Kelly's Lot plays roadhouse rockin' blues with a sound that is upbeat, heartfelt and fun. The band was formed in 1995 by singer Kelly Zirbes after years of songwriting and playing solo. Kelly Z, a folk singer with a heart for rock and blues, recorded her first demo CD, "Kelly's Lot", with J. Peter Robinson, composer and former keyboard player for Phil Collins and The J. Geils Band. Working with Peter and manager Alex Rylance was the inspiration Kelly needed to actually pursue music as more than just a hobby. Kelly was always a late bloomer and music was no exception. "with age comes fearless confidence or maybe it was a little bit of 'life is too short'. Next 3 CDs were LIVE, 'Live at The Troubadour'. 'Stop And Make A Difference' and 'Trio'. During that time Kelly and the lot headlined local festivals, toured regionally and went on 2 national tours. Many USA radio stations, traditional, college and internet have played their CDs. The next 2 releases 'Come To This' and 'The Light' were played in Europe and sold worldwide. Playing for charity became a norm for the band starting in 1999 after Kelly realized that music and giving made a good match. Kelly's Lot has been featured on many media outlets for her music and for the charity work she has embraced. These include ABC Perspectives, Channel 4 in Milwaukee, Rock City News, LA times, Pasadena Weekly, Independent Songwriter Magazine, Mixdown Magazine, The Debra Duncan Show, Good Morning Texas, The Gordon Keith show and Fox TV Houston. Many of Kelly's Lot fans are blues lovers and they kept encouraging her to play more blues. Kelly started composing music that fit that genre which was a natural for the band as well as the roadhouse and southern rock that Texan, guitar player and co-writer Perry Robertson added. In 2008 'The Light' was released which showcased a variety of styles the band is known for. Three years in the making and playing lots of gigs during that time tested the band and it's members. With bills to pay and families being made the love of music took a back seat but eventually won the battle and the band survived. Their next release in 2009, Pastrami and Jam, included a list of covers the band enjoys playing. It was never meant to be a CD, just a casual get together to help a friend. But the magic spoke for itself and a CD was made. After booking more blues festivals including The Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland Oregon, the Big Fish Blues Festival, Maxson Roadhouse, The Santa Clarita Blues Festival, the Pasadena Blues Festival it was a natural direction for Kelly Z and the band to go down a more full time blues path. Never forgetting her roots, folk and rock are blended to make the blues this band is known for. "I'm excited to do more traditional blues but I will not abandon my style on the journey. There's room for it all.
Matt McFadden on bass and Robert Dill on drums add the signature rhythm and Rob Zucca adds the tasty licks on guitar. Recently they have opened for Tommy Castro, Shemekia Copeland, Marcia Ball, John Mayall, Curtis Salgado and have hosted a couple blues events for charity including one for the City Of Hope in August 2011. With the help of European fans and friends they toured across Belgium and France the last 3 years and recorded a live CD from Brussels, BE. It was just released in October 2011 while the band plans their 4th European journey.
