GET SOME HOT MUSTARD! Live at Mole Hill Theatre

Photo by Bill Gnade / Sentinel Staff |

April Jubett : guitar & vocals Bill Jubett : banjo & vocals

Bruce Stockwell : banjo & vocals Kelly Stockwell : bass

Hot Mustard may well be a bluegrass first - a quartet featuring two banjos and two married couples! When singer/banjo picker Bill Jubett teamed up with singer/guitarist April Hobart (now April Jubett), a truly classic-sounding duet was born. Add banjo picker/singer Bruce Stockwell, a 40-year bluegrass veteran and MerleFest banjo contest winner, along with his wife, bassist Kelly Stockwell, and you’ve got some hot and spicy bluegrass chemistry!

Banjoist Bruce Stockwell is known around New England for decades of great work with the Stockwell Brothers, and for his excellent banjo instruction. Bruce's wife Kelly, an old-time banjoist in her own right, took up the bass fiddle facilitating the formation of Hot Mustard. She eagerly tackles unusual bass breaks. Bruce and Kelly live in southern Vermont.

Guitarist/singer April Jubett comes from Maine, inspired by her dad's decades of playing bluegrass there. April is a vocal stylist with a clear, clean, vibrato-free country tone hailing back to Sara Carter. She also plays strong guitar (with a thumb pick) and emcees the show. April and Bill Jubett were literal newlyweds at the time of this recording. Bill is Bruce's banjo student and protege. They must have woodshedded endlessly to develop their stunning twin banjo arrangements of jazz, blues, country and bluegrass standards, as you'll hear in "Medley" and Jimmy Martin's "Theme Time" and "Hold Whatcha Got". Bill is also a stout lead singer. Bill and April live in southern New Hampshire.

Purchase Debut CD

Every bluegrass band has learned, no matter how hot the pickin', you've got to have good singing. Hot Mustard features very traditional numbers such as Jean Ritchie's "Blue Diamond Mines" and Roy Acuff's "Streamlined Cannon Ball". April leads the way with power and sensitivity. She also sings terrific harmony with Bill and Bruce, notably on the Stanley Brothers inspired "Angel Band". The only adjective for their slow trios is "luscious"! April also wrote and sings a haunting introduction to Ralph Stanley's "Clinch Mountain Backstep". She adds verses to "The Banks of the Ohio" telling the unfortunate girl's side of the story, as she duets with Bill.

Hold Whatcha Got.mp3
Streamline Cannonball.mp3
Same Old Day.mp3
Sweet Dixie.mp3

Don't be afraid, it's the Imperial Rooster FREE DOWNLOAD!

Amazing artwork by Danny Green, beautiful coloring done by Sonya Gonzales.

Couch by Couchwest superstar's The Imperial Rooster play an out there mix of folk, blues, country, & rock and roll that can only be described as GONZO ROOTS MUSIC. Influenced by Beer, Sterno, Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Beer, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Tom Waits, beer and Captain Beefheart.

Members: Cootie LeRoux, Nat King Kong, Tennessee Skilly McGee, Khorn Syrup, Lulu Lotus Cornblossom, Dusty Vinyl

Today the gonzo's with the kazoozo's from Espanola, New Mexico, released their long rumored, long awaited LIVE album 'Don't Be Afraid: LIVE ROOSTER BOOTLEG II' FREE DOWNLOAD! Enough yappin' get snappin' get it and stick it in yer gizmo's and have a Good Ole fashion Rootin' Tootin, Low Falutin' Rooster day!

We'll do it LIVE!

A follow up in my quest for new music experiences and to broaden my musical tastes. These are two Radio Stations I have found that have great Live Sessions and a large archived library of previous sessions. One on the east coast in Philly the other on the west coast in Seattle. 


In Philly, Radio 104.5  host's local bands as well as select national acts to play LIVE in the XFINITY Performance Theater.  Some of my favorite Archived Sessions include: Cage The Elephant, Philly locals Circa Survive, Terrible Things, Punk rock royalty, Social Distortion, Local Natives and many more.





Seattle's KEXP 90.3 a tiny 10-watt station back in 1972, KEXP has grown over the years into an innovative, influential cultural force in the Seattle community and beyond, offers a large archived library of live session's. Here I found some favorites: The Black Angels, Arcade Fire, Beach House, Band of Horses, Old 97's, Revolver, Best Coast and many more.


So get your eyeballs and earholes on over and and indulge in the sights and sounds.