE, listen to some fine music and camp under the stars in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Woo hoo!

Love,

We are delighted to announce that we have a brand spanking new video to present. We may not be able to get together and rehearse, but we have been zoom zoom zooming and continuing to share our ideas, outrage, successes and plot for the future.

Luckily we have some tunes that we were lucky enough to record at renowned Fantasy Studios right before they closed. We mixed them with the amazing Myles Boisen exactly a year ago, and finally we have exercised different artistic muscles, collaborating with a collage of photos and videos to offer them to you. Hats off to Dan O for gluing it all together. Here you go!

Richmond Town - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu7maECSgeE

We do miss seeing your lovely mugs. Here's to when we can gather again for live shows! In the meantime, stay tuned for more.

Love,

Happy Holidays to you all, and DING DONG, 2020! And a big old thumb to the nose accompanied by a raspberry to the previous three years, too. We are happy to see you go!

To celebrate, we are asking you to stay tuned in the New Year, as we'll be offering up a little musical fun. Details soon.

In the meantime, here is a little snippet of our last (and only) live show in 2020, January at Neck of the Woods in San Francisco. Thanks to the crowd that was there, and big thanks to Robert Harker for taking the video.

Loretta Lynch - Mama's Broken Heart (Musgraves) - Neck of the Woods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3DsVBYoNhg

We miss all your lovely selves. Stay tuned, stay home, wear your masks and listen to local music! And support local venues and small businesses if you can. We will see you as soon as it's possible.

Love,

What a weird year this has been, and on so many fronts. We hope this finds you all healthy and surviving all that we are in the midst of. So much loss, so much chaos - and luckily, so much creativity.

It's Murder Ballads time! One of our sorrows has been the inability to safely gather and play music in person, but through magic (yes, the magic of an app) the gals of Lynch have recorded a tune to be part of the annual (virtual) Murder Ballads bash this Saturday night. We'll be once again in really great company with many of our fantastic Bay Area musician pals joining in for the fun. Huge thanks to the inimitable Paul Pot for working his own magic to make it happen. Here's to supporting the Starry Plough, and for the eventual and magnificent return of live music and togetherness!

In the meantime, mask up, wash your hands, stay home and please, please VOTE!!!

Love, Loretta

From the Plough:

Tune in Halloween night, Saturday Oct 31, for a virtual gathering to benefit the Starry Plough in Berkeley which has been severely impacted by the Covid crisis. For many years when starting out, many of us would not have had any gigs at all were it not for the faithful Starry Plough. Tune in for a collection of Halloween songs about murder, misery, death and despair and consider making a donation to keep them afloat.

The link for the show will be found here on Halloween - this Saturday night:

www.murderballadsbash.com or

http://www.thehappyclams.com/murderballads.htm

Donation link for the Starry Plough: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-starry-plough-stay-open

Virtual Pre-Election, Halloween, Days of the Dead Murder Ballads Bash 2020

(Look for the link at www.murderballadsbash.com on Halloween)

A benefit for the Starry Plough featuring:

Maurice Tani www.mauricetani.com

Penelope Houston www.penelope.net

Loretta Lynch www.lorettalynch.com

Laura Benitez www.LauraBenitezandtheHeartache.com

Joe Rut www.joerut.com

Danny Allen - https://www.dannyallenmusic.com/

Connie Champagne

Three Drink Circus www.facebook.com/ThreeDrinkCircus

Paul Pot www.paulpot.com

Mimi Heft www.facebook.com/fiveleggedmule

Yvette O'Tannenbaum

Jethro Jordan

Hell on Tap (Luther Monday and D.J.G.J. Phetteplace)

Geoff Pond

Amidst all of the chaos and disaster that we are stewing in there is also so much to be thankful for. One of the brightest facets of being in the Bay Area as we embark on 2020? The amazing musical community that exists here. We are lucky enough to play with some truly fine outfits, and this will once again be the case Saturday, January 18th at one of San Francisco's premier new music venues Neck of the Woods with our dear pals Crying Time and The Goat Family. Bonus? It's a new music release celebration for the Goats!

The fun starts at 8, with the Goats opening up the festivities. Loretta will then howl and croon a few in three-part harmony followed by the Honky Tonk revision that is Crying Time.

We will see your fine selves there. Join us for some healing distraction. Remember - hindsight is 20/20!

Love,

The women of Loretta are so happy to be a part of celebrating the late great George Jones. Please come to the Ivy Room this upcoming Friday night, Sept 27th as we join forces with some of the Bay Area's finest musicians, including Joe Rut, Maurice Tani, Danny Allen, Ruby Vixen and Leigh Crow. As well, our own Val Esway will move you with a solo and a couple of duets. As if that weren't enough, providing the backbone for the evening will be Honkytonk Revisionists Crying Time (Jill Rogers, Myles Boisen, Tim Rowe and Smilin' Pete Garellick) joined by pedal steel legend Bobby Black. Not to be missed!

You will definitely want to pick up a copy of the below King George cd to further celebrate. It's phenomenal.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/king-george--2#/

See you there! (Getting tickets ahead of time strongly suggested!)

Love,

Loretta is pleased as punch to be playing Oakland's famed and fun First Fridays this Friday, Sept. 6th on the outdoor stage at 24th and Telegraph. We play promptly at 6:30, and only til 7, so grab your snacks, join us and then stroll around to visit the galleries and other attractions. The themes for this festival are Korean Culture and Oakland Pride - you can see the amazing drumming of UCB's EGO as well as Korean Fan Dancing from Mesook Ko and Urisawe. We're lucky enough to be sharing the stage with drag king sensations Momma's Boyz as well as LGBTQ Latinx dance troupe Ensamble Folcorico Colibri.

As if that weren't enough, the women of Loretta will be joining forces with our favorite Honky Tonk revisionists Crying Time We'll be singing as part of a supergroup ensemble (Val Esway. Maurice Tani, Danny Allen, Joe Rut and of course Jill Rogers) to pay tribute to the late great George Jones. We'lll be joined by the always amazing Bobby Black, who played with the man himself. But more - there's a recording coming out! You, too, can be part of this amazing project by pre-ordering - check out this Indiegogo King George page. Do mark your calendars for live shows September 21 and 27 at Armandos and the Ivy Room respectively, and check out the promo video here.

Whew! Hope to see your lovely faces soon.

Love,

Join us as we play a set at Oakland's First Friday Festival of art, music and culture Friday, September 6th on the 24th Street Stage (at Telegraph). We'll be sharing the spotlight with other great Oakland musicians. We will be hitting the stage at 6:30 on the dot, and playing a relatively short set, so grab your snacks and meet us there!

This particular First Friday will be celebrating the Korean Culture Fest, and as if that weren't enough, to kick off Oakland Pride Weekend there will be special performances and guests throughout the event, including the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and drag king sensations Momma's Boyz.

Come on down for music, art, performance, food, the Kid Zone (with a special presentation from the Chabot Space & Science Center) and a celebration of our amazing community. Free and fun for everyone!

See you there, love,

We are thrilled to announce that we will be sharing the bill with Casey Neill and the Norway Rats and Wayfairy

on Sunday, April 28th at the Elbo Room, recently relocated to Oakland's Jack London Square (311 Broadway, between 3rd and 4th).

Even better, it's a chance to party for the planet, as it's a benefit for climate justice warriors Diablo Rising Tide (DiRT). Live music for direct action? Heck, yeah!

Doors open at 6, show at 7. See you there!

Love,

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 16th as we join forces with our pals Melanie DeGiovanni, Denise Funari and Jill Olson of the fabulous Yard Sale at Berkeley's infamous Monkey House! If you like harmony, this is a night for you. Loretta and Yard Sale have been playing together since the dawn of time, and we look forward to serenading you with new and old songs (and of course a savory tune or two from our host and monkey-in-chief Ira Marlowe!).

The Monkey House is conveniently located on University Avenue in Berkeley. Visit https://www.themonkeyhouse.org/ for details and to reserve seats (scroll down the calendar page to find us - recommended!) Doors open at 7PM, show starts right at 7:30.

See you there! Love,

Loretta

Thanks to all who joined us for the 17th annual Murder Ballads bash a couple of weeks ago. With all that is going on in California, our country and our world, the simple act of getting together face to face (even in disguise;-) and sharing and entertaining each other feels more important than ever.

Big thanks, too, to San Lorenzo library and the wonderful folks we met there! We hope to see you soon.

In the meantime, please do join us for what will undoubtedly be a raucous show Saturday, Dec. 1 at our home-away-from-home, Berkeley's Starry Plough with Southern California's own rock/surf/folk quintet Trouble in the Wind.

We'll be going on first for this one! Doors at 8 - show at 9 - come early for the delicious pub fare. And beer. Mmmmmm ...

See you soon,

Love,

You are cordially invited to join Val, Ari and Heather for an evening of George Jones songs at the Freight and Salvage on Sunday, September 9th! It's a fantastic line-up we're happy to be a part of. Val will sing some duets with Maurice Tani and Danny Allen, and one on her own, and then join forces with Ari and Heather for some tunes in sweet three part harmony. Lifting the heavy load will be the East Bay's own honkytonk revisionists Crying Time as the backing band. But wait! As if that wasn't enough, Joe Rut will be crooning some George as well. Yeah!

Loretta will be back in full band format for a gig at the San Lorenzo library Sunday afternoon, September 30th. More on that soon!

Love,

Bosko’s Back Porch Hootenanny - contact us for the address!

6-10pm

Hosted by Cindy Emch, Charlotte Gutierrez, and Bosko, the Dick van Dyke of dogs. (In the Back Yard — Just walk down the somewhat steep driveway and come in the back gate. Let us know if there are any logistical issues that require going though the house and we will make sure these are accomodated!)

On the bill for this party are:

Secret Emchy Society

Foot stomping, heart warming queer country tunes.

Yours Truly, Michele

Sweet, sexy, swoony, jazzy siren songs that will light up your night.

Laura Benitez

Country soul, charm, and swagger right from the heart.

And then Loretta in full band format!

about Bosko’s Hoot:

We will have a donation based bar, ask that you give a $10 donation for the bands, and we will have the grill on if you want to cook up a hot dog, not dog, or other grill friendly things (BYO on the foods though) Can’t wait to see you! This happens rain or shine, all of the music is acoustic based, and if it gets cold we will bring out blankets / make a fire.

Then - mark your calendars for an evening of George Jones at the incomparable Freight and Salvage on Sunday, September 9th! It's a fantastic line-up we're happy to be a part of. More on that later!

Love,

It’s been a little while, but Loretta is getting back in the swing with a slew of gigs. Listen up!

First, we are pleased as punch to be playing on the bill - and in the band with - punk - folk ukulele legend Carmaig de Forest at the Make-Out Room in SF Monday, August 13th for an early show. 6PM start! Woo hoo! Carmaig will go on first, then Loretta, and to put icing on the evening’s cake much of Loretta will be joining Carmaig’s band DeathGrooveLoveParty for a set, some of which we did with him opening for the Violent Femmes a couple years back. A treat!

Then it’s a Back Porch Hootenanny in Oakland, hosted by the great Cindy Emchee Saturday, September 1st with Laura Benitez. How lucky are we? Stay tuned for details about that one!

Sunday, September 30th we will be playing at the San Lorenzo Library as part of their Sunday afternoon series. More info on that in a later missive as well.

In the meantime, please do join us and the inimitable Carmaig the Make-Out Room next Monday the 13th. You can get an earful of raucous and sublime joy early, and still have time to paint the summer town.

Love,

Loretta is delighted to be playing Lanesplitter Pizza and Pub's (2033 San Pablo Ave) 20th Anniversary party this Saturday, May 12th. Music from 2 - 7 PM. We'll be joining up with the mighty Paul Pot, the always amazing Maurice Tani and (New) Mike Anderson and ... Dirty! Loretta goes on at 5.

We played their 5th, now the 20th! Come support this fantastic pizzeria as they celebrate 20 years of offering tasty pizza pies, delicious brew, fine art and community!

Love,

Join us as we celebrate with the wonderful folks of Lanesplitter in Berkeley (

2033 San Pablo Ave near University) as they turn the corner on 20 years of scrumptious pizza and brew!

We are pleased as punch ... well, more appropriately beer ... to be playing with Paul Pot, Maurice Tani and (The New) Mike Anderson ad Dirty! Come early, stay late. We'll be going on 5ish.

Hooray! See you there,

Love,

Huge thanks to those of you who came out to see the trio with Crying Time at Armando's for the George Jones tribute. What a night! (Extra special thanks to the two of you who capped the evening off in style with your 1963 pop-up camper van for an impromptu after party. Couldn't have been more fitting.)

Just a reminder that we will be playing this upcoming Saturday, March 31st with the wonderful Secret Emchy Society at San Francisco's The Lost Church. If you have not been to this intimate and gorgeous venue, you have been missing out. The door opens at 7:30, and tickets are $10 purchased before the show and $15 the day of. Get your tickets here and now.

As an extra special treat, Loretta will be playing live on Friday, March 30th from 12PM - 2PM on San Francisco Community Radio KXSF (102.5) 's Live at Light Rail show, hosted by the inimitable RadioBob Thawley. Go to: http://kxsf.fm/ and hit the sound-tap player at the web-site. Support this amazing community radio - turn on and tune in!

Love,

Yes indeedy - it has been a long time since we've seen your shining faces, but never fear! We are cracking our knuckles and getting ready to jump back into the Bay Area's musical playground. Woo hoo!

First, Ari Val and Heather have the good fortune of playing with a host of fine musicians including Jill Rogers, Myles Boisen, Tim Rowe, Peter Garellick and Tony Marcus of Crying Time as well as Maurice Tani, Val (doing some solos and duets) and Danny Allen in another tribute to the late great George Jones on Saturday, March 17th at Armando's in Martinez. As if this weren't enough talent, we have the honor of playing with legendary pedal steel player Bobby Black, who shared the stage with George Jones himself back in the day.

The fun does not stop there! On Saturday, March 31st we'll be playing with the wonderful Secret Emchy Society at San Francisco's The Lost Church.

Mark your calendars! Looking forward to seeing and serenading you all again.

Love,

After a little break, Loretta is climbing back in the saddle for some 2018 shows.

First on the list we'll be playing SF's The Lost Church sharing the stage with the Secret Emchee Society. Woo hoo!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 31st, and stay tuned! More info coming soon!

Love,

We're back with another rare show! We are delighted to announce that Crying Time (Honkytonk Revisionists, Nashville Apologists) has invited Loretta Lynch to join forces for their Parkway Lounge series in Oakland on Friday, September 8th.

Come and be serenaded lounge-style starting at 9PM (promptly!) You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll stomp your feet. And best of all, it's free. Free. FREEEEEE!*

See you there!

Love,

Loretta

* Though there will be multiple opportunities to be tipsy ;-)

So ... Loretta is 15 years old! Some of you may remember our first formal gig at the Hotel Utah way back in the day. Now - we're all grown up, and ready to celebrate our quinceañera! Damas and chambelanes come on out! We are as happy as a dog with five tails be playing Friday, August 4th at Ira Marlowe's Monkey House (1638 University Ave in Berkeley – right next to the pole dancing school ;-) and even luckier to be sharing the bill with the delightful Special Ghosts! This acoustic ensemble of paranormal investigators (Andy Cowitt, Suki O’Kane, Isabel Samaras, and Michael Wertz) made their debut three years ago as a trio in rustic Port Costa, wowing the crowd at the certainly not haunted Burlington Hotel with their ukulele-and-vocal renditions of mostly unpopular 60's, 70’s, and 80’s classics composed by mostly dead people. This year, they welcomed Suki and her toy drums into the combo, enabling the Ghosts to reach new heights of ramshackle joy with their curated covers and catchy originals.This is an early show, doors at 7PM, show at 7:30 sharp. Come early for a seat!

The Monkey House is an amazing, intimate theater, and you are welcome to bring your own beverages of choice to sip as we serenade you, whether it's fine wine or beer, single malt or sauerkraut juice. Feel free to share! It's always a friendly crowd.

Reserve seats. You won't regret it!

See you there,

Love,

Just a quick note to let you know that we'll be at the infamous Monkey House (voted Best of Oakland/East Bay 2017 Underground Venue!) Friday, August 4th with our good and ultra talented friends Special Ghosts! Mark your calendars now!

Love,

Just another reminder that Loretta will be playing this Saturday night April 1st at the Starry Plough (no fooling!) We'll be debuting some fine new songs, dusting off some old, and playing for the debut of big band DanceChant and Vapeulons. If you haven't heard these bands, you are in for a treat. Time to get your funk on! Show starts right at 9PM with Loretta, followed by raucously harmonious DanceChant and capping the evening with the shamanic medicine of Vapeulons! Don't miss it - and bring your dance pants!

See you there! We've been missing you.

Love,

Vapeulons are hyperdimensional funk medicine shamans, the Vapeulons have manifested on the blue planet to spread the message: "the mothership is in my heart, and my heart is in the mothership"!

DanceChant is a cathartic adventure and exploration into dance, rhythm, and expression that cultivates love, joy, and community with simple meaningful chants and melodic phrases that invite listeners to join in and sing and dance along with the band with the intention of creating a space of healing and love.

Delighted to share that we are taking a break from gigging to cook up some new recorded material at Berkeley's legendary Fantasy Studios. There are some great ghosts haunting this place!

Stay tuned,

Love,

Also delighted that we'll be playing Saturday, August 27th at Ira Marlowe's Monkey House (1638 University Ave in Berkeley – right next to the pole dancing school ;-) with the alternately funny, tender - and cheeky - troubadour Bum Wagler. This is an early show, starting right at 7:30, and it will end early enough for all of us to hightail it over to the Starry Plough for the Crying Time CD release (supported by the wonderful High Diving Horses and Bear Flag Trio!) The events are not mutually exclusive!

The Monkey House is an intimate theater, and you are welcome to bring your own beverages of choice to sip as we sing, whether it's fine wine or beer, single malt or sauerkraut juice. Feel free to share. (OK - maybe not sauerkraut juice)

Doors at 7PM - Show starts promptly at 7:30 Reserve seats!

Hope to see your fine selves at the Monkey House on the 27th,

Love,

We'll be headlining this one, so pop those chocolate covered espresso beans and play late!

See you there,

Love,

Huge thanks to the throngs who came out for the reunion at the Starry Plough with our dear friends in Yard Sale and the fantastico Con Permiso. As well to those who saw 4/5 of Loretta open for the Violent Femmes last night at the Fillmore with the amazing Carmaig de Forest. (Nathan was sorely missed.)

We're happy to announce the late night fun is continuing with a full band show next Thursday, May 19th at San Francisco's Amnesia! We'll be sharing the bill with Portland's Jenny Don’t and the Spurs.

This one'll be for the late night crowd as we'll be headlining, and rumor has it that there will be two-step lessons, so bring your dancing shoes!

And hey - the show is free. Free. FREE! How often does that happen?

See you there!

Love,

Our "Twangy show with a South-of-the-Border finish"* is fast approaching!

Join us Saturday, April 30th at our beloved haunt the Starry Plough in Berkeley. We are debuting some new songs, hauling out some old ones and will be once again reunited with the talented women of Yard Sale! If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing the sweet sweet harmony of these amazing songwriters, you've been missing out. Your opportunity to fix this is now.

As if this were not enough, the evening will end with the raucous horn-filled, Jalisco-inspired grooves of Con Permiso, the East Bay’s premier gringo mariachi band. Ay ayayayay!

Like icing? It's looking like the accordionista fantastica Melanie De Giovanni will be appearing in all three bands. You read that right - ALL THREE. A Melanie Marathon. Our favorite kind.

More info and pics here.

But wait! For our San Francisco peeps and those energetic enough to cross the bridge on a weeknight, we’ll be playing the Honkytonk Thursday series at Amnesia in the Mission (Valencia between 19th and 20th) on May 19th. We’ll be joined by Portland’s visiting Jenny Don’t and the Spurs.

* April 30th at the Starry Plough with Yard Sale and Con Permiso

* May 19th at SF’s Amnesia with Jenny Don’t and the Spurs

See you soon!

Thanks to those of you who came out to last month’s show with the fabulous Laura Benitez and the Heartache. The fun is far from over, though - mark your calendars for Saturday, April 30th at the Starry Plough in Berkeley, where we will be once again reunited with the talented women of Yard Sale! If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing the sweet sweet harmony of these amazing songwriters, take advantage now.

As if this were not enough, the evening will end with the raucous South-of-the-border grooves of Con Permiso, the East Bay’s premier gringo mariachi band. Ay ayayayay!

But wait! For our San Francisco peeps and those energetic enough to cross the bridge on a weeknight, we’ll be playing the Honkytonk Thursday series at Amnesia in the Mission (Valencia between 19th and 20th) on May 19th. We’ll be joined by Portland’s visiting Jenny Don’t and the Spurs.

April 30th at the Starry Plough with Yard Sale and Con Permiso

May 19th at SF’s Amnesia with Jenny Don’t and the Spurs

Mark your calendars now!

Love,

We are pleased as CounterPunch to announce our first show of the year! Mark your calendars for Friday, February 26th when we will join forces in full band format with alt-country diva Laura Benitez and the Heartache as part of the Acoustic Music Berkeley series at the Berkeley Fellowship Hall of Unitarian Universalists (1924 Cedar at Bonita http://acousticmusicberkeley.com/ ) It’s a great venue with amazing (you guessed it) acoustics, so come on down and enjoy the sounds.

It’s gonna be a good one – Loretta will go on first at 8PM sharp, and we’ll serenade you with some new songs and maybe a surprise or two. Then settle back and enjoy the acoustic stylings of Laura Benitez, who will charm you to the moon. And back.

As if this were not enough, craft beer, fine wine and scrumptious snacks will be available for your further pleasure.

Come out! It’s been way too long since we’ve seen some of your lovely mugs!

Love,

What a great night with Maurice Tani and Mike Anderson at the Lost Church! Thanks to all of you who joined - and heckled - us. What a treat to share the stage with M and M for a couple of songs!

Back to the East Bay for another intimate show, this time Saturday, October 17th at Berkeley's now infamous Monkey House (1638 University Ave in Berkeley – right next to the pole dancing school ;-) with our friends Danny and Laura Allen and their crazy fun band High Diving Horses.

