Red Dirt Ruckus
- Genres
- Bluegrass
- Funk
- Funky Foothill Jamgrass
- Jamgrass
- Reggae
- Websites
- http://reddirtruckus.com
- Check out our facebook page
- Find us on Reverbnation
- Find us on Spotify
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
- Listen to our music here
- Awards and Nominations
- SAMMIES 2020 Nominee★ Folk/Bluegrass ★
- SAMMIES 2019 Nominee★ Folk/Bluegrass ★
- SAMMIES 2018 Nominee★ Folk/Bluegrass ★
- Musicians
- Dan Mad Monk Abbott — bass, vocals
- Doug Not Josh — guitar, mandolin, vocals
- Eddie Tharp — lead guitar, vocals
- Jared Collins — trumpet, tuba
- Lisa Bond — fiddle, vocals
- Mad Monk — bass, vocals
- Marco Guererro — trombone
- Rob Keedy — drums
- Share
- Contact
- booking@reddirtruckus.com
Q & A
How do you describe your music to people?
02.04.19
An ecletic mix of bluegrass, funk, reggae and jam with a dash of foothill flavor.
Tell us about how the band formed.
02.04.19
We’ve been building the ruckus for years. The band originally formed as The Rusty Buckets around 2009. The original lineup consisted of Jonny Mojo, Lisa Bond, Dan Abbott and Colt Langstaff. Doug Not Josh joined the group around 2010. Around 2014, Jonny Mojo left the group to focus on playing with Achilles Wheel. At this point, we added Eddie Tharp on lead guitar and changed the name to Red Dirt Ruckus. We tried to find a name that gave an idea of the down-home, rowdy dance party vibe we aim to bring to all of our shows, as well as referencing the Coloma Valley where it all got started. After a particularly dusty gig, all of our gear was covered in the red dirt found around the area. Our original drummer Colt just popped off, “How about Red Dirt Ruckus?” and the name stuck. Fast forward to 2016: We added our current drummer Rob Keedy after Colt moved away from the area. It was about this point that we really started to push out of the local Coloma/Placerville scene into the Sacramento, Auburn and Tahoe areas. We’ve since been blessed with some great higher profile festival spots, as well as being nominated three years running in the SAMMIES for Bluegrass.
Tell us about your best gig in Sac.
02.04.19
Goldfield Trading Post with Jessica Malone's band. Killer venue, great crowd.
Tell us about your worst gig.
02.04.19
Georgetown Odd Fellows Hall. We played our whole set to a packed house over screaming feedback. The sound guy eventually just turned off the mics.
What artist or band are you a little embarrassed to love, and why?
02.04.19
Red Dirt Ruckus.
What was the first song you learned to play?
02.04.19
"Nothing Else Matters" by DNJ.
What's next for the band?
02.04.19
Winning the Sammies 2019 plus a sophmore album release.
What's the story behind the band name?
02.04.19
We tried to find a name that gave an idea of the down-home, rowdy dance-party vibe we aim to bring to all of our shows, as well as referencing the Coloma Valley where it all got started. After a particularly dusty gig, all of our gear was covered in the red dirt found around the area. Our original drummer Colt just popped off, “How about Red Dirt Ruckus?” and the name stuck.
What's your favorite local artist/group?
02.04.19
Jessica Malone, Ideateam, Achilles Wheel, Matt Rainey.
Who are your biggest influences?
02.04.19
Whiskey, Mary Jane, Wu-Tang.
Who first inspired you to play music?
02.04.19
DNJ/Mad Monk - Our fathers.
Words to live by?
02.04.19
Jump in the water—It's gonna heal you, by the rocks and the river in the sun.
Back to Winners
Contact Us
In-person:
Sacramento News & Review
1124 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815
1124 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815