The Hugh Pool Band
The Hugh Pool Band has a residency here at 11th St. Bar on the third Thursday of each month unless Hugh’s out of town rocking the rest of America. Hugh is a musician, songwriter, producer, and member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame who plays guitar in a unique style that melds traditional Delta blues, country music and classic and psychedelic rock and roll. His instrument of choice is a National Steel Triolian, a resonator guitar somewhat like a Dobro, played with a spark plug wrench through an Ibanez TS-9 overdrive pedal and a Dunlop Dyna comp compressor. He also plays Harmonica, Banjo, Lap Steel, Mandolin, sings and plays standard electric guitars. He is joined by Ken Rich on Bass and either Keith Robinson or James Wormsworth on drums. www.HughPool.com
11th St Bar510 E 11th St, New York 10009
The Hugh Pool Band brings its monthly third-Thursday residency to 11th St. Bar as a trio. Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Hugh Pool is joined by bassist Ken Rich and either Keith Robinson or James Wormsworth on drums. Pool’s sets draw together traditional Delta blues, country, and classic and psychedelic rock and roll. Expect his National Steel Triolian resonator guitar to be a focal point: he plays it with a spark-plug wrench through overdrive and compression pedals, alongside a repertoire of harmonica, banjo, lap steel, mandolin and electric guitar.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pool came to New York at 20 and has become a member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame. He is also a founding member of the blues duo Mulebone with John Ragusa. A profile describes his music as a “backwoods amalgam of rock, country & blues” marked by “New York noise-damage.” Red Hook Star-Revue called him “a hero and a legend in New York,” and portrayed his live playing as a “long-haired, National guitar-picking, slide-screaming, harmonica-through-amplifier” force. Time Out calls Pool a “Brooklynite and blues-rock veteran,” praising his solo work on the National guitar; a review quoted by Mulebone calls him “a terrific guitarist.”
A basement club in the East Village, 11th St Bar is a steady fixture for live music, hosting regular house band sets and long-running residencies. The room is a modest space where the audience sits on wooden benches, close enough to hear every note from the front row. Shows typically run from 8:30 PM to 11:00 PM, with multiple sets and a relaxed, conversational atmosphere. The bar is present, offering drinks to accompany the music, and the evening is a night out where people listen, talk, and share in the energy of the performers. It's a place where local musicians play with authenticity and warmth, and the audience is there to experience the music, not just watch it.