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Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.facebook.com
Sounds Like: Janis Joplin, Grace Slick
Genre: Blues
Kelly's Lot was formed in 1994 by Kelly Zirbes, a folk singer/songwriter with a heart for the blues. They are known for lifting up their audiences with an energetic connection created by the music and the lyrics. With 17 CDs and lots of touring in the USA and Europe, the band celebrates 30 years since the first night the band hit the stage at the Roxy in Hollywood. Kelly Z met Texas guitar player and sound man, Perry Robertson in 1996, who soon after produced ‘Kelly’s Lot - Live at the Troubadour’. Within a year he joined the band, started writing songs with Kelly Z and added the Southern Rock and Texas Blues influences that have helped shape the Kelly's Lot sound. In the last 10 years they have played some of the larger festivals like BeachLife Ranch, Waterfront Blues Festival, Happy Face Music Festival, Simi Valley Cajun and Blues Festival, Oxnard Jazz Festival and in Europe, Nuits de Sologne and Lavaudieu Music Festival. Perry has recorded and produced all of the band’s music including studio and live albums, acoustic and electric. In 2023 Kelly and ‘The Lot’ released a single with keyboard player/singer Mo Beeks called ‘I Gotta Sing The Blues’ which inspired their 2024 album, ‘The Blues Remind Me’, a release with lots of heart, horns and riffs! In 2025 they returned again to their rootsy Folk/Rock spirit with a new album, Late Bloomer, with lyrics that tell of a struggle and a hope for a better world. In the last couple years Kelly’s Lot has brought their music to folks in Texas, France, Ireland, Croatia and Switzerland and a lot of shows in their home base of Southern California. In 2026, they will tour with a 4WD version of Kelly’s Lot, a four piece band that includes Matt McFadden on Bass, Mike Sauer on Drums, Perry Robertson on Guitar and Kelly Z, ‘singing her heart out’. Like always, they'll be playing lots of original Blues and Americana styles to create an eclectic mix of fun. Stay tuned, they are just getting started after 30 years.
“See more reviews at Kelly's Lot DOT COM!”
Kelly's Lot
“Kelly is a yet to be ‘discovered’ California treasure, making her way doing what she loves doing. I know it sounds cliche’d but it’s true. Watch or listen to this girl sing and you’ll know I’m not making it up. Her concerts are more fun than a slinky and a staircase……. A lot of what they play doesn’t fit the traditional ‘blues’ genre stereotype but a lot of what they play doesn’t fit ANY genre stereotype and if you ask me it’s a refreshing sound which satisfies my inner rock ‘n’ roll beast as well as soothing my old man on the porch need for soul, rhythm and blues. - See more at: http://kellyslot.com/press/#sthash.7d7USmtn.dpuf”
Casey Reagan - Blues-E-News
““Slowly moving towards their 20th year of existence, the American quintet ‘Kelly’s Lot’ has released twelve new songs in a broad variety of music genres around the core style of blues. Lead singer and songwriter Kelly Zirbes and co-writer and guitarist Perry Robertson are begging us ‘Don’t Give My Blues Away’ on their 9th record and they can rest assured: we won’t (at least not as long as their blues is that good)” -”
Rootstime
““Woman’s Love” begins with a beautiful slow blues guitar solo, setting up a melancholy scene of heartbreak and despair. Kelly sings of her torment, the guitars and saxophone take turns piercing your soul. The band shows us they could be from Chicago on “Right Now.” A big helping of horns, Just as I turned off the oven, the band broke into “Boom, Boom, Boom.” The song is going to be the band’s big hit this year, I’m sure. The arrangement is big and bouncy, like Kelly’s Lot likes to do... That’s what makes Kelly’s Lot so entertaining...”
Maria Adkins - Blues-E-News
“This album rocks. There's pop power where it's needed, and the still beating heart of the front porch folk song when nothing else will do. Kelly's vocals have never been better. I think she nails it from the heart.”
Billy Bunker - Billy Bunker's Reviews
“Kelly's Lot latest release, The Light, is filled with 10 amazing tracks that will leave you wanting more, much more! The title song The Light is stuck in my head and if you must have a song stuck in your head, it should be a Kelly's Lot song.”
Madalyn Sklar - GoGirlsMusic.com
