Photo by Emily Sevin
Electronic Press Kit
|
About the Band
Laura Benitez and the Heartache use the three chord tools of country music to tell the simple, unvarnished truth about love, too much whiskey, and the call of the road. Their new album, "California Centuries," finds the band delving deep into themes of collective denial ("Bad Things"), gaslighting ("Invisible" and "Gaslight") and romantic lessons learned ("I'm the One" and "Are You Using Your Heart"). Their twangy honesty shines through in straightforward arrangements, crystalline harmonies, and spare instrumentation. Beware their catchy hooks and sweet melodies - these stray puppy tunes will follow you home and become your most steadfast companions. The band generated buzz with its November 2014 release of "Heartless Woman," and the 2018 album "With All Its Thorns," garnered even more praise for the band. "California Centuries," released in September of 2022, sees the band winning even more praise and notice. Benitez won an Honorable Mention for her song "Our Remember Whens" in the American Songwriter Magazine's lyric contest in January of 2016. Praise for "California Centuries"
"The album has a larger-than-life sound, with bedrock rhythms complimented by washes of steel guitar and reverberating electric guitars that take up an immense sonic space." --j.poet, EAST BAY EXPRESS "A fresh classic country remains her bedrock, to which Benitez has added layers of rock and bluegrass. While never shirking from tough subjects, she is drawing more on personal experience here. Ranging from the joyous to the somber, Benitez is always completely frank. California Centuries is a tight sounding and complete album.", --Lyndon Bolton, NO DEPRESSION "Completely written and produced by Laura Benitez, California Centuries features some classic country Golden Era selections indicative of Patsy Cline, some vintage folk and rockabilly textures for variety, quality songwriting that gets feisty in spurts, and excellent lead and steel guitar trade-offs throughout, courtesy of Bob Spector on electric guitar, and Ian Sutton and Dave Zirbel on steel guitar." --Trigger, SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC "Benitez sings real country songs in a voice reminiscent of some of the best voices in the history of country music."--Gary Schwind, AMERICANA HIGHWAYS "That initial assumption of a fundamentally up-tempo slice of country music isn’t entirely misplaced but the sharp edges to the songwriting make this something more. By refusing to respect genre boundaries, in singing of topics many are afraid to even discuss in public, in challenging her own industry and other powerful lobbies, Benitez deserves huge respect."--Peter Churchill, AMERICANA UK |
Past Shows
The Catalyst (Santa Cruz, CA) Moe's Alley (Santa Cruz,CA) Freight & Salvage (Berkeley, CA) Brick & Mortar Music Hall (San Francisco,CA) Hopmonk Tavern (Novato, CA) Felton Music Hall (Felton, CA) The Echo (Los Angeles, CA) Audie's Olympic (Fresno, CA) The Uptown (Oakland) The Ivy Room (Albany) Mill Valley Music Festival (Mill Valley, CA) Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA) Slim's (San Francisco, CA) Ink N Iron Festival (Nashville, TN) Ink N Iron Festival (Long Beach, CA) West Coast Country Music Festival (Ashland, OR) Humboldt Hills Hoedown (Redway, CA)
|
|
|
Web Hosting by Bluehost