On April 1, 2026, I left work early to head to Sebastopol, California. The event of the evening was Robbie Fulks with Jenny Scheinman and the debut of Slowstring, an awesome duet. The evening, once again hosted by KC Turner at the Hopmonk Sebastopol, was a night not to be missed.
Slowstring was first up, and this was their first show ever featuring Jimbo Scott and Sarah Ryan. They started off with a fantastic song that whipped the crowd up. Then they told the tale of how they got together and eventually formed the band. Following that up was “The Vessel”, an awesome song that had everyone swaying in their seats. That song was mellow and touching as they played, and it was a hit with the audience.
The next two songs were fabulous as they played through them. The first of the two was written on Jimbo’s birthday, which is the day after Christmas. It is about the sadness that many people feel at that time of year. The second song was Sarah singing lead, and it was tremendous as she jammed through it.
The next song started out with a story about Jimbo’s second son. He eventually got to the point where they were heading out of town and passing through a different town. He told his son this is where Sarah lives. His son took a minute and said, mommy’s a girl, and Sarah’s a lady. The crowd cracked up. Anyway, the next song was the dadist song he wrote called “Any Time”. It was about his devotion and love for his kids.
The next song was supposed to be an ambient folk song, but turned out to be more of a rock song. Woops! A fabulous song, nevertheless. For the last song of their set, they invited Robbie up on stage they broke into a terrific version of “Sitting on A Rainbow.” That song was amazing as they played it, and before we knew it, they were done.
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Jimbo Scott – guitar, vocals
Sarah Ryan – guitar, vocals
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When Robbie Fulks hit the stage, he was joined by Jenny Scheinman. They opened with “Change,” and that song set the tone. It was a terrific song that the crowd loved. From there, they played an interesting song with Jenny playing lead on. It was a killer song that eventually had words, but regardless, it didn’t need them. It was truly special, and the audience agreed.
The next song was “The Buck Starts Here.” That song was impressive, even better than the one on vinyl, which was pretty good. Starting the next song, he sang a little song about Sebastopol that he got wrong at first, but the audience corrected him. It was a huge laugh. The song the intro was for was “I Just Lived the Country Song,” and it was awesome. The songs he played were concise and determined, and had a mood to them.
“I’ll Trade You Money For Wine” followed that one up. That song brought back a bunch of memories, and I can’t say it was a good thing, but the song was excellent. They played that song like it was directed right at me. The next song was “Goin’ To the City,” which the first 2/3 of it was all true. It was a fantastic song as they played through it, using microphone techniques to achieve certain effects.
The following song used teddy bears and the Pink Panther as influences. That song featured Jenny up front and Robbie as accompaniment. The next song was “Savannah Is a Devilish Girl,” and that song was amazing. Following that one up was “30-Year Marriage.” A song about a person who has been married for thirty years and the things they go through. That was a mellow song with a theme that seemed harder than the music.
That song was the complete opposite of the next song, “Let’s Kill Saturday Night”. That song was upbeat, and the crowd was into it. I was especially into it as that song appeared on my setlist in my truck. It’s an amazing song that everyone should listen to at least once. The next song in the set was “Tears Only Run One Way.” It was fantastic, with a driving beat.
The next song was a request and was titled “I Like Being Left Alone”, and had a wonderful set of lyrics to it. The second request was “Seventies Jesus,” and that song really got the crowd boogieing and laughing. From there, he told us about revisiting contemporary Christian music and how he had once loved it, and he was delving back into it lately. You had to be there because it was really funny.
The next song, “Poor & Sharp Witted,” was about America and hit all the checkboxes for a hit. The song is a bonified tribute to America and a hit. Following that was “One Glass of Whiskey,” another fantastic song. I think I have a few more songs to add to my playlist; they were that good. The evening was coming to an end when they played “Drink Up and Go Home” by Bobby Bare. A song they made in 1969 is just as current today as it was back then. It was a wonderful song choice.
Well, that was to be their last song, but everyone in attendance kept cheering, so they came out and played one more song. When they came back onstage, they did a plug for the merch table and everything they had for sale. The final song of the evening was “Longhair Bluegrass,” and it had a kick that made the whole audience happy. And with that one being done, they headed off to the merch table, where they had a great chat with everyone who chose to stand in line.
Follow Robbie Fulks and Jenny Scheinman on social media
Robbie Fulks – guitar, vocals
Jenny Scheinman – violin, vocals
Follow Slowstring on social media
Follow Robbie Fulks on social media