Haven’t been to the Monkey House yet? It’s truly a delightful, intimate and informal venue created for those who love music unadulterated by the sound of bar noise and espresso machines. Bring your own delicious beverages and meet new people (or curl up on a couch) while you watch and listen to local music play on a professional stage and sound system.

Doors at 7PM Show starts promptly at 7:30 Reserve seats!

And the fun doesn’t stop – we are cooking up some new song-brew for the 14th Annual Murder Ballad Bash Halloween night at the Starry Plough!

We are so happy to have befriended so many people in Dunsmuir! What a lovely weekend in every way, thanks to Kate and the Dogwood Diner, Linda and Lynn, Victor, Carl and of course most of all Peter and Deborah. Huge shout out to Dickie and Shane for the KKRN radio Local Motion support and more, too. A fantastic, thriving community (with the best water on earth!) We hope to come back.

Now for a show for our Bay Area friends! We have the pleasure of playing this upcoming Saturday, Sept 26th at San Francisco’s Lost Church (65 Capp St, SF near 16th St BART) with the inimitable Maurice Tani and (the New) Mike Anderson. Haven’t heard Maurice and Mike? You are in for a treat – really. Here’s a tasty sample. Haven’t been to the Lost Church? Another Bay Area treasure –intimate and old time, with red velvet curtains and couches, and gaslight-style bulbs gracing the stage. Don’t miss the open walkway leading to the little bar! And buy your tickets ahead of time here before the 26th to save a few smackeroos.

We miss you, and hope that the convenience of the Lost Church’s proximity to BART helps guide you to its doors, which will open magically at 7:30 for the 8:00 show start.

Heads up that we’ll be headed back to the East Bay to play Berkeley’s now famed Monkey House Theater Saturday, October 17th. And it doesn’t stop – we are cooking up some new song-brew for the 14th Annual Murder Ballad Bash Halloween night at the Starry Plough.

Stay tuned, and hope to Saturday night at Church!

Love,

Thank you to those who came out to Awaken last weekend. What a great venue! Such fun to play with Yours Truly Michele and Deborah Crooks as well.

It’s road trip time for Loretta! Come with us! We have the distinct pleasure of playing at POPS Performing Arts and Cultural Center http://www.popsdunsmuir.com (5819 Sacramento Ave) in historic Dunsmuir, California Saturday, September 19th at 7:30 sharp. This lovely venue hosts a lively and popular scene in a thriving arts community. We are honored to be part of it all! Hitch up the wagon and join us for the fun. Don’t miss a meal at the Dogwood Diner, as well. http://www.thedogwooddiner.com/

But the fun by no means ends there! We are tickled pink to be sharing the bill with the inimitable Maurice Tani and Mike Anderson at San Francisco’s Lost Church http://thelostchurch.com/ (65 Capp Street SF, 94103) Saturday, September 26th.

If you haven’t heard this duo, you are in for a treat. The website No Depression describes the sound as “at once familiar, ethereal and beautiful.” Maurice calls it “cinema for the blind.” His music paints vivid pictures of the darker side of human relationships – but even at its darkest, it swings. Scott Bloom of The Bay Twang says, “This music is neither retro nor country; it’s twang noir. A fully realized universe, on a dark night, with an AM radio station sending out a strong signal from somewhere down Highway 99. Are you listening?” If we have our way, they’ll be a little musical cross pollination with M and M. Batten the hatches!

Get your tickets in advance as this sweet venue fills up fast!

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 the day of and at the door and can be purchased here: http://www.ticketfly.com/event/949915?utm_source=MEL&utm_medium=133645 Doors 7:30 PM / Show 8:00 PM

See you there!

Just a reminder that we'll be at The Awaken Cafe this Saturday, August 29th for an early-ish, all ages show with the amazing Deborah Crooks, who'll be celebrating the release of her new EP Something Special and Yours Truly, Michele. The local beers and good food will be flowing as well, so bring your appetites and dry whistles.

LL will be up first at 8 pm, followed by Yours Truly, Michele, and Deborah Crooks, so come early and stay till the end!

You can purchase $7 advance tickets here, or tickets at the door will be $10.

We look forward to seeing you there, and while we have your ear, please mark your calendars for a few more shows in the summer and fall:

Saturday, Sept. 19th at Pops in historic Dunsmuir, CA (road trip!!)

Saturday, Sept. 26th at The Lost Church with Maurice Tani & Mike Anderson

Saturday, Oct. 17th at The Monkey House with Danny Allen's High Diving Horses

Saturday, Oct. 31st at The Starry Plough for the 14th Annual Murder Ballads Bash!

Woo hoo! Happy end of summer, and we hope to see you soon!

Love,

Hope you are enjoying a fabulous summer. We've been laying a bit low, but are happy to report that we'll be emerging from our summer hideaways to head back to The Awaken Cafe on Saturday, August 29th for an early-ish, all ages show.

We're excited to share the stage with Deborah Crooks, who'll be celebrating the release of her new EP Something Special and Yours Truly, Michele, for a night of Americana and roots rock harmonies.

LL will be up first at 8 pm, followed by Yours Truly, Michele, and Deborah Crooks, so come early and stay till the end!

You can purchase $7 advance tickets here, or tickets at the door will be $10.

We look forward to seeing you there, and while we have your ear, please mark your calendars for a few more shows in the summer and fall:

Saturday Sept. 19th at Pops in historic Dunsmuir, CA (road trip!!)

Saturday Sept. 26th at The Lost Church with Maurice Tani & Mike Anderson

Saturday Oct. 17th at The Monkey House with Danny Allen's High Diving Horses

Saturday Oct. 31st at The Starry Plough for the (13th?) Annual Murder Ballads Bash!

Until next time, enjoy the sunshine and strange summer rain showers. We hope to see you soon!

Love,

Thanks so much to those who came out to the Pacific Coast Brewing Co earlier this month. What a sweet gig!

Happy to announce another Sunday afternoon celebration - this time at our old haunt, the Starry Plough on Sunday, June 7th starting at 4PM. It'll be Loretta Lynch "light" for this one as Nathan and Dan will be busy haunting other places, but don't let that keep you away, as Ari, Heather and Val will sweetly serenade you with harmonies aplenty. We'll be going on first, pulling out some oldies and perhaps debuting a new tune or so.

As if this weren't enough, our pals Crying Time are celebrating the birth of their new LP (you read that right - LP! As in good old vinyl!) "Ten Golden Hits". And they are spectacular! Classic and original country at its best. Rumor has it that the gals of LL will join in the hollering ... er ... harmonizing for a couple of songs as well.

Did we mention that once again this is free? FREE? And kid friendly? And that there will be beer? What more do you want for a sweet song filled Sunday? Join us!

Love,

Just a quick note to let you all know we will be playing on the lovely latticed patio at the Pacific Coast Brewery Company (906 Washington St.) in Old Oakland on Sunday, May 3rd, from 4 – 6 PM. And it’s free. FREE!* Woo hoo! Come on down and sip some suds, nosh on nachos and enjoy the sweetly irreverent tunes we plan to offer up.

Fresh air! Kid friendly! Tap your toes or swing your partner – whichever the case, we’ll see you there!

Love Loretta

* We’ll pass a jar for those feeling “tipsy”.

First - huge thanks to those who came out to our show at Richmond's DueStudio - what a fabulous venue! For those who have not been there, do check in out. You won't be disappointed.

Mark your calendars - Loretta has the pleasure of playing with two great local bands, the honky tonk revival group Crying Time and AmeriPop's (forget Gary Cooper and Loretta Young - it's the band!) Along Came Jones at Oakland's newly famed Awaken Cafe (14th and Broadway) on Saturday, March 14th. Yes, that's right. It is also International Pi Day (3.1415 ... just see what happens at 9:26!) and - you guessed it - an early show! Doors open at 6 PM, and we will go on at 7:00 for a 45 minutes set followed by our talented friends, but all will leave you plenty of time to get your Pi on in whatever way you wish. We sincerely hope your plans include whipped cream.

Awaken has fantastic organic food and a huge list of craft beers and fine wines (Seriously! Check it out! Green Flash on tap? Mmmmm) - all good reasons to come on down to Awaken!

Hope to see your lovely selves there,

Loretta

We are delighted to announce that Loretta has been invited to play an early concert at DueStudio in Richmond on Saturday, January 31st. DueStudio (6370 Arlington Blvd, Richmond 94805 is the home of musicians and sound engineer Marci and Ricardo Valdivieso, whose band Duamuxa (http://www.duamuxa.com/) has been gracing venues with South American-inspired music in the Bay Area and around the country for years. They

DueStudio is just the style of intimate venue we love – with a fantastic small-scale sound system, good wine, beer and homemade organic food available for cash donation. Check out their FB page for information and pictures from past shows. https://www.facebook.com/Duamuxa As if this weren’t enough enticement, our own Nathan will be coaxing the rhythm out on the cajón for this one.

The doors open at 7:30, and the show begins at 8PM. You’ll have plenty of time to don your combat boots and hit the mosh pits afterwards, but at DueStudio you can eat, drink and relax as we serenade you with our sweet and sometimes slightly salty songs – with a little bitterness and and an edge never too far out of reach.

Hooray for new venues! We hope to see your smiling mugs there.

Love,

First – we’d like to thank the throngs of you who congratulated Loretta Lynch on being nominated for the esteemed position of US Attorney General. Please do come to our shows and consider them an opportunity to share your opinions about where legal talons will best be attached.* Should we have hopes for a White House gig?

Secondly and most importantly - celebrate with us this Saturday night, November 22nd at the Starry Plough in Berkeley! We have the pleasure of playing with both the fabulous Yard Sale (we haven’t played with them in many an election cycle!) and the talented Heartache Sisters, who will be joined by Heartache brother Maurice Tani. What an evening! Yard Sale will go on at 9PM sharp, followed by Loretta and Heartache Sisters. Rumor has it that the gals of Loretta will be hopping on stage for a Heartache Sisters song ... We are so lucky!

So don your dancing shoes and bring yourself and your appetite for song and sustenance (both liquid and solid – the beer is good and the food tasty at the Plough!) this Saturday. See you there!

Love,

Loretta

Once again we have been laying a little low, but never fear - we’re back with a vengeance (and some of our songs recount this in detail)! Join us Saturday, November 22nd at the Starry Plough for an Autumn Moonlight Fiesta! We are so happy to be playing with two of the Bay Area’s favorite female fronted bands – Heartache Sisters and Yardsale!

As if this weren’t enough, fabulous heartache brother Maurice Tani will be stepping in with Heartache Sisters, and the ladies of Lynch will be stepping in as well. A supergroup Saturday! Yardsale will open, Loretta will be the sandwich filling and Heartache Sisters and Brother Maurice will close the evening out with a bang.

Mark that calendar!

Love,

We are pleased as punch to be headed back up to the delightful town of Port Costa on Thursday, Aug. 14th – this time to play at the famed Bull Valley Roadhouse ( http://www.bullvalleyroadhouse.com/ )! We’ll be playing in the historic bar room starting at 7:00 and we’ll offer up a coupla sets ending by 8:45 or so.

If you haven’t been to Port Costa – you are really in for a treat! From a recent review - “Everything in Port Costa is wild, whimsical, or wicked.” It’s a town that time forgot, both sweet and derelict and full of character. The Bull Valley Roadhouse is no exception – check out the Chronicle review here: http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Bull-Valley-Roadhouse-Port-Costa-old-time-vibe-4264416.php#photo-4153358

If you are tired afterwards, make a reservation at the Burlington Hotel right next door!

Loretta will be playing both old and new tunes to tap your feet and tipple to. Join us!

Love,

We had such a good time at the Monkey House last month, we thought we’d do it again soon! Join us as we play a brunch-time couple of sets at the incomparable Burlington Hotel Sunday, June 29th from 11 AM - 1 PM. The Burlington Hotel ( http://thehotelburlington.com/ ) is a Victorian jewel located in the wee and magical town of Port Costa, CA close to the Benecia bridge in the North bay. Come let us serenade you as you sip freshly ground coffee and sample buttery fresh-baked pound cake and cornbread topped with local honey (just in case you need to provide sweetness to counter some of our bitter songs, tender as they may be. Best of all, it’s a free show!

We want to see your shining Sunday faces - join us in Port Costa!

Love,

We are happy to announce that after a lengthy respite Loretta Lynch will be playing out in full band format Saturday, May 31st at the Monkey House (1638 University Ave in Berkeley – right next to the pole dancing school ;-). We’ll be testing out some new material as well as hauling out some familiar tunes. Joining us to swap sets will be Monkey-in-chief Ira Marlowe himself, along with his own band including bassist Peter Gillette and some special guests.

Newsflash - Ira has just signed on to write music for the San Francisco Mime Troupe! Now we'll like 'em even more.

Haven’t been to the Monkey House? It’s truly a delightful, intimate and informal venue created for those who love music unadulterated by the sound of espresso machines and bar noise. Bring your own delicious beverages and snacks and meet new people (or curl up on a couch) while you watch and listen to your favorite local music on professional stage and sound system. Read more about the MH and other "living room stages" here:

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/the-living-room-stage/Content?oid=3922270

Doors at 7, Show at 7:30 sharp. Reserve your seats now! reservations@themonkeyhouse.org (specify 5/31 Loretta Lynch show in the subject line!)

See you there,

Love,

Albert Schweitzer once said that “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” One might add dogs and maybe an occasional unique chicken to this, but there is no doubt about the music element. To that end we want to to let you know about some upcoming gigs – all Loretta-related! We’ve been busy busy busy, both working on the new material, collaborating with others and booking some solo gigs as well.

First, don’t miss our own Ari Fellows-Mannion for a night of dark and sparkling stories Saturday, April 26th at Ira Marlowe’s now-infamous Monkey House (1638 University Ave in Berkeley)! She’ll be sharing the bill with the Monkey-Master himself, Ira Marlowe, and with the fabulous High-Diving Horses (the duo of Danny & Laura Allen). Joining for Ari’s songs will be percussionist Chris Shirley. If you haven't been to the Monkey House yet, you are in for even more of a treat. It’s is a cool low-volume venue, all plush and dark, with excellent sound - you can actually hear the lyrics. (It's also a cheap date, as no refreshments are sold: you can bring your own, from swill to the most delicate of cordials.) Doors at 7:30, show from 8-10, all-ages. Reserve your spots & get more info here.

Then – the gals of Loretta are happy as (healthy) honeybees to be singing harmony vocals once again for the amazing Maurice Tani and 77 El Deora at the Freight and Salvage Friday, May 2nd. This is going to be an amazing night, as also joining Maurice will be bassist Mike Anderson, English songstress Pam Brandon, jazz pianist Randy Craig, violinist Steve Kallai and Ken Owen on the drums, and Jeanine "on-the-tambourine" Richardson on hand percussion. As Maurice says, the new Freight is certainly the nicest venue anyone on the Americana circuit can play. If you haven't been there yet either, know that it's designed from the ground up as a purpose-built, state-of-the-art, tuned concert hall for acoustic music. Even the seats are comfortable, custom designed, springy-back sorts. How far we have come! Get your tickets now! Doors 7 PM Show promptly at 8 PM http://thefreight.org/

As if this weren’t enough, Dan Olmsted’s band Dandeline will be playing at Port Costa’s historic Burlington Hotel Friday, May 30th. Another amazing venue, and an opportunity to see this sweet as cherry pie duo in a rare and intimate performance. And the show is FREE! For more info, visit www.thehotelburlington.com (Loretta will be playing there in full band format in late June – more on that soon!)

But wait – there’s more!!! Loretta will be playing the aforementioned Monkey House in full band format, with the ultra-talented Nathan Moy on cajón Saturday, May 31st! We’ll send more information about that soon, but be prepared for new songs to alternately tickle your funny bone and make you recall misspent youth.

Spring has sprung! Join us for some or all of these dates. We miss you!

Love,

We'll be taking a short hiatus this winter/early spring, but don't despair! We'll be back before you know it with brand spanking new material, ready to serenade you all!

See you soon,

Rain rain rain rain ... beautiful rain! Dunno if folks recall, but the last time it rained in the Bay Area Loretta was in cahoots with Maurice Tani and 77 El Deora, and whaddya know? It’s looking like rain again just as Loretta Lynch, Maurice Tani and 77 El Deora join forces again to play Berkeley’s Starry Plough this Friday night, Jan. 31st at 9 PM. Pure coincidence? Let us know your thoughts.

Loretta will start off the evening in full band mode, with new songs and old, and then the gals will hop up on stage with Maurice, Mike Anderson, John Hanes, David Phillips and Jeanine Richardson for a set of cleverly reworked covers singing back-up vocals. As if this weren't enough, Maurice will then play a full-on set of “Hillbilly Noir” with El Deora. If last night’s rehearsal was any indication of what’s in store, you’re in for a treat! It’s an amazingly talented and fun band.

Hope to see you and your dusted-off boots for some fun and frolic (and fresh-cut french fries – mmmmm...) Friday!

Love,

Loretta

P.S. Thanks to Maurice for the fine poster!

2014 – the year of second chances? (or in the majority of our cases, 40+ ...)

Here’s an opportunity: if you missed it last month when the ladies of Loretta Lynch joined forces with Maurice Tani and his band, you can hear it again, and more of it! This time, both whole-band Loretta Lynch and Maurice Tani/77 El Deora will do full sets, with the ladies of LL joining Maurice on harmony for an expanded set. We’ll be occupying one of our all-time favorite venues the Starry Plough in Berkeley on Friday, January 31st, with the musical festivities starting at 9 PM.

Speaking of expanded, the Starry Plough has altered its menu. Come enjoy great food and delicious beery and winey beverages while you stomp your feet.

See your brand spankin’ baby new year selves there!

Love,

Please join us as we harmonize with one of the most talented musicians the Bay Area has to offer - Maurice Tani! We are lucky to be joining the great John Hanes, Mike Anderson, David Phillips and Jeanine Richardson. Deborah Crooks and Kate Burkhart will be opening. Don't miss it!

Love,

On Saturday, Nov 2nd, Dia De Los Muertos, the strains of murder, misery, death, and despair fill the air at the 12th ANNUAL STARRY PLOUGH MURDER BALLADS BASH. As unfortunate as it is, murder is a human tradition and songs have been written about it almost as long as it's been committed. Put on your best bones (or anything else you'd like to scare us with) and come hear this musical review of great local acts put their spin on that classic favorite, the murder ballad.

Loretta Lynch is delighted to join in this year's festivities, and to be sharing the stage with so many talented others (in no particular order below). We'll be scaring you with some brand spanking new tunes. Rumor has it Loretta Lynch will play around 10, but do come early and stay late - you won't want to miss a single note!

12th Annual Murder Ballads Bash

Saturday, November 2nd

Doors open at 8 pm, show at 9 pm

cover: $6 in adv (http://www.ticketfly.com/event/395721)

$8 – $15 sliding scale at the door

Starry Plough Pub, 3101 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, 510-841-2082

www.thestarryplough.com

The Unreal Band – The Eastbay's longest running psychedelic band, these Starry Plough stalwarts will arrive in some physical form to alter your peaceful reality.

Heartache Sisters - Heartache Sisters is the excitable younger sibling of Laura Benitez and the Heartache that was built streamlined for the road. Joined by Michele Kappel-Stone, this duo sprang from the magic created by the 5-piece electric Americana band to showcase their close female harmonies and let songwriting shine through unadorned. Passionate (yet deadly) takes on Country, Early Rock and Roll, and Folk-Pop.

The Phantom Limbs – Not to be confused with any defunct punk band, Amy Zing, Aislinn Harvey, and Eric Saxby hail from Oakland and are actually very nice people who hardly ever enact their elaborate plans of revenge.

Chonk and the Ghostfiddler - Gritty and infectious, Chonk & the Ghostfiddler create an experimental yet accessible- hell, even enjoyable soundscape, ranging from footstompin' country blues, to bootyshaking soul funk, to mindbending folk tunes. They will be showing their evil side.

Lucifer Meltdown - Lucifer Meltdown will purvey songs about killing, despair and redemption. Lucifer (aka Rev Screaming Fingers) will be aided and abetted by Girl Trouble imps Camilla, Max and Kat Meltdown.

Mike Glendinning – Named Best Local Musician by the Eastbay Express readers poll, Mike is one of a kind, a guitarist whose anger and sense of beauty run close to the surface, exploding from amplifiers or CDs a unique, edgy, fluid style he calls grunge jazz. It's outsider music finding its roots in two distinct zones: the intuitive, soulful poetry of jazz improv, and the edgy, dirty attitude of a metal guitar survivor flipping off the universe.

The Alegre Sisters - The Alegre Sisters are a real life ukulele playing, harmony singing sister band. They'll knock you dead.

Pope Paul Pot – Since the release of his EP, “Plastic TV Land on Acid”, in 1981 and numerous DIY music releases to KALX in the early 1980s, Pope Paul Pot has been playing music in a number of bands: Gail & the Fudgepackers, Don't Mind Us (nobody did), Poor Impulse Control, and the Happy Clams .

Rockzilla - "It's kind of like my version of Rockpile..you know, heavy rhythm rock and roll and features songs I've always wanted to do which lay down that Chuck Berry meets Dave Edmunds groove as well as a few originals combined with some of my major influences like Peter Green." - Harlan Hollander

Mugg Muggles - Mugg Muggles has been delighting Bay Area audiences on street corners, in sundry bars and dives, as well as radio and television for over 3 decades with his eclectic repertoire, irreverent demeanor and mellifluous bass/baritone. Simply accompanied by his pulsing acoustic guitar (or 1 stringed Gutbucket Bass) and awesome homemade kazoo, Mugg evokes distant eras of Prohibition Speakeasies, Minstrel Shows, Juke Joints, House Rent Parties, Barn Dances and Sock Hops.

Scare you there! BWAH HA ha ha HAH!

Love,

Loretta

Oh, yeah - please do "like" us on Facebook if you are so inclined and have not already. You can do so HERE!

Thanks for those of you who filled the Monkey House a week or so back for another fantastic show with Ira Marlowe! We do love that Monkey House, and it was fun fun fun not only to trade sets with Ira, but to sing some harmony vocals with him! Dreaming is free ...

