Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild & Swingin’ Holiday Party

Winner of an Ameripolitan Music Award, and named the “Best Up-And-Coming Band” by New York’s Hudson Valley Magazine, Lara Hope & the Ark-Tones are the Northeast’s premier Roots Rock n’ Roll outfit! The Ark-Tones recently released their 3rd studio album in June 2021, the all-original “Here To Tell The Tale”, which has been getting rave reviews. They’ve spent much of the past few years on the road, both in Europe, and in the US, and had the pleasure of touring with some of their musical heroes, including a 6 week national tour with The Brian Setzer Orchestra, and regional tours with The Blasters, and the Reverend Horton Heat. The band has also had the privilege of supporting some of the greats, including Joan Jett, Tiger Army, Gary US Bonds, Dale Watson, Big Sandy, Wayne Hancock, The 5678’s, Jay Leno, and America, and has performed at at a variety of national festivals including Viva Las Vegas, Ink n Iron, and The Nashville Boogie. Most recently, they were invited to perform at the original site of the Woodstock Festival, Bethel Woods, for the 50th anniversary celebration, and played the same day as Ringo Starr! Matt and Lara also play as a duo, “The Gold Hope Duo”, and recently self-released a very topical album called “Songs In The Key Of Quarantine”, which is now available worldwide.

Describing their sound, Hope explained “I would say we are a new take on an old sound. It’s been described as ‘pan-americana’ which means we use many areas of early rock and roots music as a creative launchpad. Where it goes from there is anyone’s guess, because while we appreciate old music, we don’t want to write songs that have already been written.

They’ve built a great network of venues in the US by touring heavily, and like many American bands, they have gained supportive fans and excellent press overseas as well. Hope was featured on the cover of UK Rock n’ Roll magazine, and New York’s Ulster Magazine, amongst others. Born from a hybrid of Lara’s former band The Champtones, and upright bassist Matt’s international psychobilly act, The Arkhams, The Ark-Tones hit the ground running in 2012 and haven’t slowed down since. The band is also known for their visually arresting videos – “Whiskey Pick” (from their debut album) and “I’m the One” were official selections in the Woodstock Film Festival