* The Bull Run Presents: Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez

Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez

8-30-2014 (Sawtelle Room)

This queen of blue-eyed rock n’ soul, who grew up loving equally the sweetness of a Memphis horn line and the raunch of an electric guitar riff, whether played by Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, or Pop Staples, teased her blonde hair into a beehive in honor of Ronnie Spector and never looked back, picking up a guitar and forging a career as a songwriter in the process. She’s the current, long-time vocalist with the Saturday Night Live Band, whose latest CD, 2010’s "The Deep End," was honored on five national Top Ten lists and features special guests/duet partners Ian Hunter, Dion DiMucci, and Marshall Crenshaw, plus Levon Helm, GE Smith, Andy York, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, Catherine Russell, Big Al Anderson, and others.
Ohlman’s legendary voice and stage presence (she’s known as “The Beehive Queen” for her towering blonde hairdo) have most recently been featured at the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Concert in Cleveland (filmed by HBO) the Carnegie Hall tribute to the Rolling Stones, the 2012 WC Handy Festival (where she was the special guest of the Blind Boys Of Alabama), and The Little Kids Rock NYC concert honoring Little Steven Van Zandt (onstage with Springsteen, vanZandt and Southside Johnny Lyon), as well as on SNL’s 25th Anniversary telecast; Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Bash at The Garden (with George Harrison, Chrissie Hynde, and others); the Obama Inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C.; The Lincoln Center “American Songbook” series with Sting, Lou Reed and Van Dyke Parks; and the Central Park Summerstage Tribute To Janis Joplin (where she fronted both Big Brother & The Holding Company and the Kozmic Blues Band).
She appears on Grammy nominees A Tribute To Howlin’ Wolf (with Taj Mahal and Lucinda Williams) and Charlie Musselwhite’s One Night In America (with Marty Stuart); sings the theme song for NBC’s 30 Rock; worked on a musical with the late Cy Coleman (who compared her sense of timing to Peggy Lee’s); duets live with friends like the aforementioned Miss Spector, Mac Rebennack (a private evening of duets in 2011 followed his inducution into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame).
“I’ve come here tonight to set your souls on fire,” she’ll tell an audience. And she will.

“You may not know Christine Ohlman by name, but you surely know the beehive haired blonde by sign and sound, from her regular stint as vocalist in the Saturday Night Live Band. Truth is, those 15-second musical stingers after the comedy bits don’t do her justice. On her own, Ohlman is one terrific, tough-as-nails singer and songwriter, mixing up hook-happy, hum-along rock , blues and pop originals with the kind of panache I haven’t enjoyed since Bette Midler was working the cabaret circuit.” - Rick Selvin

Watch clips from last year's show: HERE  and   HERE