More fun coming up - Loretta will be playing at the 40th - yes, the 40th - anniversary of the Starry Plough on Saturday, October 12th. It seems like only yesterday that we were playing the Plough's 30th! This celebration will be with the inimitable Naked Barbies http://www.nakedbarbies.com/ and multi award winning Disappear Fear http://www.disappearfear.com/ . What a night! It’s a reunion show for the Barbies, and part of Disappear Fear’s CD release tour. Loretta will be playing first, so come early, eat, drink and stay late for an evening fine, foot-stomping and unforgettable entertainment.

More soon,

Love,

Hope everyone is relishing the true Bay Area summer that is September/October! It is a touch sad that this warm and fogless season begins roughly at the start of the school year. We think of all the little - and big, for that matter - faces pressed against the classroom/office windows gazing longingly at the sun-soaked outdoors and its' songbirds and swimming pools. Sigh ...

We're gearing up for the hot fall, and in addition to some private and block parties (Hooray! Get in touch if you want us for one of yours!) we will be playing an early acoustic show at Ira Marlowe's Monkey House on Saturday, September 21st at 7:30. The Monkey House is an unmarked storefront at 1638 University Ave, near Sacramento, just three blocks from North Berkeley BART. Next to the Pole Dancing School (really!). It is directly across from the Super 8 Motel and parking is usually easy peasy. Please visit the MH site here: http://www.monkeyhousetheater.com/ ) for more information and to reserve seats (follow the calendar link for September 21st).

At this time the Monkey House does not serve soft drinks or alcohol, but you're welcome to bring your own. Need a map to the closest liquor store? Ours is but to serve: Ledger's Liquors is mere blocks away, as are myriad eateries. Mmmmmm.

This will be a night a true celebration as we’ll swap sets with the head honcho of the Monkey House himself, Ira Marlowe. Ari, Heather and Val have the added fun of singing back-up vox on a couple of Ira's choice tunes. Our fabulous drummer Nathan Moy will be playing the cajón this night to keep within the acoustic guidelines. As if this weren’t enough, there are some other surprise events to whoop it up for, so come out and enjoy the fun!

Doors will open at 7:00 and this early early show will start at 7:30. Do come early to ensure a seat! It's an intimate venue.

It's early, and all-ages! See you there, and stay tuned for October events!

Love,

Loretta

We miss you! Loretta has been busy busy busy this summer with various other projects and activities. Don't fret, though, and mark your calendars for Saturday, August 10th, as we'll be back on the stage at our old haunt the Starry Plough in Berkeley! We are happy as birdies with french fries to be reuniting with the fabulous Yard Sale - or in this case, Yard Stoop, as it will be the talented Melanie DiGiovanni and Denise Funari (Jill is out of town). Rumor has it that Loretta may collaborate with these fine and talented women for a couple of songs. Woo hoo! Reunion reunion reunion!

As if this is not enticing enough, the evening will be rounded out by the Lady Crooners. If you are unfamiliar with them, check out this sweet video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBhc9PbRIEQ

Loretta will be the sandwich filling for this one, which will start with Mel and Denise and round out with the Lady Crooners. Doors at 8:30, show promptly at 9:00.

We look forward to seeing your many smiling faces!

Love,

Meanwhile - it's time for more East Bay entertainment. Loretta is delighted to be playing an early show at Ira Marlowe's Monkey House on FRIDAY, May 24th promptly at 7:30. The Monkey House is an unmarked storefront at 1638 University Ave, near Sacramento and just three blocks from North Berkeley BART. Next to the Pole Dancing Academy. (Really.) It is also directly across from the Super 8 Motel (for those inspired by any ardent tunes) and parking is usually easy.

At this time the Monkey House does not serve food or alcohol, but you're welcome to bring your own. Yes - once again there is no stopping you from bringing your choices of refreshment, both solid and liquid! From roasted roma ragout to rack of raccoon, from Miller High Life to Pliney the Elder, bring it on. Be creative! Top tip? One of these will allow you the possibility of surreptitiously sampling the creativity of others.

The inimitable Nathan Moy will be hauling out his cajón this night to keep within the acoustic guidelines. As well we hope to be swapping sets with Ira Marlowe himself. Double treat!

Doors will open at 7:00 and this early early show will start at 7:30.

See you there!

Love,

This is just a reminder that we'll be playing Saturday, March 9th at SF Mission district's gorgeous and intimate venue The Lost Church with our good friend Mokai - who will charm you with his sweet guitar finger stylings and song-stories of the strange and wonderful. It's another early show, so you'll still have time to slip into your platform shoes and head to the disco, grab gear and climb the TransAmerica building or ... hey! Ride BART!

The Lost Church is pretty as a picture - and did we mention that it's intimate? Get your tickets now to ensure a seat and an opportunity to hear our new songs - and some old - and to sip and snack on the Lost Church's delicious refreshments. The space fills rather quickly. Tickets ($10) can be purchased now by visiting www.thelostchurch.com and scrolling down to the March 9th Loretta/Mokai event. You can even use PayPal.

Doors open at 7:30 and the show starts promptly at 8:00. We look forward to seeing you - up close and personal!

Love,

It's been a little while since we hollered at - or for - you all, but don't worry! We'll be back in the saddle Saturday, March 9th in SF Mission district's gorgeous and intimate venue The Lost Church with the always wonderful Mokai. It's a lovely place to see bands. As author (and The Bold Italic producer) Jennifer Maerz writes:

"The Lost Church a haven for adventurous souls hungry for new thrills in unexpected settings. I became a Lost Church disciple back in January, when an invitation to see local alt-country idol Paula Frazer came with the additional intrigue of watching her perform in a mysterious venue. Something about the place being named The Lost Church gave the space a theatrical flair in my mind, and when I walked off cracky Capp Street and through the unmarked door, I felt like I was entering a scene in a David Lynch film.

Once I got up the steps and into the main room, I noticed naked lightbulbs glowing all old-timey in a bright line from the small stage, and red velvet curtains framing Paula and her cohort Jesse Jackson. The words “The Greek Chorus” twinkled in gold glitter on an arrow hanging down the wall, and below tiny rose-colored lights were sprawled like ivy. The room was so intimate, holding just 50 people, it was like I’d crashed someone’s (supremely awesome) house party as my friend and I took the last two folding chairs available." To read the article in its entirety, go here.

Doesn't that sound enticing? More details later, but mark your calendar for March 9th!

Love,

First – let’s hear it for Peralta Junction! We hope that pop-up carnival comes back, and soon. Nothing like witnessing a life-sized mousetrap and then playing a set of music on a fancypants stage without having to move more than a few feet.

We had thought that the performing adventures of Loretta Lynch were going to slow down as the year ended, but NO! We are happy as birdies with french fries to announce that we will be playing – for FREE – at Oakland’s New Parish on Wed. 12/12/12 (Some might want to note that this would be the last repetitive date of it’s kind most of us will ever experience –though we suppose it’s best not to make the assumption that all of you aren’t immortal.) As if this weren’t enough, we’ll be opening for that Renaissance man (and founding Loretta Lynch member) Joe Rut and his stellar band! A couple of us will be backing him on harmony vocals. Playing as well will be the ultra-talented Melody Walker and Jacob Groopman.

Doors open at 8 PM, admission is free (FREE!), and beer and food is available for a measly $3!

For more info: http://www.thenewparish.com/event/175324/

or

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/531370156875567/

See you there!

Love,

Thank you to those who came out to Ira Marlowe's Monkey House in Berkeley. What a sweet venue! We look forward to more gigs there, both as performers and audience.

Speaking of very cool and creative spaces and events, we are delighted to announce that on Saturday, November 24th, at 7:00, Loretta will be picking and humming in West Oakland’s newly acclaimed Peralta Junction. This fall, the vacant lot at the corner of Mandela Parkway and West Grand has been transformed into a creative community space filled with art and commerce. Working with local artists, the Peralta Junction Project has activated the space with art installations, creative workshops, local performing arts programming, micro-retail shops featuring local artisans, Oakland-based food trucks, a pumpkin patch, and a tented creative commons.

Come cure those post-Thanksgiving too-much-turkey blues and be thankful for all the weird and wonderful things we get to do in our neck of the woods, like play at Peralta Junction! And hey – keeping with the trend, it’s another early show.

For those who want to know more, here's the website:

http://peraltajunction.com/

And a high-profile feature at the SF Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Peralta-Junction-Oakland-s-pop-up-carnival-4001835.php

See you there!

Love,

Thanks to our fans who came to Studio 55 in Marin - what a sweet venue! Keep your eyes and ears open for more shows there as it continues to make it's mark on the North Bay scene.

Meanwhile - it's time for more East Bay entertainment! Loretta is pleased as punch to be playing an early acoustic show at Ira Marlowe's Monkey House on Saturday, November 3rd at 7:30. The Monkey House is an unmarked storefront at 1638 University Ave, near Sacramento, just three blocks from North Berkeley BART. It is directly across from the Super 8 Motel and parking is usually easy.

At this time the Monkey House does not serve food or alcohol, but you're welcome to bring your own. Yes - once again there is no stopping you from bringing your choices of refreshment, both solid and liquid! Triscuits and cheez whiz? No problem. Caviar? Petit fours? Rocky mountain oysters? Bring ‘em on to accompany your beverage du jour. Heck – maybe we’ll give a prize for the most unique food and libation.

We’ll be offering up some brand spanking new tunes as well as some older favorites, and we’re lucky to have our fabulous drummer Nathan Moy on the cajón this night to keep within the acoustic guidelines. As well we’ll be swapping sets with Ira Marlowe himself. Double treat!

Doors will open at 7:00 and this early early show will start at 7:30.

We’ll see your fine selves there!

Love,

Welcome to the glorious fall season here in the Bay Area, where the weather - and music - continue to be hot!

Thanks to the throngs who came out to help us celebrate our 10th anniversary and video launch - fun was had by all, but especially by us. It was nice to see so many people who knew us in our (musical) toddler years, as well as to see many new faces. And here's to pie, which will forever hold an esteemed role in the adventures of Loretta Lynch.

Please join us as we venture across the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge for a special, early night at Studio 55 Marin on Saturday, September 29th. We're delighted to be paired with Marin's own The Muddy Roses and their own special brand of female-fronted, three-part-harmonied blues, country and Americana.

Studio 55 Marin is a treat in itself. It is a relatively new, 150-seat studio performance hall associated with the music school Roots Music Marin, and has an appropriately fantastic audio set-up. Please help us fill the hall, as the show will be professionally recorded!

A limited snack and coffee/tea bar is available, but patrons are invited to bring their own favorite beverages. Whether this is PBR or cask-strength Glenfarclas single malt (with a drop of water to open it up), bring it on! We know we will.

The doors open at 7:00, and the show will start at 8:00 promptly. Tickets can be purchased in advance for a $2 discount through Brown Paper Bag tickets here . Parking is plentifully available in the lot accompanying the building.

We’ll see you there with bells ... er ... boots on!

Love,

Can you believe it has been ten years since we toddled onto the stage at the Hotel Utah? Nine since we boarded that airplane to England and braved the mud (and port-a-potties) of the Glastonbury Music Festival? From the Shoreline Amphitheatre to many a living room and backyard BBQ, from Concord's Summer Music Series and "How Berkeley Can You Be" Festival to the Tea House and Great American Music Hall and many, many more fantastic venues, Loretta Lynch has picked and hollered through a decade with our special blend of sweetness, surliness, bitterness and joy.

Please join us as we celebrate these ten fine years with an anniversary show this Saturday night August 4th at Berkeley’s Starry Plough Pub starting at 9:30. In addition to offering up some old and brand spanking new songs and being accompanied by our supremely talented and formidably funny founding guitarist Joe Rut for some tunes, we'll also be officially releasing our first music video - courtesy of award-winning filmmakers Robert James and Kyle Parker ("Library of Dust", covering items unearthed some years ago on the grounds the Oregon State Mental Hospital. Check out the preview on YouTube!)

Tuesday and Wednesday nights you can be privy to sneak previews of the party from the comfort of your own living room, car, box or tree limb. Loretta will be live on KALX 90.7 FM Tuesday night 8/31 at 8:15 sharp on the mighty Tumbleweed’s show, and Wednesday 8/1 on KPFA 94.1 FM for Larry Kelp’s “Sing Out” at 10:00 PM. Also sharp. Turn on and tune in!

We also have the pleasure of being joined by Sacramento’s own Alkalai Flats who will warm everyone up in their own fine-tuned foot-stomping “leveebilly”. And – did anyone say pie? Pie? PIE? Rumor has it that multiple forms of this flakey, sweet delicacy will be available to round out the evening’s sensory delight.

Help us launch the next ten years and share the fun!

Love,

Be there or be ... pieless!

love,

It sure has been awhile, and we hope this finds you fine as can be! Even though you haven't heard much from us recently, we've been busy as bees in the rehearsal studio, coming up with new songs and planning our next adventures. We now have a new mail delivery system, and this is its very first missive!

We kindly ask you to mark your calendars and please save the date and join us:

Saturday August 4th, come help us celebrate our Ten Year Anniversary!

We're planning a fun show at the Starry Plough, which has been one of our stomping grounds since the band was born. There will be old songs, there will be new songs, there will be special guests. Hell, there might even be pie! It won't be a party without YOU, though, so we sure hope you'll be able to join us!

Please do keep in touch - feel free to send us messages, share your new music finds, etc... We are your fans, too!

Love,

Just a check-in to let our friends and fans know that we are deep in the rehearsal studio cooking up some tasty new tunes. We have debuted a couple of them recently at private events, but we promise to bring them out in public soon.

Stay tuned!

love, and Happy Spring,

Just a quick note to let folks know that Loretta "Light" (sans our fabulous drummer Nathan) will be playing this Sunday December 11th for the KPFA Crafts Fair at San Francisco's Concourse Pavilion  (at 8th and Brannan).  We'll be up in the food court area from 12 PM - 2 PM or so (right before Eric and Suzy Thompson  – don't miss them either!).  Bring your appetite, your shopping bag and your ears for this fantastic event.  220 local artists selling unique wares. Think globally, shop locally, and support this invaluable radio station!

The great reviews for "Home Fires" keep rolling in! The latest is from Maurice Hope of England's Americana UK: http://www.americana-uk.com/reviews-cd-live/latest-cd-reviews/item/maurice-hope-33 .

A reminder that we would love some quotes from our friends and fans.  Anyone submitting one will receive a "Home Fires" 11 x 17 poster of the Tony Speirs  original cover art.

See you soon!

Love,

THANK YOU to all of you who came and celebrated with us at the Freight and Salvage for the "Home Fires" cd release with Joe Rut! It was a splendid night, with fantastic music from Danny Allen, Dave Jess, and Melanie De Giovanni as well from Loretta. And what a sound system! It was particularly fun to share the stage again with Joe Rut, and vice versa. Woo hoo! As well, we drank the Freight's new bar dry. Literally.

We are happy to announce that "Home Fires" is now available online through CD Baby.  You can go here  to:  http://cdbaby.com/cd/lorettalynch2 to purchase online, either the CD itself or downloads. Give the gift of music for the holidays!

We have certainly been reaping the rewards of our work, and "Home Fires" has been very well received so far. We got Critics Choice in the Chronicle's "96 Hours"  (Nov 3rd), Top Ten things to Do in the Oakland Tribune (Oct 30th), a nice article and photo spread in the Albany Patch  and a little feature in the Chronicle's Datebook (the Pink Section – October 30th).  We've been heavily supported by fine DJ's from KALX, KPFA and KALW, as well, and charted on UC Berkeley's KALX at number three last week. We've even been given 5 out of 5 stars in a review from the UK's Country Music People Magazine, and have been getting a lot of play on the web's Bootliquor Radio  .  Exciting!

We are currently looking at ways to spread the music more, and would LOVE some input from you. We really need:

1) Quotes from our friends and fans! Feeling particularly literate? Jot down your thoughts about Loretta Lynch – even a sentence or two - and send them to: info@lorettalynch.com or send a message to our Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loretta-Lynch/61479437132  (Please do "Like" our FB page for more updates, as we have joined the throngs in using this site.)

2) Reviews of both the band and "Home Fires" for our CD baby site as well.  If you have your own CD Baby account you can add your review directly, otherwise simply send it to us and we will add it for you.

3) To know: Who do we sound like? We each have our own ideas, but what do you think?

Again – you can send your thoughts to: info@lorettalynch.com

Many many thanks to all of you for supporting our music!

Love,

Only a few short days til our big "Home Fires" CD release at the Freight and Salvage  (2020 Addison Street / Berkeley) this Friday! It's going to be a raucous party (aided by the Freight's addition of beer and wine service) with the Great Joe Rut opening.

We're pleased to have been getting a little media help to publicize our party – In addition to a fine feature in the Albany Patch we've a picture and mention in the Chronicle's Datebook this last Sunday, a Critic's Choice in the Chronicles upcoming "96 Hours" (look for it Thursday) and a five (out of five) star review in the UK's Country Music People magazine. As well, discerning DJ's from KPFA, KALW and the mighty KALX have been regularly playing the album. We're so glad to be appreciated like this!

As mentioned, Joe Rut will be starting the evening off at 8 PM sharp (Really! Be there!) accompanied by Dave Jess, Danny Allen and John Hanes. We'll be join in each other's sets!

A little preview?  Here's a mash-up of the new album:  http://www.lorettalynch.com/downloads/LL_HF_mashup.mp3

So – bring your friends, lovers, neighbors, your grandma, your thirst, your ears and a pocket to carry away the free brand spanking new cd you'll get with a ticket!

For advance tickets, go to: http://www.thefreight.org/loretta-lynch

See you Friday at the Freight!

Love,

Don't miss the Friday, November 4th release of Loretta Lynch's third cd "Home Fires" at Berkeley's Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse with Special Guest Joe Rut!

"Home Fires" explores the decay of domestic life: regret, loss, bitterness and ambiguity, but not without a healthy dose of earthy humor, sweetness and occasional spasms of optimism. It's classic Loretta - dark, bittersweet, and comic. Toe-tapping, heart-zapping and thigh-slapping.

Every ticketholder will receive one brand spanking new copy of the "Home Fires" cd! Woo hoo!

As if this weren't enough, opening will be Oakland musical instigator and original Loretta Lynch member Joe Rut, bringing his funny and heartfelt songs to the Freight in a rare full-band acoustic set.  Not to be missed! Though amicably parting ways (musically) years ago, Joe and Loretta Lynch have stayed closely in touch. Considering the Joe Rut/Loretta Lynch history, and with past and present members of the band sharing the stage, we will be joining each other's sets for some good old "hey-remember-when-we-used-to-do-this-one-group-hug-and-cry" moments. Do you want to miss that?!? Absolutely not. Please join us!

In addition, Joe will be handing out a plate of delicious home fries to a lucky attendee. Mmmmmmm. Home fries. One of the best things you can cook on a Home Fire.

See your fine selves there! 

Loretta Lynch CD Release, w/ Special Guest Joe Rut

Friday, November 4th

Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse (now serving beer and wine!)

2020 Addison Street, Berkeley

Doors 7:00, show 8:00 SHARP!!! (No, really, not 8:15. Not 8:30. You wanna hear Joe Rut? 8:00)

For tickets, go to: http://www.thefreight.org/loretta-lynch

($20.50/$22.50 at the door)

Loretta Lynch has a busy week coming up, and we hope you'll join us for the fun. We've got something for everyone - barflies, kids and even those who hate leaving the house!

First up, the Ladies of the Lynch will be live on KALX  on Tuesday night, 9/6, as guests of DJ Meaty Paws.  Maurice Tani  will also be there, as we're sharing the stage together later in the week at the Starry Plough.  With any luck, we'll get to debut a few new tracks.  Tune in from 7PM to 9PM to 90.7 FM, or listen online <http://kalx.berkeley.edu/> .

Next up on Thursday, 9/8, the ladies and Dan will perform a quiet-ish set at the Starry Plough , opening the night for the aforementioned and supremely talented Maurice Tani (who'll be joined by the equally talented Mike Anderson on upright bass). This is part of the Plough's new series, Twang Nation  . Sandwiched in between LL and Maurice and Mike will be the wonderful Nashville song writer Rod Picott , who'll be joined by Amanda Shires . This will be a great night of music and we hope to share it with you!

And Sunday, 9/11,  bring grandma and the kids to the Webster Street Jam.  LL will be back in full band form again with Nathan beating the drums.  There will be lots of great music, food, art & crafts.  We play at 2PM.  The Jam takes place on Webster Street in the Heart of Historic West Alameda.

And lastly, please, oh please mark your calendars for the LL CD release show at the Freight & Salvage   on Friday, Nov. 4th.  Original LL band-mate Joe Rut will open the show, and join us for a few tunes.

See you soon!

Love,

Loretta

Well – here we are already in the throes of summer. Never mind that summer in the Bay Area often requires a parka – it’s beautiful here, especially after 1 PM or so. We have the lovely Sierras a stone’s throw away, not to mention the glorious ocean (and we’ve got a whole month before the official start of great white shark breeding/feeding season!) and music festivals and street fairs galore!

Though we haven’t been playing out much due to a lot of individual gallivanting, we are happy to tell you that we have completed our cd! Freshly mixed at WallySound Studio, recently mastered with Myles at Headless Buddha and with cover art painted specifically for us by Tony Speirs, this long-awaited Loretta Lynch baby will arrive in the early fall. Hooray! We will have our cd release at the new Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse (which now serves beer and wine, too – woo HOO!) Friday, November 4th, so save the date. Rumor has it that anyone coming to the show will get a free, brand spanking new cd – and as if that weren’t enough, the inimitable Joe Rut will be offering an opening set. Mark your calendars!

In the meantime, we will be playing both the Starry Plough Thursday, Sept. 8th as well as Alameda’s Webster Street Fair Sunday, Sept 11th on the main stage at 2:00PM, so hopefully we will see some of your lovely selves before the cd release.

Haven't heard from Loretta in a while? Don't fret! In the afterglow of our West Coast Live and Freight and Salvage shows, we've been humming and strumming (and strumming and humming) in the privacy of our rehearsal space and Wally Sound recording studios. As well, we've been logging in a few hours filming with Robert James and Kyle Parker ("Library of Dust ") and on our way to a ... video.

