Commander Cody Band and their former guitarist Bill Kirchen almost cross paths at the Iron Horse. Bill Kirchen plays Thursday, December 16th and Commander Cody on Saturday, December 18th

Bill Kirchen's Honky Tonk Holiday Party with special guests Girl Howdy- Iron Horse, Thursday, December 16^th at 7PM Bill Kirchen, the former Commander Cody guitarist most famous as the stylistic chameleon on “Hot Rod Lincoln,” has made a lot of musical friends during 40 or so years in the business. His latest “solo” album, Word to the Wise, features duets where Kirchen—whose style has been termed “dieselbilly”—shares the spotlight with some of those musical friends. The result is sort of an awesome rock ’n’ roll review—recorded in many and various locations—with Kirchen’s Telecaster mastery at its core.  Highlights include Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack singing Everly Brothers–style on Merle Haggard’s “Shelly’s Winter Love”; Elvis Costello’s sinister, sneering vocal on the Kirchen/Johnny Castle/Austin de Lone song “Man in the Bottom of the Well”; and Dan Hicks co-writing and trading lines with Kirchen on the hot band–style title track. Other guests include Maria Muldaur, Commander Cody, Chris O’Connell and Kevin “Blackie” Farrell. You don’t have a lot of friends in the music business without losing a few, but Word to the Wise is a great tribute to those musical friendships and sessions when everything just clicks. 

Commander Cody Band, Stewart James and the Memphis Flyers- Iron Horse, Saturday, December 17^th at 7PM. A holiday week tradition! Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen arrived in San Francisco in 1969, just in time to catch the tale end of the summer of love. They were 8 pieces strong, with the Commander himself, George Frayne, on the piano, and they represented the essence of American roots music; rock and roll, red neck country, boogie-woogie, Cajun, swing/jazz, and self-penned party anthems.  Hot Rod Lincoln was a runaway hit in 1972 and Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette broke through as well. They played the legendary Fillmore Auditorium with the Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Jefferson Airplane, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin and The Eagles. They also backed up legends Gene Vincent, Link Wray and John Lennon. Their 1974 album "Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas" was named as one of Rolling Stones 100 Greatest of all time. As always, the old Commander Cody himself is behind the piano, leading the musical mayhem and controlled chaos, and sporting his legendary antics and ability to spark up even the toughest crowds.

Tickets at Northampton Box Office, 76 Main Street, 413-586-8686 and online at IHEG.com.