We are getting back to playing live, however, and this time as part Jim Ocean's acclaimed Concord Music and Market  - Free Lunchtime Music series this upcoming Tuesday, May 17th from noon to 1:15 PM in Concord's Todos Santos Plaza  concurrent with Concord's Farmer's Market. Stroll through the fresh fruit and organic veggies stalls, sample gourmet food and listen to Loretta – for free!

We'll have more information about our upcoming cd and subsequent release party soon. In the meantime, join us - with your appetite -  in Concord!

Love,

West Coast Live was fun fun fun, and the Revival Bar and Kitchen a fantastic venue. Thanks to Sedge Thomson and all the WCL production staff, those who came out, and to all of you who turned on and tuned in last Saturday.

Just a friendly poke to remind you that we'll be picking and howling (as nicely as we can!) at Berkeley's famed Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse  this Thursday, March 10th, as part of Dr. K's Home Grown Roots Revue  . We have the pleasure of playing with Kathi Goldmark's Los Train Wreck and Steve Baker's Swingin' Doors. It is a reasonable early night, to boot, with doors opening at 7:30 PM, Swingin' Doors opening at 8 PM, Loretta at 9 PM and Los Train Wreck crashing the evening at 10 PM. Rumor has it that the gals of Lynch will adding some background vocals to Los Train Wreck, so come hear it all happen. And bring your dancing shoes!

See you there,

Love,

Tickets can be purchased at TICKETWEB (http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/EventListings.action?orgId=17719 ) or by calling: 415-664-9500.

love,

It was so lovely to see so many of you at the Starry Plough last month. Hooray! A nice way to start the year. Please join us in any way you can for our next two shows.

We are delighted to be back on National Public Radio's syndicated West Coast Live  on Saturday March 5th where we will be joining  T. Coraghesson Boyle  to celebrate his new novel "When the Killing is Done". (Hey – maybe we should write a song of the same name) If you don't know him you should – he's a master of the dark, horrific, bawdy and comic. Also appearing on WCL will be Carol Edgarian (illustrious editor of Narrative magazine) as well as the always spontaneous Mike Greensill on piano. The show will air live from 10:00 AM til 12:00PM, and you can listen via KALW 91.7 FM. Or online. Or from 200 + public radio stations around the country, for that matter! You are also welcome to join the live audience - the location is still to be determined so check the website for details as they emerge. We will be doing the same!

On Thursday, March 10th, we'll be skipping around the stage at Berkeley's renowned Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse   with Kathi Goldmark's Los Train Wreck and Steve Baker's The Swinging Doors as part of Dr. K's Home Grown Roots Revue . This is Loretta's debut at the new Freight and Salvage, and we are honored to be there - come with your dancing shoes.

We hope we'll see you soon!

Love,

While Loretta Lynch, the band has been filling the past month or so with plenty of fun projects (the fruits of which you all will be privvy to soon),  we are pleased to announce that we're jumping back in the saddle for our first show of 2011 Sat, Jan 22nd at the Starry Plough with Hang Jones  and the Mighty Lynchpins . We're the filling in this twangy sandwich, with Hang Jones opening and the Mighty Lynchpins rounding out the evening. We'll be brandishing some old and new tunes. The show starts at 9:30. Come eat, drink and be merry with us at the Plough!

While you're at it, get out your calendars (or mark up that online one) and save the date March 10th – we'll be playing at the new and inimitable Freight and Salvage  with Steve Baker's The Swinging Doors  and Kathi Goldmark's Los Train Wreck . (Once again, we're delighted to have the middle slot.)  Hooray!

More info soon,

Love,

In the words of the inimitable Joe Rut, you are cordially invited to:

4th Annual Koi Pond Chili Cookoff to Benefit the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation

Saturday, November 13th, 6:30ish (you, know chili being dinner and all) til late.

$5-$20 Sliding scale donation (no one turned away for lack of funds,so come on over and eat some chili)

...Musical entertainment by Loretta Lynch, DB Pedersen, and others TBA (Our people are talking to their people)

As some of you know, Mother Wright passed away last year, but her Foundation is still doing the work that she started. All door donations and proceeds from "The Worlds Cheapest Bar (TM) "go directly to the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation, our non-profit neighbor who feeds 400 families locally EVERY DAY, and has traveled "from Arizona to Mexico to New Jersey to Russia and everywhere in between" to feed the homeless.

Please enter your chili in the contest!! Custom trophies to be awarded! We need chili! Meat or vegetarian! Please bring your own heating device if possible (small stove, crock pot, chaffing dish, etc.) and label your ladles!! (And hey, if ya really felt like bringing a pie, nobody would blame you!...mmmmmmmmm....pie!) (And if you absolutely feel like you need a salad or something...well, just don't let me see it.)

Come and eat, listen to some good tunes, and have a drink all for a good cause!!!!!!

Drop us a line for the address.

Love,

Don't let the post Halloween sugar crash take over - come join the gals of Loretta and many talented bands as we pick and holler a little to raise some funds for fellow musician Lenny Gill at the Starry Plough this upcoming Sunday afternoon, November 7th. We'll be taking the stage somewhere around 4:00. More information is below.

.

Loretta (in full band form, and with new tunes!) will also be playing an early set at the Koi Pond's Annual Chili Cook-Off to benefit the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation on Saturday, November 13th.  More about that later.  In the meantime, eat your vegetables and

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!

Love,

Loretta

LENNYPALOOZA: A Benefit for Lenny Gill

Sunday November 7th

The Starry Plough

3101 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley

2-7PM $10-20 ALL AGES

Multi-instrumentalist and Bay Area musical stalwart Lenny Gill is the drummer, the very heartbeat, of East Bay band The Bye Bye Blackbirds. This made it kind of awkward last year (most of all for Lenny) when he found himself at Stanford with an "unusual" condition. A fight with Hodgkins Disease when he was 22 years old, a treatment involving radiation, had damaged his heart. It was serious. Three-blocked-arteries serious. He needed surgery. It went well, but while in the hospital Lenny had contracted MRSA, often called "sick air disease" and now had infected blood. It was serious. Again. Aggressive antibiotic treatments went well, but when he returned to his doctors, they found a psuedoanueurysm on his aorta. It was serious. Surgery-right-now serious. His life had been saved by modern medicine, but modern medicine is expensive as hell. Now he needs your help with the bills. Serious help. Come-out-to-this-benefit help.

The Starry Plough will host Lennypalooza on Sunday, November 7. We're looking for a suggested donation in the $10 to $20 range. You should come out to see him, and while you're there you'll see The Bye Bye Blackbirds and other concerned musicians including: The Titan-Ups, Tippy Canoe & The Paddlemen, The Midway Delta, Loretta Lynch, The Parties, East Bay Grease, Pancho-San, and I Love My Label (A Tribute To Stiff Records).

Many thanks to the crowd who joined us for the Downtown Berkeley Music Festival show. The weather was beautiful, the fresh food and great beer and wine abounded, the sound system stellar, and Laurie Lewis joining us for a tune iced the cake! An altogether lovely afternoon.

We're happy to be playing at this Sunday, September 12th's Solano Avenue Stroll.  We'll be playing at 5:00 in front of the Furniture Oasis, between Peralta and Nielson. Across from the Safeway. Near the fabulous Bone Room. Hope you'll join us!

We'd also like to invite your fine selves to an auspicious and delicious Oakland afternoon potluck backyard house concert (whew) Sunday, September 19th at Heather and Julian and Lily's*. Joining Loretta Lynch will be master of musical showmanship Luther Monday and the Magic Hammer (http://www.luthermonday.com/home.html ) the innovative and ultra-talented Joe Rut (http://www.joerut.com), and special guests from Northern California – our favorite twang gang the Blushin' Roulettes (http://www.blushinroulettes.com/#top ) . And hey -  it's early with a 2:00 start and a goal of scarfing that last deviled egg (a la our lovely chicken Gladys) and tossing down that last swig by 8:00.  Sound civilized? Too civilized? OK – bring on the kids! We'll have some outside art activities set up, and a "best chicken imitation" contest (also open to adults - start practicing!).  Loretta Lynch has been busy this summer simmering some new songs, stirring up old ones, and sautéing the ones in between. We're ready to serve `em up so we hope you'll let us share. Speaking of sharing, it'd be great if you'd bring a dish or something to quaff for others to sample.  There will be some beer and wine available for donation.

Food! Drink! Song! Play!

See you soon,

Loretta

Please join us as we participate in the Downtown Berkeley Music Festival  this upcoming Saturday, August 28th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Ecology Center's Farmer's Market (Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park, Center St. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.) We'll be joining Grammy-nominated bluegrass greats Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum as well as Chris Caswell. Come, shop for those locally-produced fruits and veggies, breads, cheeses and meats and tap your toes to some fine music – it's free! You can also quaff your coffee (and we certainly won't tell if you spike it), or enjoy Bison Organic beer and Sterling Albert wines. Yum!

Loretta will also be playing at this year's Solano Avenue Stroll Sunday, September 12th at 5 PM – we'll be performing near Rivoli between Peralta and Nielson (near the Bone Room!)

As if that weren't enough, we'll be having an afternoon backyard ballyhoo Sunday, September 19th with Northern California's Blushin' Roulettes, Luther Monday and the Magic Hammer, and the inimitable Joe Rut. Email us for directions and more info.

Stay tuned, and come on out to the festivals!

Love,

a free concert Saturday, August 28th; 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Saturday Berkeley Farmers' Market

Martin Luther King, Jr. CIVIC CENTER PARK, Berkeley

Center St. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way

1pm-3pm (2 sets) Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum (bluegrass) – Grammy-nominated for their album The Oak and the Laurel (1995). International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) executive director Dan Hays calls Laurie “one of the preeminent bluegrass and Americana artists of our time.” Sacramento News called her "as fine a singer as anyone on the acoustic music circuit, anywhere in the world." Laurie has twice been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA. www.laurielewis.com

11 am-1pm (2 sets) Loretta Lynch (Americana/country folk band) locally has played the Great American Music Hall and Slim's, has done live radio performances on NPR's "West Coast Live,” been featured at England's Glastonbury Music Festival, & opened for country superstar Alabama at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. www.lorettalynch.com

"... Heart-melting three-part harmonies ... mandolin-plucky bluegrass, soulful murder ballads, and lush singer-songwriter folk." —SF Weekly

"Straddling the line between twang and pop, country act Loretta Lynch is praised for its lush vocal harmonies.”

—San Francisco Examiner "Top Pick" of the week

“Loretta Lynch plays the sort of California country-lover's country that has no past, as if it rolled in on a wave one day and set up shop. Buttery vocal harmonies and wary rhythms convey timeless tales about heartbreak, coming home, and growing old that still manage to sound utterly modern.”

—East Bay Express

10:00am-10:45am – Chris Caswell (Celtic harpist) - “Chris Caswell is particularly versatile playing flute, penny-whistle, Scots harp and bodhran, the last a drum, and playing all well.” —Variety

“Chris is well-known worldwide as a maker of fine harps and

he's an incredible performer as well."—Plowshares Newsletter

www.chriscaswell.net

Also, "birds in the park": a traveling public art project involving a flock of porcelain birds which has been touching down in various places internationally; the birds have images and text printed on them investigating aspects of humanity, specifically around war and peace.

Info: www.christyhengst.com or www.birdsinthepark.blogspot.com

About the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets:

Hope this season finds you all fine as frog hair, and enjoying every bit of Bay Area summer as it swings from hot to frigid. Keeps both the t-shirt and fleece industries grinning from ear to ear.

We've been busy as bees, working on new songs, tending to gardens, eating blackberries, buying houses (Ok – just one), engineering that tech support and even watching US weapons labs. Amidst the activity, we were saddened to hear that our friend and veteran troubadour Jimmy Sweetwater is leaving San Francisco to head to New Orleans. The Loretta Lynch trio (Val, Ari and Heather) is pleased as all get-out, however, to join a host of fine performers to thank him and send him on his way in style at the Great American Music Hall Thursday, July 22nd at 8:00 PM. Amongst those joining us will be: Penelope Houston and Pat Johnson, Patrick Winningham, Toshio Hirano, Los Machos Borrachos, The Mission Three, Jimbo Trout & the Fishpeople, Tom Drohan & Gayle Lynn. Closing the evening will be swampy folk-rockers Vandela .

We hope you can take a break from your own summers and join us! Dress in layers.

Love,

After a month or so of attention other projects, we're happier than clams at high tide ... heck, maybe even happier than goats in a briar patch to announce that we'll be playing once again at Berkeley's Starry Plough  Saturday, May 22nd. We have the good luck to be playing with the inimitable Joe Rut  (fresh off his Various Living Rooms and Great American Music Hall 2010 Spring Tour) as well as Danny Allen's High Diving Horses. Both of these acts can charm the dew off the honeysuckle, so get yourselves down to the Plough, quaff a couple cold ones with us and celebrate music at its finest.  Show starts at 9:00 with the equestrian water-acrobats, Loretta in the middle and Sñr. Rut crowning the evening.

Spend yours with us!

Love,

Hooray for Spring! Hooray for music! Hooray for showers and flowers and bees and fuzzy little animals* and ... people getting' hitched!

We are happy to announce that our dear friends Dana and Amy are tying the knot this upcoming Thursday, April 1st. Yes, this is April Fool’s Day, and the two will be marrying and parading through Berkeley and ending at an early, welcome-to-all reception at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley - http://www.starryploughpub.com ) beginning at 8:00 PM sharp. We’ll be playing first, followed by the lovely and talented ladies of Yard Sale and then a very special guest (who we know you will love).

Come eat, drink and be merry with us!

Love,

Loretta

... and you are cordially invited to join Loretta Lynch at the Actual Café (corner of Alcatraz and San Pablo in Berkeley) http://www.actualcafe.com/ this Friday night March 5th as part of Oakland’s First Friday Art Murmur. We’ll be going on a little after 7:00, and plan to make the café shake. In addition to a variety of drinks derived from that fine dark-roasted bean that will fuel your evening, snacks and supper are available. Though this will be a kid-friendly event, rumor is that there will be beer and wine for the grown-ups! Vinyl by DJs Oze and Kid Frostbite, and rare, gorgeous black and white photos of 1960’s-80’s Chicago, NJ and New York by Eva Silverman of Pushcart Design, to boot. Any East Coast transplants out there?

Come one, come all.

Love,

It was a whirlwhind of a holiday season with recording, mixing, KPFA and West Coast Live, and we are grateful to have had a bit of time off. Now we're enjoying the rain (hey - in addition to filling the reservoirs and making things green, you know what it washes off the streets), our collective good health and gearing up again for the Spring!

Come to the Make-Out Room  (3225 22nd St., San Francisco) this Friday, January 29th where we'll be playing with the fabulous Misisipi Rider. We're pleased as punch to be playing with this fine outfit, which includes former LL guitar player Misisipi Mike Wolf amongst the talented crew. Loretta will be playing last ... but guess what? It's an EARLY SHOW! Hooray! The show starts off at 7:30 with Misisipi Rider, and we'll be playing at the still-tender hour of 8:30.  You can come, enjoy the show and still have your choice between donning your jammies and crawling into bed with a glass of warm milk and the latest teen vampire novel or mixing up a thermos of Red Bull and vodka and hitting the clubs.

We do hope you'll join us.

Love,

Just another poke to let you know we're going be playing at KPFA'S Craft and Music Fair  this Sunday, December 13th at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco . This is the largest weekend holiday craft fair of its kind in Northern California. Straight from KPFA: "Every year, more than 10,000 collectors, craft enthusiasts and holiday shoppers attend this signature event that features 220 craftsmakers and artists from throughout the country, a gourmet food pavilion and live performances by some of the area's leading world musicians – all in a warm and spirited ambiance that reflects the Bay Area's great diversity." What more could you want on a rainy winter Bay Area weekend? We'll be going on at about 3:00, and we'll be interviewed. It will all be aired live, so you can listen at 94.1 FM or stream at www.KPFA.org  from the comfort of your barcalounger watching the plants grow OR you can get on the lively BART train, do some fine locally-made holiday shopping and show us your lovely faces.

In case you have forgotten (though we can't imagine what would be more pressing on your minds) Loretta will have the honor of playing NPR's West Coast Live  on Saturday, December 19th – which you can listen to on our own KALW 91.7 FM. West Coast Live airs between 10 AM and 12 PM. As for the exotic location from which it will be aired, will it be the top of Mount Crumpet? A west-facing drawing room at Hearst Castle? No! Much more convenient and homey, West Coast Live will be broadcast from San Francisco's own Ferry Building at 1 Ferry Plaza (Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street; accessed from Mission Street). You can reserve tickets at 415-664-9500 or at www.ticketweb.com, listen to us on the air (KALW, 91.7 FM), or capture the live Internet stream at www.KALW.org .  Yeah – from home.

In honor of the gift-giving season, we are offering our "Concrete and Ether" at a dramatic holiday discount.  By purchasing a cd with CD Baby, you have the opportunity to browse and buy any three participating artist's CDs for $15 – (that's a measly $5 per CD for those of you who aren't mathematically inclined).  Simply go to the Loretta Lynch CD Baby site  and click on the $5 box on the top right hand corner of your screen to check out other artists. For those of you coming to our live shows, there will be special deals available for you for the holiday season.

Stay warm, dry, and tuned,

Love,

It's cold and dreary outside as we write, but toasty in the studio where we are all eating spicy gingerbread and mixing some new songs. Hurray!

We thought we were going to be in hibernation this fall and winter, but this is definitely not the case. We'll be playing a set at the Make-Out Room (3225 22nd St San Francisco www.makeoutroom.com ) Sunday, November 29th opening for country crooner Chris Jones ( http://www.chrisjones.info/ ) as he releases his new cd "Underneath the Sun". It's an early show, starting at 8 PM sharp, and we'll be leading the pack. Walk off some of that turkey and mashed potatoes and join us!

The fun will not end there, however, as we'll be playing KPFA'S Craft and Music Fair on Sunday, December 13th at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco ( http://www.kpfa.org/craftsfair/getthere.html ). We'll be going on at about 3:00, and we'll be interviewed. It will all be aired live, so you can listen live at 94.1 FM from the comfort of your living room couch while digging for quarters OR you can get on that silvery snake of a BART train, do some fine locally made holiday shopping (and dining- yum) and see us in person!

What, you say? More? Why yes! Loretta will have the honor of playing NPR's West Coast Live ( http://www.wcl.org/ ) on Saturday, December 19th – which you can listen to on our own KALW 91.7 FM. West Coast Live airs between 10 AM and 12 PM – we'll have more details, including what exotic location it will be aired from, soon.

Keep warm – we'll see you soon!

Love,

It's that time of year again – time to explore the darkness of the soul, celebrate the depths of your fear ... and maybe get a chance to chat up that cute zombie chick from last year at the 8th Annual Murder Ballads Bash this Saturday night, October 31st at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, 94705 <www.starryploughpub .com>). Loretta starts the evening off with a bang at 9:00 PM sharp as a razor, but come early for a batburger, and stay late for the ghoul grog and some of the Bay Area's finest howlings.

In addition to the wild wailings (and two whip-cracking new tunes) of Loretta Lynch, this year's musical bloodbath features Penelope Houston and the Birdboys <http://penelope. net/> offering dark melodic folk with a true punk lineage, the driving, blues-driven sounds of The Dead Souls, a surprise or two from Joe Rut <http://joerut. com/> , and diva-led gospel/punk/ blues courtesy of The Bodice Rippers <http://www.myspace. com/thebodicerip pers> . Suki O'kane <http://www.myspace. com/sukiokane> delivers island rhythms with a toy accordion, a jealous heart and a sick mind. Starry Plough jam-band regular Pat Nevins <http://www.myspace. com/patricknevin s>, known for his heartfelt interpretations of Neil Young and Gram Parsons, performs solo-acoustic songs of death and destruction. The John Shiurba Experience <http://www.myspace. com/shiurba> digs up Hendrix. East Bay geezer-punks The Happy Clams <http://thehappyclam s.com/> threaten to unleash raw rock & roll with personality. There will be alt-country twang from Maurice Tani of 77 El Deora <http://www.western- independent. com/77eldeora/> , musical prowess with heart from ZTrane Electric Band <http://www.myspace. com/jzittrain> , and Sue Hutchinson <http://www.myspace. com/sueiconolodg e> pulls double duty by singing a song and hosting the evening. Luther Monday & the Magic Hammer <http://www.myspace. com/luthermonday> are soulful, crunchy, sweet and dirty, like a fritter on a plate with naked ladies painted on it. BLUNDERBUSST <http://www.myspace. com/blunderbusst> comes all the way from Reno and sounds like a more polite Sleater-Kinney, or an angrier Autolux, or like two girls, a drum set, and an electric guitar falling down stairs, and The New Dysfunctions <http://www.myspace. com/thenewdysfun ctions> are sure to delight with a quirky mix of punk rock, new wave, witty lyrics, manic weirdness, and coloring books!

Stay tuned to the Lynchline, as we are pleased to announce that this December in addition to playing the KPFA Music Fair on Dec 13th we've been invited to play West Coast Live! Dec. 19th. We'll have more details about both later – in the meantime we're in the studio brewing up a new recordings.

See you at the Plough in your scariest costume!

Bwah hahAHAHAHAH!,

You are cordially invited to join Loretta Lynch as we celebrate Art and Science this Sunday afternoon, September 27th at the 2nd Annual HandCar Regatta Festival in Santa Rosa (Historic Railroad Square at 4th & Wilson Streets Santa Rosa, CA 95401). Otherwise known as the Great West End and Railroad Square HandCar Regatta and Exposition of Mechanical and Artistic Wonders, this festival – honoring the esteemed and fabulous* 19th century inventor Erasmus P. Kitty - represents a FREE public celebration of mechanical, visual, culinary, and costumed performing arts. Good old human ingenuity embracing sustainability, alternative transportation, and old fashioned fun. Will the "Toad in the Stew" crew and their vehicle win the race against those who've built the "Screaming Vortex"? Are Cupcake Cars (with sprinkles) edible? Is the Bride of Funkenstein really "alive"?

Come one, come all! Come costumed in your finest Neo-Victorian garb and bring appetites (giant vats of fresh seafood and local vegetable paellas, brick oven pizzas, tantalizing Indian cuisine plus sweet treats to indulge the most discerning of palates are to be had). We'll be playing on the Snake Oil Stage at about 2:45 or so, but don't miss the Children's Costume Parade at 12:30, Baby Seal Club at 1:45 or Wild Card Belly Dance right after us. Most of all, come to play!

For more details, visit http://www.handcar-regatta.com

See you there!

Love,

Loretta

* read "fabled"

It's been a packed summer with lots of individual projects but Loretta is back in the driver's seat once again. And hey! It's almost fall! The buckeyes have turned brown, the kids are trudging to school, the bridge reopened, that Man burned to a crisp and the weather remains blissfully ... hot. Ah, California. Luckily, the Bay Area music scene suits the weather.

We are happier than birdies with french fries to announce we'll be playing at the Hotel Utah (500 4th St at Bryant – <www.hotelutahsaloon.com> with two fantastic bands, the Hollyhocks <www.thehollyhocks.com> and lovely ladies of Yard Sale <http://www.myspace.com/yardsaleoakland> Saturday, September 19th. It'll be a Hollyhocks sandwich, with Yard Sale on first and Loretta in full band form crowning the evening.

The following weekend we'll be picking and yowling at Santa Rosa's Handcar Regatta festival, or to be more precise the 2nd Annual 2009 Great West End & Railroad Square Handcar Regatta & Exposition of Mechanical & Artistic Wonders! <http://handcar-regatta.com/>. More about that later.

Come and see us at the Hotel Utah! We miss your sweet mugs. And whoever comes up with what we believe to be the best "happier than" saying midway through our set gets a prize.

Love,

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom in the summer of our discontent and the sun, having no other alternative, shone on nothing new. Elmer Gantry was drunk. We were born twice – first as baby girls on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as teenage boys, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974. We started dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall. "To be born again," sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, "first you have to die." The clocks were striking thirteen.

Like a good story? We sure do. Please join the ladies of Loretta Lynch as we play a few songs to accompany the Porchlight Storytelling Series 7th Anniversary Show – Lucky Number 7: Tales of Fortune, Adventure and Serendipity (or lack thereof) this Friday night, July 24th at San Francisco's vintage dancehall the Verdi Club ( http://www.verdiclub.net 2424 Mariposa St. San Francisco). On the bill will be: Kasper Hauser nutjob Rob Baedeker, former KKK pen pal and filmmaker Christy Chan, animator Scott Kravitz, skateboarding registered nurse Linda Pasek, and many more.

The Porchlight series, co-founded by Beth Lisick ( http://www.bethlisick.com/ ) and Arline Klatte, has been San Francisco's premier storytelling series for (you guessed it) the past seven years. Each month six people from different backgrounds tell ten-minute true stories without using notes or memorization. Past storytellers include some of the area's most entertaining school bus drivers, mushroom hunters, politicians, socialites, sex workers, musicians, authors, systems analysts, and social workers.

Doors open at 7:00 PM. The show starts at 8:00. Hope to see your fine selves there!

Love,

Come on over to the East Bay's island of Alameda this Thursday, June 18th at the Alameda Town Center (523 South Shore Center West Alameda, CA 94501 ( http://www.alamedatownecentre.com/go/displayHours.cfm?day=18&month=6&year=2009as ) as part of the City of Alameda's Summer Serenade series. We'll be going on at 6:00 PM, and it's free free FREE (and family-friendly – we won't be singing overtly about sex or drug experimentation for this one – maybe a little reference to murder, though) so put the hoof covers on your wee ones and come swing them around! Rumor has it that there's a decent restaurant (Zeytini) nearby, so you can make an evening out of it if you wanna be fancy-pants. (Or can still afford to be - thanks for all your hard work, Arnie.)

We'll be playing a private party or two in the meantime, and plans are to head into the recording studio in July, so it'd be extra nice to see your shining faces!

Love,

Please join Loretta Thursday, June 18th in full band form at the Alameda Town Center as part of the City of Alameda's Arts program. We'll be going on at 6:00 PM, and it's free and family-friendly so shod your small ones and come swing them around!

Then, for something completely different, we've got another performance by the Treasure Mouth Ensemble, happening next Thursday, June 4th, at the Luggage Store Gallery <http://www.luggagestoregallery.org/> . The ladies of Loretta Lynch <http://www.lorettalynch.com> will be joining the ensemble on vocals for a night of music to honor the late, great, Matthew Sperry <http://matthewsperry.org/> . If you missed the last performance of Treasure Mouth back in December, here's another chance to enjoy this all-star cast of characters playing improvised musical karaoke like you've never heard it before! From the official Sperryfest press release: "Festival organizers Gino Robair <http://www.rastascan.com/gino.html> and John Shiurba <http://www.shiurba.com> convene the Bay Area creative music community at the Luggage Store <http://www.luggagestoregallery.org/> not simply in remembrance and reunion, but as a catalyst for new work and uncommon musical events. The evening features works for large ensemble and the reprise of a composition based on Matthew's quick sketch of a Jurassic karaoke machine called Treasure Mouth. Treasure Mouth requires a band to follow along to lyrics as fast as they can be written out for them by others, with predictably unpredictable and hilarious results." Show starts at 8 PM. 1007 Market St. near 6th, SF.

See you soon!

Love,

It's time to hit the road. That's right - Loretta is loading the van and heading (at an ungodly hour) to the City of Angels. First stop on Saturday, May 2nd at 2:00 the Grand Opening of Missy Gibson's (yes – that Missy Gibson of Nellie Bly and Breech fame) new shop Grow Kid Grow (4310 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90029 Los Angeles) where we'll play a couple of rollicking sets. Next full stop will be Sunday, May 3rd at the famed Redwood Bar and Grill (316 W 2nd St. Los Angeles 90012 phone - 213/680-2600, http://theredwoodbar.com http://www.myspace.com/cowboymusictunes ) where we'll be playing with the always amazing David Serby, and winner of LA music awards Best Artist of the Year, Best Vocalist of the Year and Best Rockabilly Album of the Year Karling Abbeygate. Doors open at high noon – we'll be playing at 1:00 PM.

Join us! We know we'll see our SoCal amigos down there. Anyone else up for a road trip down the song-inspiring 5? We'll see you there.

Love,

OK - it's almost Spring. You can hear the birdies singing, and watch the trees and flower buds bursting into bloom. Here's to green and other vernal color in all its glory (insert image of Bambi and Thumper walking in a forest glade).

What better way to celebrate than coming to San Francisco's Rite Spot Cafe (2099 Folsom Street at 17th) this Saturday night March 21st. It's not called the Rite Spot for nothing – good food and drink and lots of music! Come hear Loretta start ( at 9:00 - sadly sans Nathan on skins, but sporting a new song or two and more of those matching frocks) and the unique and talented Octomutt (Ted Savarese and Ashley Adams - http://www.octomutt.com ). And hey – if you didn't get enough green (vernal?) beer and you are insane enough to want more, maybe we'll bring some food coloring for ye.

Love,

As we write, the welcome rain is pouring down. It's almost possible to hear the trees and plants gulping it down. More more more! Speaking of pouring, we want to offer gallons of thanks to all of you who came out to play at Slim's. What fun! A big welcome to all of you new friends.

We are happy to announce that Loretta Lynch has two shows this week – one in Oakland and one in San Francisco. The first show is with the whole band and happens at one of the East Bay's finer venues, The Uptown <http://www.uptownnightclub.com/> , this Thursday, Feb. 12th. It's a benefit for the North Oakland Community Charter School (NOCCS) <http://www.noccs.org/> and first up at 8 pm, there will be a band featuring 4th & 5th graders from the school. Next up, it's Loretta. Some of us in the band are excited to debut our new set of matching skirts (you have to show up to see which band members will be sporting them)! And yeah, we're excited to play music too. After us, Kneel will perform a scorching set of Neil Young songs. Stick around and prepare to be rocked!

What's that you say? Rocking's not your style? Can't stay awake past 9 pm? Well then, you're in luck cause there will be a quieter, gentler show on Sunday, Feb. 15th at the Bazaar Cafe <http://www.bazaarcafe.com/> in San Francisco, starting at 6 pm with the captivating music of Tara Linda <http://www.taralinda.com/> and friends. Linda has a voice like velvet, and her musical style ranges from torch to jazz to cabaret. We are big fans! Next up, all the way from Los Angeles, it's another of our long-time favorite duos - Nellie Bly <http://www.myspace.com/nelliebly> . They don't get up here to play nearly enough, but when they do, it is always worth crossing a bridge or two to catch them. Lastly, it's an all acoustic set by Loretta Lynch, and the whole affair is over by 8:30 pm. And, there's no cover and all ages are welcome, so bring the family!

We'll see you soon,

Love,

This is just another note to remind and persuade you (in only the gentlest of manners) to join us at Slim's (333 11th St San Francisco www.slims-sf.com) this Friday night, January 16th. We've given you a host of reasons, but the biggest is this; it's going to be a fantastic show with three fine bands. In case your eyelids slipped and you missed the last missive, we're honored to be playing with the great 77 El Deora and Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands (many members of legendary Hulabilly band the Shut-Ins) in a venue voted "Best Nightclub in America" by Pollstar in 5 of the last 11 years.

And we'll be giving away prizes. That's right, PRIZES! Recordings the likes of which have never before been heard. Maybe some really good advice, too.

Hey – and here's the link to the profile written up in the Chronicle's Bandwidth:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/14/NSMK156J79.DTL

What more urging could you possibly need? We hope to see you. You know we love you!

Loretta Lynch has landed another big gig – this time headlining at Slim’s

( http://www.slims-sf.com , at 333 11th St, San Francisco )as part of a Jimmy Sweetwater event. Yahoo! The catch – it is for Friday night, January 16th and they want us to pull in 300 people. Yikes! So ... In the interest of promoting good music, We are cordially inviting each and every one of you to join us. Yes, we know it is later than most of us go out these days. Yes, we know we are in a recession. Yes, we know that there are several other great, higher-profile acts playing around the area. BUT – there are many reasons to come to Slims. Here are but a few:

1) Friday, January 16th is officially International Take a Nap After Work Day (thanks for the reminder, Rebecca). Prop up those tired dogs and shut your eyelids for a few nanoseconds – you will be an entirely new person ready for a hot night on the town. At Slims! To see us!

2) There are three local bands on the bill – all fronted by women. How hot is that? With us will be Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands, and 77 El Deora.

3) Shows featuring local bands have a much lower carbon footprint than those with touring acts. Support local music – ease pressure on the planet!

4) Some attendees will receive a special prize – a special gift unlike any other, and available nowhere else.

5) The Chronicle likes us. In a show of good taste, they have chosen to do a special feature Bandwidth interview with us the day before.

6) We will wash your car. Hmmmmn ... OK – We won’t really do this. We are confident in your own cleaning prowess, or that of the rain.

Ok – done with the luring. Come share light, warmth, food, drink and urban country foot-stomping, hollering and crooning as we celebrate the depth of winter Americana-style.

To get advance tickets: http://tickets.slims-sf.com/evinfo.php?eventid=30691&sid= or call Slims at: (415) 255-0333

Hope you all are happy and healthy!

Love,

We are delighted to announce that the Loretta Trio will be singing once again this Thursday evening, December 18th as part of the late Matthew Sperry's project, Treasure Mouth. For those of you not familiar with the exercise, it consists of a page from Matthew's composition notebook which requires a band to follow along to lyrics as fast as they can be written out for them by others — call it improv karaoke. This event's ensemble will be lead by John Shiurba at the Luggage Store Gallery (1007 Market St at 6th St, San Francisco) and will feature lyrics written on the spot by writer and performer Beth Lisick (www.bethlisick. com). The all-star list of musicians includes:

Eli Crews [bass]

Matt Lebofsky [keyboard]

Loretta Lynch [vocals]

Scott Rosenberg [reeds]

Joe Rut [guitar & vocals]

and Alfonso Alvarez [lantern]

Citta di Vitti (the post-jazz trio of Phillip Greenlief, (reeds), John Hanes (drums)

and Lisa Mezzacappa on bass).

Collaborating with local musician and documentary filmmaker Tim Perkis (Noisy People) this group will unite Citta di Vitti compositions with its original inspiration: a mélange of Monica Vitti scenes drawn from the films of Italian modernist Michelangelo Antonioni that Greenlief watched with the sound off. Admission to this show includes pre-Hanukkah latkes to be washed down with pre-Winter Solstice mead and pre-Christmas peppermint sticks. A feast for all the senses! The festivities start at 8:00. $6-$10 sliding

But that is not all. Mark your calendars for Friday, January 16th, when Loretta Lynch will be headlining at Slim's in San Francisco. We'll be playing with the Kentucky bourbon-soaked crooning of Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands and the hardcore twangings and rich vocals of 77 El Deora. It's a rare bird - a truly local show at what Pollstar has rated America's Best Nightclub for five of the past eleven years.

Join us!

Love,

Just a holiday heads up that the ladies of Lynch will be pitching in at the THIS IS CHRISTMAS!!! Food Drive at the Orchard Spotlight (515 Orchard St Santa Rosa, CA) this Friday, Dec 12th. The show is FREE FREE FREE, though it is a food drive for the Redwood Empire Food Bank, so ideally folks coming will bring half a dozen cans of food or more. Most needed are:

* Canned tuna and chicken

* Beans and rice

* Canned soups

* Canned fruits

* Boxed and canned juices

* Peanut butter

* Pasta

* Canned stews

* Canned vegetables

* Breakfast cereal

Monetary donations are happily accepted as well.

The show will begin at 7:30 PM, and is chock full of good acts, including the incomparable Joni Davis (who is organizing the event), Dylan Champagne, Coalmine Spindle, Amber Lee, Dean Davis, Lila vs the Crizzler and more. As well, this is a gorgeous venue, so come if you can, listen to fine music and help feed the hungry.

Love,

Loretta

First of all – HURRAH for OBAMA! As the headlines in an Italian newspaper read: "Welcome Back to the Rest of the World, America!" We here in in LorettaLand (a dimension of California) have been breathing easier and lauding the success of a man who is sane, smart, intellectually curious, and has inspired people across the board. Thanks to the throngs of you who worked so hard registering voters, making calls to swing states and knocking on doors to help make this happen. Here's to the future!

Speaking of, we'd love to have you all come out and lift a glass with us Thursday, November 20th at San Rafael's 4th St Tavern (711 4th St San Rafael 94901 (415) 454-4044). We will be playing promptly at 9:30, and are delighted to be followed by the illustrious cloven-hoofed goodness of The Goat Family (www.goatfamily.com). ObAAAAAAma!

We should also mention that after an almost four year absence, we are now back on MySpace, so please visit our site and be our online pals. The reason for our long absence? We still don't know. We are back, however, so enjoy the site.

http://www.myspace.com/lorettalynch

And hey – the holiday season is upon us once again. We are always happy to play music, and we'd love to play a christmassolsticekwanzaahanukkahnewyearnewworld! party in your home, so let us know if you want us to. We promise not to drink up all the liquor.

Hope to see you in San Rafael to celebrate,

Love,

Just a quick note to let you know that we'll be hooting and hollering this upcoming Tuesday, October 14th at San Francisco’s City Sessions ( http://www.citysessions.com ), held at Club Waziema (543 Divisadero, between Fell and Hayes). We’ll be playing with an all star line up, including the multitalented gals of Yard Sale and velvet-throated Joni Davis. Music that’ll inspire teary eyes, howling cries and baking pies!

And it’s FREE! Did you read that correctly? FREE free FREEEEEEEEE! A perfect price, especially considering the financial mess the world is experiencing.

The show starts at 8 PM sharp, and we’ll be playing last. OH! We must not forget the food element. Club Waziema offers spectacularly delicious Ethiopian fare, so bring your appetites.

Come see us out and about at this fine venue. We miss you.

Love,

First - loud thanks to the huge number of you who frolicked at the recent backyard ballyhoo. We knew we would be blown away by the fine music (a coupla Vultures, High Diving Horses and the inimitable Joe Rut), but we have rarely seen such a spread of fresh and gourmet summer foods. Thank heavens for the music –it helped to divert our attention from the heaving tables.

We are gearing up for a busy fall, starting with the annual Webster Street Jam in Alameda this upcoming Sunday, September 14th. Loretta will take the Central stage (Webster St and Central) at 2:00 sharp. More info about the festival, including the other fine acts and activities at: www.westalamedabusiness.com.

We'll be playing some private parties here and in the North bay the weeks following – speaking of which – please keep in mind that we are available for these kinds of events. Loretta will happily croon in your ballroom (OK - or backyard, living room or barn), so feel free to contact us at info@lorettalynch.com if you have any such schemes. The holidays are coming up, and we do love to play!

On October 14th, we are looking forward to playing City Sessions in SF, and the 35th anniversary of the Starry Plough in early November, but we'll fill you in about these in a later holler.

See you soon!

Love,

We'd like to invite your fine selves to an auspicious and delicious August Oakland afternoon potluck backyard house concert (whew) Saturday, August 16th at Heather and Julian and Lily's*. Joining Loretta will be the innovative and ultra-talented Joe Rut (www.joerut.com – will he be accompanied by the wheel?) and those masters of musical showmanship and equine water acrobatics High Diving Horses ( http://www.highdivinghorses.com ). And hey - it's early with a 4:00 start - leaving time for the more rambunctious among us to plan more fun for the night.

Loretta's been busy this summer simmering some new songs, stirring up old ones, and sautéing the ones in between. We're ready to serve `em up so we hope you'll let us share. Speaking of sharing, it'd be great if you'd bring a dish or something to quaff for others to sample.

Food! Drink! Song! Play!

See you soon,

Loretta

Whew! We've been busy busy busy, and it isn't stopping anytime soon. This Saturday, June 7th will find the ladies of Lynch crooning as part of SperryFest at the Museum of Children's Art in Oakland (538 Ninth Street between Washington & Clay (http://www.mocha.org/ and http://sanfrancisco.parentzone.com/eventinfo.asp?id=266226). We'll be embarking on our improvisational karaoke experience - based on Matthew Sperry's composition Treasure Mouth. Join us for the fun. For those of you who are not familiar with Matthew Sperry and his memorial activities, please visit http://matthewsperry.org/. You'll be moved and inspired.

Then it's onto the airwaves Saturday, June 14th as part of infamous KPIG's Citysty Ham Jam - 1510 AM in San Francisco. The Jam starts at 1:00 PM - we are honored to be playing with the talented I See Hawks in LA. Tune in!!!

Loretta will be playing up in the wine country over the Summer Solstice (and likely sampling some fruit of the vine) - then it's back to San Francisco Saturday, June 28th for a gig at the Hemlock Tavern (http://www.hemlocktavern.com/) with that least subdued of dudes (and founding LL member) Joe Rut (www.joerut.com) and purveyors of only the finest hokum The Vultures (www.myspace.com/vaultiers).

And it doesn't stop there! In July, Loretta is pleased as punch to be part of the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp ( http://www.bayareagirlsrockcamp.org/). More to come.

Hope to see you!

love,

Hurrah for Spring! Hurrah for that last gig at the Great American Music Hall, which was the height of fun! Thanks to all of you who helped make it such a successful Saturday night.

Just a heads up that Loretta Lynch will be playing that most intimate of intimate venues (with damn fine food, beer and wine) the Bazaar Café (5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenue San Francisco - www.bazaarcafe.com ) this upcoming Sunday, April 20th with none other than that elusive and black-garbed barbed-tongued trucking band the Widows as part of Val Esway's Soup and Song series. It's an early show (but don't worry, night owls – we have a really late one coming up soon), starting promptly at 6:00. Yes – it is all ages, and best of all, it's FREE! What a deal. Bring your wallet and your appetite, though, because there is plenty of delicious food and drink to be had.

Hope to see your lovely mugs there.

Abrazos,

To get your tickets early (and we'd love it if you did – it makes us look real good) go to: http://www.gamh.com/tickets/ or call 1-800-225-2277. Dinner tickets (this covers your gourmet meal and a reserved seat at a table for the night) are available as well.

We'll see you there – and we promise a great show!

Love,

It is our pleasure to announce once again that Loretta Lynch will be gracing the stage at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall (59 O'Farrell Street - http://www.musichallsf.com ) Saturday, March 15th. We are honored to be playing this historic, fancy pants venue, and delighted to be sharing the evening with both Devine's Jug Band ( http://www.myspace.com/devinesjugband ) and foot stompin' tear-down act The Stairwell Sisters (http://www.stairwellsisters.com/). The evening is presented by veteran troubadour Jimmy Sweetwater ( http://www.jimsweetwater.com/ ), who, after reveling in the local music scene for a couple of decades sees value in finding ways to mine, meld and display the rich and varied musical acts performing around the Bay. Doors open at 8:00, Devine's Jug Band will begin the evening at 9:00, Loretta will offer up a juicy set followed by the Stairwell Sisters rounding out the evening in their inimitable style.

Tickets can be purchased in advance (and we'd love it if they were – it makes us look real good) at: http://www.gamh.com/tickets/ or by calling 1-800-225-2277. Dinner tickets (this covers your gourmet meal and a reserved seat at a table for the night) are available as well. (A sample dinner menu can be viewed here: http://www.gamh.com/info/dinner%20ticket%20menu.html )

To boot, a smaller subset of LL will be hooting an' hollering live on the air on KALX radio Friday night, February 29th (yes – it's leap year!) sometime after 9:00 with DJ Tumbleweed. 90.7 on your FM dial. Rumor has it there'll be an evening appearance on KPFA in early March – we'll keep you posted.

So mark those calendars (that you've undoubtedly purchased since our last missive) in red, permanent sharpie, dig out your stompiest boots, swab out your ears, listen to the radio and spend a little of that upcoming tax rebate on an evening with Loretta and more at the Great American!

Love,

Loretta

Just a reminder that Loretta Lynch will be playing at the Bazaar Café in San Francisco (5927 California St. between 21st and 22nd Avenues - http://www.bazaarcafe.com) Sunday, January 20th (that's tomorrow night for all you folks who have waited a little too long to get those discount 2008 calendars) with the equally incomparable Nellie Bly and High Diving Horses. The show begins promptly at 6:00 PM, and Loretta will be kicking it off, so come early to get a seat. This intimate venue is really a treat, so treat yourselves.

Speaking of treats - we are delighted to announce that Loretta Lynch will be performing at the Great American Music Hall Saturday, March 15th, with SF's own Stairwell Sisters and the Devine Jug Band. Hunt down those discount calendars (I know Pegasus and Pendragon bookstores have 'em) and mark them!

Love,

Despite the fact that every New Year is the direct descendent of a long line of criminals, we wish you a good one. And now that you have made those New Year's resolutions, we offer you a chance to begin paving the road to hell with them Sunday, January 20th at San Francisco's Bazaar Café (5927 California St. between 21st and 22nd Avenues - http://www.bazaarcafe.com/ ).

It's another – you guessed it – early show with Loretta, starting at 6:00 PM. Joining us will be LA's Nellie Bly, offering their "peculiar blend of creepy and elegant kittle". If you have not seen this duo, you must. If you have seen them previously, we need say no more as we know you will be joining us. The same can be said of High Diving Horses who will charm and mercilessly tickle every bone in your holiday-ravaged body.

The Bazaar Café is kid-friendly, but rest assured that there will be plenty of opportunity to exercise those vices, as the beer and wine will flow much more copiously than the apple juice. And come with an appetite – the food is wonderful, and ranges from delicately seasoned Japanese rice soups (try the one with ginger and smoked salmon, a fave) to pies a la mode. Eat a whole pie! We dare you.

See you there,

Love,

Huge thanks to those of you came out to the Old Western Saloon in Pt. Reyes Station last weekend - and what a treat to play with David Serby and his band. We hope to make that happen again real soon.

Just a heads up that Loretta will be playing early next Thursday night November 15th with the disturbingly enchanting Faun Fables (http://www.faunfables.net) and Venezuelan Yva Las Vegass (http://cdbaby.com/cd/yvalasvegass).

To set the mood, we will be hauling out some of our own more unsettling material - including some new songs - but don't worry too much 'cause we'll be sure to accompany this with some boot stomping (murderously) sweet fare. Keeping the drumbeat will be not-of-this-earth Nathan Moy.

It's a rare local appearance for Faun Fables, so don't miss it. We're playing first, so don't miss us! Come extra early and grab a scrumptious snack before the kitch en closes and the musical feast begins. 9:00.

love,

What next? Why not a trip to lovely Point Reyes? Stop off in Nicasio for a half price pumpkin or two. We're doing it.

Loretta will be performing this Friday night November 2nd at the Old Western Saloon in Pt Reyes Station (http://www.myspace.com/oldwesternsaloon) with talented twanger David Serby and his band. Joining us on the drums will be the gorgeous and dynamic Ingrid Wynden (Lariats of Fire). We'll kick off the evening's entertainment at 9:00.

Hope to see your fine selves there.

Con amor,

Loretta

Once again it's that time of year - time to hold to the moonlight all that makes us miserable, despairing and ... murderous.

Sharpen your teeth and claws, dredge up your worst grudges, hone that dark side (we all possess one - let's honor it) and what the hey - add a few drops of alcohol to the mix as you get whipped up into a frenzy by the short and sweet sounds of Junior Showmanship, The Daisy Pushers (aka our own Val Esway and Joni Davis), The Hollyhocks, Peculiar Pretzelmen, Bob Harp, Joe Rut, Ash Reiter, Happy Clams, 5-Cent Coffee, Harlan Hollander, and Geoff Pond. MC-ing and spinning her intricate tales will be arachnid lover The Spider Ridden Woman (aka Sue Hutchinson).

And of course, there will be Loretta. We'll be spewing songs about trains and blood and guts and weary souls and vengeance, and joined by the talented Ingrid Wynden (Lariats of Fire) on the skins.

Where? The Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley)

When? This Saturday night October 27th, 9:30 sharp

Come costumed, and come for dinner.

Love,

Loretta

Just a nudge for yer memory buckets - Loretta will be playing this Saturday night September 8th at the Hotel Utah (500 4th Street in San Francisco) with the delicious Apple Pie Hopes (http://www.myspace.com/applepiehopes) and that uke-slinging gal Uni and her Ukulele (http://www.unicornbread.com/Unicornbread/Home.html) For a preview of this talented lady you MUST visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOU4ip3PKzo&mode=related&search=

for the waterfall/rollerskate version of Mahalo Maui Rose, complete with happy Muppet back-up singers. We'll be playing the second slot, and celebrating our return to the Utah with a bunch of brand new songs, as well as digging up some older favorites. The show starts at 9 PM sharp.

We are also delighted to be playing on the Mill Valley Arts Festival (http://www.mvfaf.org/) at Old Mill Park in Mil l Valley on the 15th of September - we'll be at the main stage, playing at 2:30. This is a fine 2-day event, where you'll have the opportunity to meet some 150 talented artists exhibiting their work, in addition to enjoying good grub and top-notch entertainment (rumor has it that Yard Sale and Buxter Hoot'n are part of the conspiracy). Reprobates both big and small are welcome. We love the North Bay!

And we'll see you soon.

Love,

Hope you're all enjoying the blazing summer heat, and drinking lots of frosty beer to keep yourselves cool. Soon it'll be time to knock back a few beers with Loretta Lynch at one of our favorite watering holes. We hope you'll join us on Saturday September 8th at the Hotel Utah Saloon for a set of dark and delicious three-part harmony, featuring both fresh new songs and well-seasoned older songs. Joining us will be the inimitable Nathan Moy on drums.

We're particularly pleased to belting out harmonies once again on the sweet stage at the Hotel Utah, for that is where we had our first show more than five years ago, and we're delighted to still be stirring up trouble together after all these years. And, we're looking forward to playing together for at least another fifty years, long after we've

forgotten our own names.

We'll be sharing the bill with the de lightful Apple Pie Hopes. You've just gotta love a band who counts among their influences "...Elvis, Our Mamas, and the Lord, Jesus Christ (A little liquor never hurt now and again neither)...". Yes, we love them already.

But wait, there's more! There's Uni and her Ukulele! She sings, and she slings a ukulele, and she's sweet and lovely too!

Yes, we are delighted to be sandwiched in between these two fine acts, and we shall be even more delighted to sing to your smiling faces. Uni and her Ukulele, Loretta Lynch, and Apple Pie Hopes play the Hotel Utah on Saturday, Sept. 8th, at 9 pm. $6 cover, 21 + over. Hotel Utah is at 500 4th Street in San Francisco.

And even more! We are also pleased as punch to be playing on the Mill Valley Arts Festival (http://www.mvfaf.org/) at Old Mill Park in Mil l Valley on the 15th of September - we'll be at the main stage, playing at 2:30. This is a fine 2-day event, where you'll have the opportunity to meet some 150 talented artists exhibiting their work, in addition to enjoying good grub and top-notch entertainment (rumor has it that Yard Sale and Buxter Hoot'n are part of the conspiracy). Reprobates both big and small are welcome. We love the North Bay!

love,

Just a reminder that Loretta will be plucking and hollerin' at the Elbo Room (647 Valencia St., San Francisco - www.elbo.com) this upcoming Wednesday night, August 22nd. We'll be playing with the fabulous Mia and Jonah (http://www.miaandjonah.com/ ), as well as the Fireball Mailmen (they are red-hot, and have such tight links to the postal service they don't need a website). The show starts at 9 – we'll be playing in the middle.

Also - in case there's any doubt about British good taste - "Concrete and Ether" has gotten a rave review from Americana UK. Check it out at:

http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=3043

It's still summer - come out and play!

Love,

Hard to believe that summer is flying by the way it is. But it is, so get your tails in gear and have some summer fun.

Some opportunities to play coming up:

First - you will not want to miss Loretta Lynch at the Elbo Room (647 Valencia St., San Francisco www.elbo.com) Wednesday, August 22nd with Mia and Jonah (http://www.miaandjonah.com/ ) and the Fireball Mailmen. Loretta is lucky to be joined at this one by the talented John Hanes, who is all over our new cd. (For those of you with Suspicious Minds – Señor “Not of this Earth” Nathan Moy will definitely be back. We won’t let him go, either!)

Secondly - We will be playing the Hotel Utah on September 8th with Apple Pie Hopes (http://www.myspace.com/applepiehopes ) and Uni and her Ukelele - taking that middle section once again.

We'll also be playing the Mill Valley Arts Festival on the 15th of September. We love the North Bay. Sadly, however, rumor has it that after providing 30 years of fine entertainment, the Sweetwater Saloon is in danger of closing, and to add insult to injury the Sweetwater folks have been given 30 days to vacate. Please check out the website and sign the petition to show support. It’s a Bay Area jewel. http://savethesweetwater.com/ <http://savethesweetwater.com/>

On a happier note, thanks to the scores of you who have helped make Loretta Lynch so popular on KALX - we've hit the top o' the Americana charts for July! We're number one - woo hoo! And number 11 for July overall.

We’ll see you soon!

Love,

All of you who missed the unforgettable SF CD release last month at the Du Nord have another chance! Loretta Lynch will be playing this Saturday night, July 21st at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley www.starryploughpub.com) with the Peculiar Pretzelmen (www.myspace.com/pretzelmen) and Buxter Hoot'n (www.myspace.com/buxterhootn).

We'll be taking the middle slot starting at 10:30, but even those of you who normally like to be tucked into beddie-by with a glass of warm milk by 8:00 will want to don your lampshades and stay up late for Buxter Hoot'n. We, too, are big fans of the pillow, but even bigger fans of the Pretzelmen and Buxter Hoot’n! We promise a great show with a new song or 2 and fine beverages provided by the Starry Plough bar staff. We will be joined on drums by the incomparable Nathan Moy, who has provided the inspiration behind some of our new music.

Also – Dan Jewett of Oakland Magazine has put together a site Local Sounds http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media/Oakland-Magazine/Local-Sounds/. These are bands who have been featured in Oakland Magazine. Worth checking out, ‘cuz obviously this editor has taste!

And don’t forget – you can always pick up a copy of “Concrete and Ether” at Amoeba Records in Berkeley.

Love,

Come join us in the North Bay for the KRSH Back Yard BBQ this Thursday, June 21! The event starts at 5:30, and we'll play at 6:00 sharp followed by Chris Webster.

The BBQ will be held at the Station House (3565 Standish Ave. Santa Rosa, CA 94507), and more info can be had at http://www.krsh.com/backyard.html

See you there,

Love,

In addition to the adoption of the US flag, here are some truly momentous events that have occurred on June 14th:

1789 - Whiskey distilled from maize is first produced by American clergyman Rev Elijah Craig.

1872 - Trade unions are legalized in Canada

1907 - Norway adopts female suffrage

1928 - Birth of Che Guevara (you know – the guy on that trendy shirt worn by so many who have no idea whose face it is they're sporting)

1961 – Birth of Boy George (Ok, ok ...)

And to be ...

2007 – CD Release of Loretta Lynch's "Concrete and Ether"!

We'll be waving our own flag for the release of "Concrete and Ether", our third and most demanding baby, at the fabulous Café Du Nord (2170 Market St San Francisco, CA www.cafedunord.com ) next Thursday (yes - that would be June 14th). It's been a long gestation period, and we would love to lift our voices - and a glass or three - with all of you for this one, so please mark your calendars with big fat sharpies. Red ones.

Playing with us will be yodeling cowboy Toshio Hirano (http://www.toshiohirano.com) and the Melee Brothers - with Rob Garner, Bone Cootes, Todd Swenson, Jamie Leece, Charlie Owen, & Alyson Page. This is all part of local troubadour Jimmy Sweetwater's Showcase Special (www.jimsweetwater.com). If we're lucky he'll sit in on a song or 2! The bar is smooth and delicious, as are the drinks that emerge from behind it. Doors open at 8 PM and the show starts at 9 PM.

As an appetizer, folks far and wide can catch us live on KALX Radio 90.7 FM on Tuesday, June 12th at 10 PM, and those in the North Bay can catch us live in Santa Rosa at the KRSH Back Yard BBQ the following week on Thursday, June 21st.

Also - Oakland Magazine likes us so much they have kept us on their front page for June, where LL is the featured local musical act once again at: http://www.oaklandmagazine.com

We do want to christen our new offspring in style and pack the place with all our friends, fans, fiends and family, so come do join us!

To imitate the recent style of our esteemed colleague Joe Rut - June 14th! June 14th! June 14th!

Lots of love,

You may have heard us mention once or twice that we've been working on a brand new CD - well the time is almost here to give it a proper welcome into the world, and we're going to need your help!

So please do mark your calendars and plan to join us on Thursday, June 14th at the Cafe du Nord to celebrate our newest baby - otherwise known as Concrete and Ether.

This fabulous night of music is part of a Jimmy Sweetwater Showcase Special ( http://www.jimsweetwater.com/ ).

We have the honor of playing with darkgrass, yodeling-cowboy singer Toshio Hirano ( http://www.toshiohirano.com ) and the Melee Brothers - seasoned bassist Rob Garner, moody carnivalian barker/guitarist Bone Cootes, Bruce Gordon and Jamie Leece on drums.

Folks far and wide can catch us live on KALX radio 90.7 fm on Tuesday, June 12th, and folks in the North Bay can catch us live in Santa Rosa at the KRSH back yard BBQ on Thursday, June 21st.

Lastly, wander on over to Oakland Magazine, where LL is the featured local musical act this month: http://www.oaklandmagazine.com

Just a reminder that Loretta will be playing in the North Bay this Saturday, May 12th at the Black Cat Bar (10056 Main St, Penngrove, CA, 707.793.9480) with Conception Vessel One (aka Artemis, aka Cello Biafra of the Lemon Lime Lights). The show starts at 9:30 PM, and it's free, which means you can drink more beer. Leave the tots at home, however much they like to drink because it's 21 and over. We have the pleasure of playing this one with drummer extraordinaire Nathan Moy. The man is ultra talented, and has 3 year old twins to add to the fray. We are delighted to be playing with him, and ultimately hope that in time all our kids will be hauling gear for us.

In more news, Loretta Lynch is featured on the front/home page of the Oakland Magazine site. Take a gander at:

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com

And some video footage of the ladies of Lynch singing at the Val Esway and El Mirage CD release at the Hotel Utah, courtesy of our wonderful friends Neo and Davis at Ear Candle Productions:

http://www.earcandleproductions.com/Birds1.mov - if this doesn't work, stay tuned! The site is under construction.

And of course – save the date for our cd release! We'll be playing Thursday, June 14th at San Francisco's acclaimed Café Du Nord as part of a Jimmy Sweetwater Showcase Special ( http://www.jimsweetwater.com/ ). We have the honor of playing with darkgrass, yodeling-cowboy singer Toshio Hirano ( http://www.toshiohirano.com ) and the Melee Brothers - seasoned bassist Rob Garner, moody carnivalian barker/guitarist Bone Cootes and keyboard player Austin Delone (Commander Cody, Nick Lowe).

Headed back to the North Bay later in June for a KRSH radio back yard BBQ ... more about that in due time.

We'll see you very soon!

Love,

Loretta

__._,_.___

We are delighted to announce that after a long gestation period (prefaced by some good hot studio time), Loretta Lynch’s third baby "Concrete and Ether" is ready for distribution! We are doubly happy to report that we will be toasting this new record with a release party Thursday, June 14th at San Francisco's acclaimed Café du Nord as part of a Jimmy Sweetwater Showcase Special ( http://www.jimsweetwater.com/ ). We have the honor of playing with darkgrass, yodeling-cowboy singer Toshio Hirano ( http://www.toshiohirano.com ) and the Melee Brothers - seasoned bassist Rob Garner, moody carnivalian barker/guitarist Bone Cootes and keyboard player Austin Delone (Commander Cody, Nick Lowe). SAVE THE DATE! We want to pack the place with peeps, and we know we can.

BUT FIRST ... Join us in the North Bay Saturday, May 12th at the North Bay’s bohemian Black Cat Bar (10056 Main St, Penngrove, CA, 707.793.9480) for an evening shared with Conception Vessel One ( http://www.conceptionvesselone.com ). CV1 is solo vocal/cello performance by Lemon Lime Lights singer, cellist, tap dancer extraordinaire. Yo Ma-Ma! Not to be missed.

See you all soon!

Love,

The Ides of March are once again upon us ...

Just a reminder that Loretta will be playing an early, all-acoustic set at SF's infamous Bazaar Café (5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues) this Friday night, March 16th with Danny Allen's High Diving Horses (www.dannyallenmusic.com).

A special prize to the first person who can tell us the origin of the Ides (and pointedly of March) during our set at the Bazaar. We promise there won't be any reenactment, unless one of you has been particularly bad.

FYI, the Bazaar Café has delicious food as well as thirst-quenching beer and delectable wine, so bring your appetite! Bring the kids, too as it’s an early show - the music should start at 7:00 PM. Hooray!

Love,

Loretta

Nice to see the throngs out at Val and El Mirage's CD release the other week – an unforgettable night. The wind did blow, the whiskey did flow and what a show! Looks like there are many more to come.

The Widows are Back in that dark color once again - this time mourning not only their dead trucker husbands but the imminent move of Widder Camille (Pick'n Trix, The Wenches) to Austin, TX. We are gonna raise funds to help Camille’s lovely butt get there, howl at the moon and celebrate with another lively wake and fluid-filled farewell this Friday, March 9th at the Koi Pond. The show starts early with Dandeline (our own Dan Olmsted and the talented Sheila Schat) at 8:30 PM sharp, and in addition to the wild (if weepy) Widows features Sean Corkery and ... a rare Ramona the Pest reunion! For the address and/or directions to the East Bay's Koi Pond speakeasy or more information, you can email: staggeringsiren@gmail.com .

As if that weren’t enough, Loretta Lynch will be playing an early all-acoustic show in San Francisco the following Friday, March 16th at the Bazaar Café (5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues) opening for the High Diving Horses

(http://www.dannyallenmusic.com/. Stay tuned for more details.

Spring is in the air!

Loretta Lynch will be making some early appearances this month, on the East and West sides of the Bay. We want to be as accommodating as possible. Because that's the kind of band we are.

We have the pleasure of playing Annie's Social Club (917 Folsom St. @ 5th. St., San Francisco - formerly the Covered Wagon – www.anniessocialclub.com ) this upcoming Sunday, January 14th. It's a double treat to be playing for ASC's 1st Anniversary, with SF's own the Whoreshoes and Indierockers the Pinks. This will be an early show – starting at 5:00 PM, so come for those much-needed, start-of-the-brand-new-year cocktails and be home to tuck yourselves in bed at an hour graceful enough to start making Santa think you're good.

Following this will be a show Saturday, January 20th at the Epic Arts Tea Room (1923 Ashby Ave, Berkeley - www.epicarts.org). We'll be starting (you guessed it) - early – at 8:30 PM sharp for a short set followed by Holler Town, aka the Donny and Marie of the Bay. Intrigued? Indeed – they are a fine duo with years logged in other well-known musical outfits, like the Real Sippin' Whiskeys, Firecracker and the Twisted Stitches. Then, if you all misbehave enough, Loretta will serenade you with some more old and new songs and gently usher you out the door to complete the rest of your Saturday night crimes.

We'd love to see your smiling faces and wish you a happy New Year in person, so come on down.

Love,

Season's Greetings to the lot of you, and congrats to Val Esway and El Mirage for the release of "Pretend to Believe". Make sure to mark your calendars for February 24th, when Val and El Mirage will officially celebrate this recording with a show at the Hotel Utah. Rumor has it that there will be many special guests, to boot*, including the great Joe Rut (formerly with Loretta Lynch), The Shut Ins, Jason Kleinburg and 20 Minute Loop. Star studded. Don't miss it!

In the meantime, there are plenty of reasons to come to North Berkeley this Saturday, Dec 16th in the afternoon. You can sample some fresh hot cheese bread at the Cheese Board, have a martini at Cesar's, run around with your pants on fire getting last minute gifts (or frown reproachfully at those who are) and ... get a free earful of Loretta Lynch hollering. All on the same block! Loretta will be playing outside from 2 - 4 PM either in front of the Cheese Board or across the street in front of the Post Office (1521 Shattuck) depending on our whim. Any way you look at it, Shattuck between Cedar and Vine is the place to be Saturday afternoon.

And keep those raw ears peeled, ‘cause Loretta will be announcing our own cd release. Soon soon soon.

Love and Peace,

Loretta

… Especially for those of us who are celebrating the marked blows to the neo-con agenda. Hurrah!

Nice to see many of you at the Murder Ballads show on the 28th. We have been hunkering down and working on finishing touches to the cd, as well as playing a few (really great!) private parties; it was a treat to get on the Starry Plough stage 'cause we shared it with so many uniquely talented acts and got to sing a truly creepy new song.

Loretta will be playing the Riptide Bar and Tavern (3639 Taraval at 47th, San Francisco http://www.riptidesf.com/) on Saturday the 18th of this month. Dubbed "San Francisco's Tahoe by the Sea", the Riptide offers rustic brick floors and high ceilings and a roaring fireplace in addition to what some consider to be the best bar staff in town. And definitely the best music.

As if all that weren't incentive enough, we will be playing with the fabulous ladies of Yard Sale. Music to bake pies by - or drink lots of beer and stomp your feet. Music begins at 9:30.

See you there!

Hola amigos y amigas mysteriosos -

Loretta Lynch will be opening this Saturday night, September 9th at the Pyramid Brewery and Epic Art's Outdoor Cinema Series (http://epicarts.org/cinema/) for Alfred Hitchcock's film Notorious. Come listen to the señoras y señor of Loretta, then sample sumptuous scenes with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant as they sizzle the screen. As if they weren't enough, the great Claude Rains sure ain't invisible in this one.

Audience members are requested to bring their own outdoor seating, so out with the lawnchairs, throws, Astroturf, pink flamingos and houseplants. Hell! Recreate your living room if you like. We dare you. In fact – the most elaborate and lovely seating area will receive from us a one-of-a-kind vintage Loretta Lynch shirt or apron.

The Pyramid Brewery is located at: 901 Gilman Street in Berkeley (at 8th and Gilman, phone: 510/528-9880 ). Doors will open at 7:00 PM, music starts at 7:30, and the film begins at 8:30. Pyramid beers and Thomas Kemper root beer on tap and a full menu available all night. $5 suggested donation and beer sales help benefit Epic Arts' ongoing community arts programming. No one turned away for lack of funds.

We'll see you there!

Love,

Loretta

Hope your summers have been fine as frog's hair - ours have been fast and furious! We have been busy in the studio mixing with the talented Wally McClellan of the Wally Sound (http://www.wallysound.com/) as well as adding background vocals to the Underground Americana of Jesse Denatale ( http://www.jessedenatale.com/ ). Thanks to those of you who came to see the ladies of Lynch at the Great American Music Hall for Jesse's CD release.

We are happy to announce that Val, Heather and the rest of the Widows are Back in Black this Wednesday (does anyone still call it hump day?) night at Ashkenaz (1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley showline: 510/525-5054) playing with the impish Pickin Trix and Northern Cal Porch band Stiff Dead Cat. Those who haven’t been to Ashkenaz in a while will be pleased. The sound system is fantastic, and food and drink are plentiful. Come eat some fine organic grub, swill organic beer and Get your Truck on! Doors at 8:30 pm; Show at 9:00 pm.

Also, don’t miss Ari lending her siren sounds to Faun Fables this Friday August 18th at 12 Galaxies (2565 Mission, San Francisco 415-970-9777) along with Loop Station and Baby Dee ... Show at 9 pm.

And mark your calendars now! Loretta Lynch will be back in full swing starting September 9th at the Pyramid Brewery and Epic Art’s Outdoor Cinema Series (http://epicarts.org/cinema/ ). We’ll be playing a healthy set before the screening of Hitchcock’s classic “Notorious”. Audience members are requested to bring their own seating, so out with the lawn chairs, ping flamingos and house plants. Hell! Recreate your living room if you like. We’d like. More details to come.

We’ll see you soon!

Love,

So glad to see all of you who came out to SF’s infamous House of Shields ... What a treat. Nice to be able to pop over the road to the Palace Hotel and check out that fine Maxfield Parrish mural as well.

You Eastbaynians will be happy to hear that Loretta Lynch will be playing the right-hand side of the puddle once again at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley) Friday night June 9th. The event is an ALL AGES and EARLY one (starting at 7:30), the wee ones are welcome till 10:00 and, sponsored by Rockermoms Against Childhood Diseases will be both a round-up of bands whose members include at least one Mama and a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and St. Jude Hospital for Children.

Joining Loretta will be: RIP Johnny, In Therapy, Tiffany Petrossi and Jennafer Clingingsmith - Loretta will play at 9:00 and may expel a new song or two. There will be a raffle with prizes, to boot! For more info about this event and Rockermoms Against Childhood Diseases, visit:

www.rockermomsacd.com

As far as we know, the full-body post-partum epidural is as of yet unavailable, so a bit of the brew will have to suffice. Come on down, tap your toes and drink beer with the kiddies, for the kiddies.

Love,

Greetings to the lot of you! Glad so many of you were able to join us for the glitzy soirée and Dollybird's Candy Lounge. Thanks again to the lovely Emma for hosting us - and for providing such fine wine and fancy décor.

For those of you who prefer the beer-swillin' bar scene with your Lynch music – an opportunity is yours! Loretta will be playing Saturday, April 29th at one of San Francisco's oldest bars - the House of Shields (39 New Montgomery St. San Francisco - www.houseofshields.com). Opened in 1908, the only changes that have occurred since are that they've added barstools and stopped scattering sawdust on the floor. And, of course, that they are hosting such degenerate bands as ourselves - perhaps we'll convince them that scattering sawdust again would be a good idea.

You’ll be hearing some new songs scattered in amongst the old – guaranteed to be both whiskey-soaked and maybe even a little raunchy ...

Sharing the bill will be sultry vocalist Datri Bean (www.datribean.com), as well as country duo Pelusa (www.pelusaband.com), both touring from Seattle.

Come on down, stomp your feet and demand the sawdust!

Love,

Loretta

PS – Val Esway and El Mirage will be playing the Amnesia Bar (853 Valencia, between 19th and 20th) Thursday, April 27th. All you who need a fix of some trucking tunes – don’t despair! The Widows are making one of their rare appearances that night, too, as well as Bermuda Triangle Service. An opportunity to see Val and Heather grieving and wailing – and likely drowning their sorrows, to boot.

You ... Yes, YOU are cordially invited to bring your lovely selves to:

An intimate gathering and performance with Loretta Lynch at the incomparably groovy and irreverent Dollybird Store and Gallery (2522 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley (510) 540 7255) Friday, March 31st at 7:30 PM.

For those of you not in the know, Dollybird is the ultrahip brainchild of photographer and glamour queen Emma. Looking for that Sex Pistols onesie for your friend's brand new little reprobate? A squid-shaped wire whisk? Or do you just need healthy (and sumptuous) dose of hot pink and glitter? Hello! Dollybird is the the place for all thesemostly handcrafted goodies and more ... A stylistic match for Loretta, to boot. Fancy dresses and fishnets may just be in order for the gals.

Emma has graciously offered her upstairs gallery space to host this special show in support of our in-progress CD, and if we are lucky, she may have on display an exhibit of exquisite photos from Brazil (frames designed and built by our own Joe Rut!) A $10 donation is suggested.

SPACE IS VERY LIMITED, making this event necessarily exclusive. PLEASE RSVP to info@Lorettalynching.com ASAP to let us know you are coming (and also if something comes up so we can make the space available to others).

Sooo - Don that gold lamé. Drape yourselves in feathers and finery, and celebrate with us.

See you there!

Love,

Loretta

PS - Wine and cheese will be available.

PPS - A prize will be awarded for the most glamorous outfit, so don't

Please join us on Friday, March 17 at Epic Arts Teahouse (1923 Ashby in Berkeley, across the street from the Ashby BART).

Here are just a few reasons why you should come to the show:

1. What we lack in eloquence and wit, we're sure to make up for with good old fashioned entertainment and perhaps a bit of charm.

2. Also on the bill, all the way from Canada, is the multi-talented Bob Wiseman. Talk about entertainment - just take a visit to Bob's site to get a little peak. http://www.bobwiseman.ca

3. We are truly excited to be sharing the stage w/ Bob, as well a special guest - siren Lea Abramson: http://www.leahabramson.com/

4. Val is now joyfully reunited with her bass!

5. It's St. Patrick's Day, and in the world of Loretta Lynch, that means...WHISKEY!

7. You should come to the show cause it's a lot more fun playing in front of a real live audience!

8. And lastly, if you DON'T come to the show, you will miss out on possibly being the audience member selected to be our very special guest "stick whacker". Ahem. As in, whacking the wooden spoon against the mic stand in a rhythmic fashion. We NEED you! Do it for the music, man.

Till we meet again, may the world be kind to you.

Love,

Much is brewing for the spring - more news will be coming, so keep your ears to the ground and your beer mugs raised.

In the meantime, come on down to the Stork Club (2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland) this Friday night January 27th for the reunion of that all gal trucking band The Widows! Their late husbands were all truck drivers, tragically killed on the road. What's a widder to do but form a band!! Coming out of mourning for their first reunion in nearly two years, these six women have been wed to a wide variety of bay area groups, including of course Loretta Lynch, Ramona the Pest, Yard Sale, Pickin' Trix, the Cat Heads, The Hanes Family, Bermuda Triangle Service, and more. No more double nickeling with the better half for them... it's triple digit ride all the way!

http://www.storkcluboakland.com/Flyers/2006/SE_3%20faces%20of%20Evil.html

They will be taking the middle slot to support Canadian Carolyn Mark's Three Faces of Evil cabaret tour. Also on this bill are Pink Sabbath. These gals do 'dulcet originals and painstakingly-chosen covers from throwback sex machines like Billy Idol, Jon Bon Jovi, Ozzy, Steve Perry, Billy Squire, etc ...

Friday, 1/27

Stork Club

2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

Carolyn Mark/Amy Honey/Lily Fawn

The Widows

Pink Sabbath

See you there!

Love,

Those of you who haven't recovered from your New Year's Eve hangovers are in luck. Despite it being Friday the 13th, your first chance of the year for some hair of the dog with Loretta is finally here - at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck, Berkeley) with the Pickin Trix and the Meat Purveyors. Loretta will be playing second slot, but don't miss those Pickin Trix! We've been busy as alley cats in a fish market picking and yowling in the recording studio, so we promise we'll play some of those songs we've been tearing up particularly well, and we'll have the multitalented Dan O and Kathy McVey joining us, so come on down and park your boots. That's January 13th, for those of you who remain truly groggy.

Speaking of parking ... That good ol' gal trucking supergroup the Widows will be donning their black veils and mourning publicly once again at the Stork Club Friday, January 27th. These widows have been wed to a wide variety of bay area bands, including Ramona the Pest, Yard Sale, Loretta Lynch, Pickin' Trix, the Hanes Family, the Bedlam Rovers and more. Come for your gear-jammin' double-clutchin' pill-poppin' music fix!

We'll see you there!

Love,

Loretta

p.s. don't forget to check out www.myspace.com/lorettalynch to hear some unreleased a capella tracks - be our friend!

Well the album is not exactly born yet, but we are in the birthing process!

We just spent the last two days laying down basic tracks for our forthcoming newest baby...of the recorded variety that is... and we are off to a tasty start.

We're laying low for awhile as far as shows go, but do mark your calendars for our next show on Friday January 13 at the Starry Plough w/ our pals the Pickin' Trix and Bloodshot recording artists the Meat Purveyors.

That's it for now; hope everybody is well, and do drop us a line any old time!

xoxo

First of all, thanks to the scores of you who came out to Valapalooza (thanks, Michael) in August – it was a smashing success, and what an incredible opportunity to see so many talented bands. To boot, it was the social debut for Lily, the littlest cowgirl of the bunch.

Soooooo … Fall is here, leaves are twinkling down (at least as much as they do here in the Bay Area — rumor has it Carleton St. in West Berkeley has a bit o’ color going on) and once again it marks the return of Loretta. The Mother Loads can’t seem to keep us reigned in for too long, because we have been quite active.

Amongst the activities:

Loretta has been laying down the la la! The Ladies of Lynch hauled butt down to El Mundo Bueno Studios and recorded an a capella 5-song demo a few weeks back. Some songs traditional, some morbid and saucy. What? How can you get this limited edition masterpiece? Come visit us! Read on, amigos.

Join an intimate version of Loretta at the East Bay’s best intimate venue – the Epic Arts Tearoom (1923 Ashby Ave, Berkeley) on Friday, October 21st! Joining us for part 2 of Val’s Acoustic Onslaught series will be Jen Scaffidi riding in all the way from Reno, and the debut of Rooftop Rodeo, featuring the steamy vocals and sizzling guitar licks of Elizabeth August and Jon Fonseca. Loretta will be graced once again with the guitar talents of the mighty Dan Olmsted.

Then … you know you’ve been waiting for it … we’ll be playing the fourth quasi-annual Murder Ballad Bash at the Starry Plough Saturday, October 29th. Murder! Misery! Despair! Loretta will be joining eleven Bay Area bands and solo artists, each having written a macabre melody to debut. Loretta will be playing in full force, aided and abetted by Dan O shredding the guitar, Kathy McVey masterfully monstering the bass and Jefferey Ruiz on skins. Rumor has it that Val will be back tearing hearts out and making feet stomp on guitar and bass, to boot. The show starts at 9:30 PM and Loretta will be playing early, so be there in time to grab a beer and a good spot. For more complete info about the show and much much more, visit Val’s website at http://www.staggeringsiren.com.

That’s the skinny for now … see you soon! Or else.

BWAH ha ha ha,

September sure did creep up on us all. This is a teeny tiny update to say that more news is coming soon! We've gotta tell you about a couple of shows and a new recording in the works, so please do stay tuned!

xoxo

Love,

We're delighted to announce that Ms. Lily Davison Borrill arrived safely on July 13th, to an adoring fan club of family & friends, and what a beautiful and perfect creature she is. Welcome, Lily! And congrats to Heather and Julian!

As for the ladies of Loretta Lynch, we recently lent some vocal harmonies to Jesse DeNatale for his upcoming release, so keep your ears peeled for it!

We're soon to be doing some recording of our own and are very excited to get back into the studio, and just generally back in the saddle! Rumour has it we'll be playing a show or two in the Fall, so stay tuned for details.

In other news, there's going to be a Star Studded Benefit on August 13th for LL's own Ms. Val Esway, to help cover some of her recent medical expenses, and it's going to be a great night of music, so please do check it out. We're also very happy to report that Val is feeling better and stronger and plans to be joyfully reunited with her bass in the Fall...yippee!!!

You can also catch Val and El Mirage at the Starry Plough on August 19th, opening for Wayne the Train Hancock That's all the news for now. Thanks for visiting, and feel free to drop a line to lorettalynching@yahoo.com.

xoxo

For those of you who have not gotten the chance to see Loretta play in some time - you're in luck! Loretta will be making good use of the stage at the Starry Plough on Saturday, June 18th. We are playing (appropriately enough considering the melon Heather is carrying around) with the incomparable Bellyachers (www.thebellyachers.com) as well as SF’s twang-rooted indy-rockers The Famous (www.thefamous.net). Joining Loretta once again will be the ultracool Kathy McVey on bass, to add to the stylings of Dan Olmsted on guitar and Jeffery Ruiz on the skins. A fine line up for a sure-to-be-balmy Saturday night, with the Famous opening, Loretta taking the middle slot and closing with the Bellyachers.

We plan on unveiling a new song or two as well as airing out some older tunes - this will likely be the last show for a coupla months while we welcome the littlest cowgirl into the corral, and there are bound to be surprises. Hell - Heather could even go into labor. The entertainment possibilities abound, so don’t miss it!

Val's solo CD "Lovers Losers Liars" continues to get rave reviews - if you haven't picked up a copy yet, do so now! You can get it easily either at the show, or ordering via email at: www.staggeringsiren.com/music/

Many of you may know that Val is recovering from a car accident she was in many months ago. The process of healing has been really slow, and has physically required not only putting away her guitar and bass for the time being and taking a break from work, but also undergoing countless hours of acupuncture and physical therapy. Additionally, the ordeal has translated to thousands and thousands of dollars out of her pocket for this treatment, so CD sales are more vital than ever before. Get your hands on a copy while you can! An evening of fine entertainment to benefit our lovely siren and help cover her medical bills is in the works, so we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, you can help out by getting a “Lovers Losers Liars” CD. You’ll be really delighted that you did.

So come on down to the Starry Plough on June 18th. Chew some food, quaff a beer, gawk at the sheer size of Heather’s belly and support some of the Bay Area’s finest and most dedicated musicians.

We’ll see you there!

Love,

Thanks as well to the hordes who made it out for Val's "Lover's Losers Liars" CD release at Epic Arts on Saturday night. It was an unforgettable evening! And we love it when you sing along ... who knew so many people were "So Lonesome"?

Get out your datebooks, cause Loretta will be appearing at 12 Galaxies in SF (2565 Mission between 21st and 22nd - www.12galaxies.com) on Wednesday, May 4th. We are delighted to be playing with AJ Roach (plus another special guest, TBA ...), and will be going on first this evening at 9:00 sharp so grab your seats early. The fabuloso Jeffery Ruiz will be joining us on the skins, DanO Olmsted on guitar, and once again we have the buena fortuna to be playing with Kathy McVey on bass. We'll be offering up some of those new songs, as well as some you may not have heard in a while. Speaking of offering up, this fancy-pants venue serves a sampling of fine bar food as well as pool tables on the mezzanine level, so you can whet your whistle, snack away and whip your best friend's butt on the green felt between acts. How can you resist?

We'll be playing the East Bay in June - then off for a short while to make room for another li’l howler monkey. More on that soon.

See you at 12 Galaxies!

Love,

The ides of March are almost upon us, and in response a lot has been brewing in Lorettatown ...

First – quench your thirst and haul yerselves to the Odeon Bar (3223 Mission (at Valencia in San Francisco) for a hoedown on Saturday, March 26th! Do the Resurrection Revels* with us this Easter Weekend when Loretta will be graced not only with the stylings of Jeffery Ruiz (aka Bristle J) on drums and Dan Olmsted on geetar, but also the ultra-talented Kathy McVey on bass! To boot, we will be playing with Denise Funari and Melanie De Giovanni of Yard Sale, and rumor has it that the ghost of that trucker band the Widows may haunt the bar that night. Also appearing will be another special guest – and we’ll be offering up some new melodies ... stay tuned for more ....

Secondly - Val Esway’s acoustic showcase begins this Saturday night March 12th at Epic Arts (1923 Ashby, Berkeley), where she will be joined by The Great Auk, featuring Bernie Jungle & Carrie Bradley, and LA’s Ladytown, a.k.a. Sarah Coleman. Not to be missed!

Thirdly – mark your calendar for the upcoming CD release party for Val’s new recording Lovers Losers Liars (at Epic Arts Saturday, April 16th). The evening's festivities will also include the debut of El Mirage, as well as solo performances by our own Jefferey Dean Ruiz (the aforementioned Bristle J) and the lovely and talented Denise Funari (Yard Sale, Ruby, Sapphire and the Family Jewels, The Widows).

So much reason to tap yer toes! And we’ll let you in on another secret – that ain’t a honeydew that Heather swallered – it’s a li’l girl. Due in late June or early July. A imminent stepdancer or kickboxer, judging by her infernal internal behavior. And the li’l buckaroo apparently needed a playmate. (So just what have those Loretta Lynchers been drinkin’??? And is it contagious? We dare you to come find out.)

We have a few more shows planned in the meantime, so keep your ears to the ground and your eyes peeled.

We’ll see your fine selves soon!

Love,

Loretta

A happy 2005 to the lot of you ... and let's hope it has better to offer this world than 2004.

In addition to the election results, the continuing violence around the world and the disaster of the tsunami, our friend Bob Fabian passed away in early December of last year. Bob was a thoughtful and compassionate man active in many arenas, including politics and environmentalism. Also a fine musician, he was an avid and faithful supporter of many others in the Bay Area, including Loretta Lynch, Val Esway and the Hanes Family. His sweet presence will be very much missed in this world.

We're pleased to announce that Loretta will finally be playing once again on Friday, February 4th at the Epic Arts Teahouse (1923 Ashby Ave, Berkeley) with Sacramento's premier pop trickster, Anton Barbeau. We'll be playing some songs we haven't crooned for a loooong time, so dust off those old memory caps and jam 'em on. Your ears can come for the music, your eyes for the fine art, and your stomachs for the fresh baked brownies (and of course plenty of beer and wine and sweet sweet caffeine.)

And just to let you know, we may have been laying low, but we've been busy! We have some new tunes (inspired by the finer aspects of 2004), and Val has been hard at work on her solo album, which will be released April 16th. She will also be hosting an acoustic series at the Teahouse, starting March 12th, so mark your calendars ...

That's all for now - stay tuned, however, cause there's much more to come. We're gearing up for the Spring!

Love,

You are by no means alone. This is the saving grace. We are here, and we have to be loud - and continue to proclaim our freedom and convictions with all the heart and mind, creativity, irreverent humor and fierce joy we possess. And definitely with our music.

That being said, Loretta (graced with the guitar stylings of Dan Olmsted and drumbeats of Bristle J, aka Jefferey Ruiz) will be playing this coming Friday, November 12th at the Epic Arts Tearoom (1923 Ashby Ave, Berkeley) with the always entertaining Anton Barbeau. Doors open at 8:00.

We'd love to see you there.

Gnashing our teeth, and plotting change bit by bit,

What more could we ask for? ... OK - we never thought we would label a cowboy and his posse unfit to do anything, but this Texas Nut Case and his powerful' evil cabinet need to MOVE ALONG! We have some suggestions as to where, but we are too well-mannered (at this very moment) to post them.

We are happy to announce that Loretta Lynch has a few upcoming shows – all wildly different settings, and all graced by the talents of the three ladies of Lynch, Bristle J (aka Jeffery Ruiz) on the skins and Dan Olmsted on lead guitar. Two are benefits to urge folks to both REGISTER to vote and then DO IT!

Benefit #1 - Sunday afternoon, October 17th 1 PM - 5PM at Alliance Graphics (905 Parker St in Berkeley). We're delighted to be playing with the Pickin' Trix, and hold your hats ‘cause there are sure to be plenty of other special guests. Food and drink will abound, and proceeds will go to Americans Coming Together (ACT).

Benefit #2 – Monday evening, October 18th at the Elbo Room  (647 Valencia, SF 415.552-7788) with Etienne de Rocher, Joe Rohan and Mokai as part of CC’s Acoustic Underground Showcase- (CAUSE) supporting further efforts to get Bush out by getting out the vote! www.cause-music.com $5 - Doors open at 8 PM.  *** Loretta has the opportunity to receive 4 free hours of recording time from EMB Studios to etch our howling in perpetuity, so please mention that you are here to see Loretta at the door!

#3 – Friday, November 12th at the Epic Arts Teahouse (1923 Ashby, Berkeley 510.644-2204). Not a “benefit” per se, but you’ll surely benefit from being there, as we’ll be sharing the bill with the always entertaining psychedelic popster Anton Barbeau. With hard work and votes, and assuming no election fraud this round, this could be an opportunity to toast the future sans our current national embarrassment. Once again, the gates open at 8 PM.

So there you have it. Come one, come all – and all of you who can, haul yer sorry butts to the polls

November 2nd!

Amor y rabio,

We're playing a last minute house concert, and we'd love to have you there, so read on for details.

Loretta Lynch is getting back in the saddle for a very special and intimate evening of music at a house concert with the fabulous Nellie Bly duo (http://www.breech.net/sub/nelli e.html) on Saturday, September 4 at 8:00 pm, and we hope you'll join us!

Loretta Lynch's own Heather & her sweetheart Julian have graciously agreed to host a living room concert at their abode in Oakland, which will provide the perfect setting for you to enjoy an excellent evening of fine music.

Those of you who caught Nellie Bly last Feb. at the Teahouse will no doubt be anxious to be blown away again, and those who didn't will surely want to catch them this time around!

Loretta Lynch is looking forward to serenading you again, so we hope you'll join us!

Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts and well wishes. Till next time, cheers!

Love,

But hold onto your hats, 'cause the various members of the band still have plenty of irons in the fire to keep 'em busy, and to keep you entertained!

Read on to find out where you can find Val, Heather, Dan-o & our old pal Joe Rut playing music in different combinations.

1. Val's got solo shows and a web site of her own!

2. Joe Rut plays a Spikedriver's reunion this Saturday night!

3. Dan-o plays sweet acoustic music with Dandeline!

4. Heather plays with dysfunctional unit The Hanes Family!

5. Val & Heather team up with members of the Pickin' Trix & Yard Sale to form The Widows -- with at least one very special show on June 12th!

***

Val's soon to be recording an album of brand new material for your listening enjoyment, with sibling/audio wizard Ricardo Esway tweaking the knobs, and some very special guests lending their talents.

In the meantime, you can hear these songs at Val's solo shows:

Sat. April 10th Val shares the stage with local sirens Karry Walker and Kim Norlen at the Epic Arts Teahouse in Berkeley.

Sun. April 18th Val shares the stage with the always delightful Dandeline at the Bazaar Cafe in SF.

You can find out details about these shows + more at www.staggeringsiren.com, and if you'd like to be added to Val's mailing list to remain updated about all of Val's musical adventures, drop a line to staggeringsiren@earthlink.net

***

Joe Rut plays a Spikedriver's reunion this Saturday night! If you're jonesing for your Joe Rut gee-tar pickin' fix, jones no more. Just go on down to the Starry Plough this Saturday April 10th (right after Val's show at the Teahouse, now there's a plan!) and stomp your feet to the swingin' sounds of the Spikedrivers. More info. about this on the shows page.

***

Dan-o plays sweet acoustic music with Dandeline! That's right, you already know that Dan shreds the electric guitar, but now you can hear him pluck the acoustic guitar as only he can, and sing dark and lovely tales in harmony with musical co-conspirator Sheila Schat on violin & cello. Dandeline will alternate sets with Val at the Bazaar Cafe on Sunday, April 18th for an early evening show. More info. about this on the shows page.

***

Heather and the Hanes Family (heirs to an underwear empire) are please to offer up traditional and original songs about the highwaymen, hobos, femme fetales, forlorn-losers-in-love and god-forsaken believers who inhabit the dark side of every mountain. At the Epic Arts Teahouse, Saturday, April 24th, opening will be Amy and Karen. www.thehanesfamily.com

***

Ladies and gentlemen, meet The Widows! Val & Heather will team up with members of the Pickin' Trix and Yard Sale to perform songs about truckin' at Thee Parkside on June 12 -- rumour has it that there may even be two Widows shows on the same date, so stay tuned for more details about this -- you won't want to miss it!

Thanks for your time and attention, and thanks to everyone for your well wishes to the lovely Ari, who is certain to give birth at any moment! Don't be a stranger now, and we won't be strangers either! We cannot promise however, that we won't be strange!

Cheers from us to you.

Love,

Thanks to everyone who joined us for a wonderful show at the Starry Plough recently. We hope you'll also join us for a special show at the Oakland Metro on Saturday April 3rd, as we'll be sharing the stage with two of our favorite local bands -- Dave Gleason's Wasted Days & Smelly Kelly's Plain High Drifters.

The Metro is a sweet listening environment and just a cool place overall, and this is going to be a great night of music!

Just a reminder to all of you fine folks with modern technology that Loretta Lynch will be performing on the airwaves at the Bay Area's very own KALX - that's 90.7 on your radio's dial - this Saturday night March 6th from 9:00 to 10:30 PM.

You, too, can keep your troublesome tush glued fast to your couch or car seat and listen to Loretta Live! Eat popcorn and swill beer, do those dishes, darn your socks - hell, you can even pluck your nose hairs while you're listening, and no one will be the wiser. You may not want to, though,

'cause the sweet harmonies and caterwauling will be enough on their own to bring tears to your eyes ...

What? You can't get KALX cause you live far away? Not to fear. Tune in on the web

at http://kalx.berkeley.edu/

Joining us will be drummer and paragon of fine fashion Jeffery Ruiz, (aka Bristle J) in addition to the incomparable Dan Olmsted on geetar. Surf's up at the ranch! So give a listen, and tell a friend.

Also - mark your calendars for Thursday, March 11th at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave at Prince, Berkeley) - a last chance to see Loretta perform before Ari catches the fast train to motherhood. We've been watching the little upcoming buckaroo - we think he could be a drummer by virtue of his activity level. The opportunity to Shop and Drink will be availed as well, as playing with us will be the fine femme country trio Yardsale and the Real Sippin' Whiskeys. Prizes will be given! More details to come ...

xo,

February is flying by – copious thanks to those who came out to Biscuits and

Blues Tuesday night. Loretta’s first foray into San Francisco’s Touristville

was a great success, and this fine club lived up to it’s name in offering

the best damn biscuits (and catfish, too!) we’ve ever had.

We want to remind folks that soon Loretta will be taking a bit of a hiatus

as the lovely Ari prepares the way for the upcoming littlest buckaroo ...

until then, however, there are a few more chances to hear us caterwaul in

three-part harmony.

Chance #1 - The three ladies of Lynch will be offering up Valentine's Day

lashings and lamentations this Saturday, February 14th at the Epic Arts

Teahouse accompanying the East Bay's own Bellyachers and LA's Nelly Bly. Cry

into your beer, whine into your wine or wail into your whiskey (rumour has

it that whiskey may may make a command appearance) and soak up songs

inspired by love, the lack of love and lots of liquor.

Red will be the color of choice - a prize will be issued for the person

wearing the most red ... who can prove it (Aunt Flo doesn't count). The Epic

Arts Teahouse is across from Ashby BART at 1923 Ashby in Berkeley. The show

will be begin at 8:30,

Chance #2 - Come join Loretta at the badass Odeon Bar in San Francisco

(3223 Mission @ Valencia (415) 550-6994) for an early show Friday, February 20th.

We will be playing with the Santa Fe’s badder ass vagabonds the Dolly Ranchers

(www.thedollyranchers.com), in town on the West Coast segment of their tour.

Loretta is delighted to have the great Dan Olmsted on guest guitar this

evening, along with the extraordinary Jeffery Ruiz on drums. ** Please note that this is an EARLY show – doors open at 7:30, and please don't forget to mention that you’re there to hear LL and the DRs as you surrender your 5 clams. Not to be missed!

Chance #3 - Saturday, March 6 at 9pm, tune your radio to our favorite station & listen to us live on KALX 90.7 fm. Enjoy a rare opportunity to hear us live in your home or vehicle!

Chance #4 – Thursday, March 11th at the Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck,

Berkeley) will be an opportunity to bid a temporary bon voyage to the band

(bring your hankies), but best of all, a chance to hear and see the fine

showcase of Loretta Lynch guitarists. In addition to drummer fabuloso Jeffery Ruiz (otherwise known as Bristle J), playing with Loretta will be Dan Olmsted, Misisipi Mike Wolf, Lucio Menegon and a return guest appearance by the great Joe Rut. We will be joined by the talented entrepreneurs Yardsale (bring your dollars, too – true to their name they often have fine miscellany to offer for your shopping pleasure) and ... the Real Sippin' Whiskeys!

ALSO - be sure to catch Val and Ramona the Pest (it's not VALentines Day fer

nuthin'), She Mob, the Slow Poisoners and a diabolic host of others at the

Starry Plough (still at 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley) Friday the 13th for a "My

Bloody Valentine" celebration. Musical mayhem for all!

Lots of activity! Spring has begun to show it’s signs ...

Love, Loretta

We've got a couple of things to mention in this very brief update & here they are:

1. There's 4 chances to see all or parts of us in February, so be sure to check the shows page for all pertinent details. Each show will be unique, so heck, if you feel like being a trooper and coming to every one, we sure won't complain! We might even give you a prize!

2. We're soon to be doing a big site update with new photos and other exciting tidbits, so stay tuned for news about that. No really, we mean it!

We also meant it when we said this would be brief so until we meet again, take good care of yerselves, and happy birthday to all you Aquarians!

You can find us in the coming weeks at the Hemlock Tavern, the Teahouse and the Ivy Room, so be sure to check the shows page for details.

We hope you all had a great 2003 -- It was a great year for us with many cool musical experiences and discoveries that we are thankful for, & we thought we’d share a few of them with you:

* Seeing incredible performances by Los Lobos, Calexico and Billy Bragg under drizzly skies at the Glastonbury music festival in England. Oh, and we got to play some pretty fun sets ourselves while we were there!

* Playing a sweet little set at the Bedford Pub in London, where we were fortunate to share the bill with the amazing Sweet Laredo. More about Sweet Laredo, see below.

* Heck, almost everything about our England trip was exciting and inspiring. Special thanks to our exquisite hosts, Deaaaave Pearson, everyone at the Nevil house in London, all of the Lost Vagueness crew, and all the fine folks we met along the way.

* It was sad to lose Johnny Cash from this world, but a joy for us ladies of the Lynch to be part of the Man in Black band at the Cash tribute show, which took place at Thee Parkside back in October. It was great to be in the company of some fine local talent, including members of the Plain High Drifters, Dave Gleason’s Wasted Days & Red Meat. Johnny Cash’s influence was far reaching, & we are thankful for how he touched our lives.

* We got to play many fine local shows with bands we adore, including Yard Sale, the Pickin’ Trix & the Plain High Drifters, & Dave Gleason’s Wasted Days, just to name a few. We also played at two different amphitheaters with Alabama, which was, how shall we say.... a hoot!

Lastly .... Val can’t pass this opportunity to share with y’all her most listened to albums of 2003, in no particular order, and not necessarily released in 2003!

Sweet Laredo -- Sweet Laredo -- what can I say, I have listened to this album nearly obsessively because it has all the right stuff -- stunning vocals, outstanding guitar playing, excellent groove, and songs that I simply cannot get out of my head and don’t want to. And besides all this, it’s the sexiest music around. Way too good to remain undiscovered for very long. Check ‘em out at http://www.sweetlaredo.co.uk

Calexico -- Feast of Wire -- this album is so lush and so sublime at once. I love all of Calexico’s stuff and this album proves that they just keep getting better and better. Special thanks for my friend Jen for giving this to me for my birthday, cause I have enjoyed it endlessly.

Los Lobos -- Kiko -- I rediscovered this wonderful album in 2003 and it went for many a spin in my cd player -- it is so rich and exquisite. Again, flawless musicianship and such a cohesive collection of songs.

Flowers in the Wildwood -- women in early music -- this is a collection of music recorded from 1923 - 1939 and features some fantastic singing and harmonizing and yodeling from all sorts of women from the Carter Family to the Dezurik sisters to the Coon Creek Girls. Both haunting and uplifting.

Honorable mentions/perennial favorites: Steve Earl’s Corazon , Los Angeles by X, and Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook , Low’s Things we Lost in the Fire, and Carmaig de Forest’s El Camino Real.

Don't forget to check out the November issue of Electronic Musician Magazine for an article by Myles Boisen featuring yours truly, Loretta Lynch!

Till we meet again....

Special thanks to everyone who joined us for the Johnny Cash tribute recently. It was a pleasure to share a stage with so many fine local musicians, and it was delightful to play to a room packed full of devoted and loving fans of Johnny Cash. We were truly honored to be a part of it all.

As we mentioned in our last update, we’re keeping a bit of a low profile for the next few months, but you can still catch us in a couple of different places, so read on for details.

The band has added a couple of daytime shows at Farmers Markets craft fairs in December, so plan to bring the kids & the grandparents, & check the shows page for details.

But before that, you can catch Val & Heather doing a duo set on Nov. 15th at Mirthworks warehouse space in Oakland -- along with the one and only Joe Rut, plus Lucio Menegon (Ramona the Pest, Reverend Screaming Fingers) and Andrew Sano.

In other news, Loretta Lynch is featured in the November issue of Electronic Musician Magazine in an article written by guitar wizard and engineer extraordinaire Myles Boisen, who recorded our first demo CD. Check it out!

Hope y'all are staying warm and healthy, and we hope to see you soon!

Love,

A heartfelt thank you to all who joined us at the Starry Plough's 30th anniversary bash last week. We had a blast sharing the stage with Yard Sale and the Cowlicks, and it seemed like all who were there were having a blast too. (And then there were those of us who were getting, um, blasted...getting paid with free beer can be a dangerous thing!)

We sure hope you'll get out and join us this coming Tuesday for the Johnny Cash Tribute at Thee Parkside in San Francisco. We had a thoroughly enjoyable rehearsal last night with this stellar super group which features members of Red Meat, The Plain High Drifters, and Dave Gleason's Wasted Days. We're honored to be a part of this group, doing our part to give some back to the Man in Black, and we urge you to join us for this one time only event. Rumour has it that it's going to be packed, so make sure you get there early for a good seat.

A few more things to look forward to later this Fall -- Loretta Lynch will be featured in the online edition of Electronic Musician Magazine in an article written by guitar wizard and engineer extraordinaire Myles Boisen, who recorded our first demo CD.

Stay tuned for more info about that and about the LL trio singing harmony on the title cut of Jim White's upcoming album, Land Called Home. More details coming soon, so thanks for tuning in!

Look forward to seeing you somewhere soon.

Love,

Just a quick update to mention a couple of things.

In addition to our upcoming free show at the Starry Plough on Thursday Oct. 16th, we're delighted to be a part of the Johnny Cash tribute on Oct. 21st at the Parkside. "Givin' it Back to the Man in Black" should be a fantastic time for one and all. Be sure to check out our shows page for more details.

For those of you who want to keep updated on the comings and goings of the inimitable Joe Rut, (and who wouldn't?!) please drop him a line requesting he add you to his mailing list. He's got some cool shows coming up. Drop Joe a line at: joerut@mailcity.com

A few more things to look forward to later this Fall -- Loretta Lynch will be featured in the online edition of Electronic Musician Magazine in an article written by guitar wizard and engineer extraordinaire Myles Boisen, who recorded our first demo CD.

Stay tuned for more info about that and about the LL trio singing harmony on the title cut of Jim White's upcoming album, Land Called Home. More details coming soon, so thanks for tuning in!

Look forward to seeing you somewhere soon.

Love,

It was also a hoot playing a few more shows with Joe Rut, to whom we bid a fond farewell. And we extend a warm welcome to Jeffery Ruiz and Dan Olmsted, who'll be joining us at our next batch of shows. There are 2 places to catch us this week:

This Thursday Sept. 25 at the Hotel, Loretta Lynch shares the stage with Mark Growden, Weissenberger Variety Show, Jeremy Serwer from Portland, and others. Show starts at 9pm with each act playing short sets throughout the night. Our first set is around 9:30 or so. Cover is $5.00

Sunday's show is outdoors, all ages, free and early. Loretta Lynch will be one of a slew of local bands and artists performing on the Epic Arts stage at the 8th annual How Berkeley Can you Be Festival. The Epic Arts stage is located on Milvia between Allston and Center Streets. Music starts at noon and ends at 5pm, with sets by such wonderful and diverse acts as Baguette Quartette, Rosin Coven and the Punk Rock Orchestra, just to name a few. For more details, click on http://www.epicarts.org/#9_28

In other news, the Oct. 16th show at the Starry Plough anniversary bash is with the wonderful Yard Sale and the Cowlicks, and not with Chuck Prophet as previously announced.

A few more things to look forward to later this Fall -- Loretta Lynch will be featured in the online edition of Electronic Musician Magazine in an article written by guitar wizard and engineer extraordinaire Myles Boisen, who recorded our first demo CD.

Stay tuned for more info about that and about the LL trio singing harmony on the title cut of Jim White's upcoming album, Land Called Home. More details coming soon, so thanks for tuning in!

Look forward to seeing you somewhere soon.

Love,

Late breaking news flash -- in addition to our show with Alabama this coming Saturday at Shoreline Amphitheatre, we've just been invited to play the second stage with them at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Marysville this Friday night. How could we say no to that? Looks like it's gonna be an Alabama weekend. Tell your Sacto area friends to come & join us.

In other news, thanks to everyone who gave their best guess as to Joe Rut's favorite pastry, which is.... JELLY DONUTS! He surprised even his band mates with this answer, for we all thought it was merely just plain old donuts. Who knew?!

That's it for now, cause it's late and there are strings to change & dreams to be had. We hope to see some of you at Shoreline and beyond.

xoxo

Love,

Fall also means that change is in the air. For instance, the Shoreline show with Alabama is your last chance to see us while Joe Rut's still in the band! That's right, ladies and gents, it's your last chance to get your personally autographed bit of Joe Rut memorabalia! We have 2 FREE tickets to give away to subscribers of the Lynchlist, so if you're not already signed on, do it soon, and that lucky winner could be you!

At our next batch of shows after this one, you and we will be treated to the debut of Mr. Jeffery Ruiz on drums, as well as the guitar stylings of special guest Lyncher Dan Olmsted.

More details are available on the shows page, but here's the skinny:

*Saturday, September 20, 2003 at Shoreline Ampitheater with Alabama, oh my goodness! There are a limited number of tickets available for $10 and it would be good to see some familiar faces, heck, y'all could have your own Loretta Lynch tailgate party! We play on the second stage before the show, starting around 5:30 pm. Click here for details about those $10 tix! http://www.shorelineamp.com/event.asp?eventID=56302

And be sure to sign up for the Lynchlist to win a chance to be our guest at this show!

*Thursday, Sept. 25 at the Hotel Utah with Mark Growden

*Sunday, Sept. 28 at the How Berkeley Can You Be Festival

*Thursday, Oct. 16 at the Starry Plough with Chuck Prophet

That's all for now, folks. We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Love,

And speaking of change, get your Loretta Lynch Joe Rut collectable refrigerator magnets while you can, folks, because even though Joe loves us ladies and we ladies love him, he is off to explore horizons unknown!

Yes, we'll miss the fabulous presence and fantastic guitar charms of the inimitable Joe Rut, but we wish him every success as he travels the trails of his solo career. We are among his biggest fans so it's truly been a pleasure to have him add his magic to our music.

Though no one can really take Joe's place, we are conspiring to bring in another instrumentalist and also a drummer in the near future, so stay tuned. We also have plans in the works for a mini-tour of CA in early November. Please drop us a line if you have tips about places to play in your area, or would like to host a house concert or help promote a show.

The sirens of Loretta Lynch plan to keep singing their hearts out together for a very long time, beginning with an interesting and eventful Fall, so be sure to check the calendar page often for updates.

And back to those collectable Joe Rut refrigerator magnets and t-shirts - only 2 more chances to see Joe live with us and get your personally autographed collectable Joe Rut memorabilia!

*Tuesday, August 12, 2003 at The Hemlock Tavern as part of the Smallest Show in Town. Check the calendar page for more details about this eclectic evening of quality entertainment.

*Saturday, September 20, 2003 at Shoreline Ampitheater with Alabama, oh my goodness! There are a limited number of tickets available for $10 and it would be good to see some familiar faces, heck, y'all could have your own Loretta Lynch tailgate party! Click here for details about those $10 tix! http://www.shorelineamp.com/event.asp?eventID=56302

And stay tuned for details about how to win a chance to be our guest at this show!

That's it for now. We haven't forgotten about posting our England pics - they're coming soon, promise!

Love,

We write this update from a grey morning....wait, it's afternoon. That's right, it's another afternoon after a night of staying up till the sun rose playing music in the kitchen here at the Nevill Arms.

Last night we were joined by a local Irish pub band called the Other Brothers, and most of us stayed up far too late making noise that included the sounds of two fiddles, two guitars, a lap steel, mandolin, piano, and various percussion instruments and voices.

Some other highlights of the trip include of course our six gigs at the Glastonbury music festival, which was quite an amazing experience. Despite the horrifying port-a-potties and the fact that some of us set a new personal record in length of time gone without a shower (though Joe was weeks from his personal best), a grand time was had by all .

We were all blown away by the abundance of great music being made at the festival at all hours. We saw Yo La Tengo, Richard Thompson, Los Lobos, Billy Bragg, Calexico, Brendan Benson and Sigur Ros. We also discovered and fell in love with quite a few European bands. Ska bands, cabaret, 18 piece swing bands, performance art, hip hop, the list goes on. And so did the music, all through the night.

As several of our gigs happened during the day, it was noted by some festival attendees that Loretta Lynch is great music for melting away the hangover, or helping soothe you as you come down from your mushroom trip.

We're nearing the end of our trip...more news to come when we return, and we hope to see our bay area friends at the Starry Plough on July 25!

Cheers!

xoxo

As we've mentioned before, we're on our way across the Atlantic for an Anglo Adventure, having been asked to play at England's Glastonbury Music Festival. This festival is HUGE! 150,000 people on a 900-acre farm (perhaps ole Yasgur was inspired by this) in the Vale of Avalon, an area steeped in symbolism, mythology and religious traditions dating back many hundreds of years. It's where King Arthur may be buried, where Joseph of Arimathea may have walked, where leylines may converge ... Who woulda thought ? Additionally, we will be playing at the Bedford in Balham (an acoustic music venue in SW London recently voted 1 pub in London for such endeavors - address: 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, London Tel: 020 8682 8940) on Thursday, July 3rd. What better way to celebrate the eve of the birth of our country than by offering our country music? Tell all of your friends in London!

We are very excited, and would like to invite each and every one of you to come with us! Unfortunately, we have learned that tickets sold out within 24 hours of availability. Next year?

Enjoy the first part of summer, and see y'all July 25th at the Starry Plough!!!

Xo,

"Loretta Lynch's sweet facade -- gorgeous vocal harmonies, seemingly-pleasant melodies, exceptional musicianship -- masks their richly nuanced dark underside of regret, loss, murder, revenge, and bad drunken decisions made in late-night bars. That they do it with such beauty (and the odd smack of a really barbed sense of humor and a toe-tappin' tune that's difficult to dislodge from one's head) marks them as being in a class with very very few acoustic musicians. And if only more lyricists had their way with language..." - KALX radio

"The three-part cowgirl harmonies of Loretta Lynch conjure up campfires on the prairie & broken-in saddles...soulful & twangy..." - The North Bay Bohemian