Laura Benitez & the Heartache, Trans Pecos Dept of Dust & Wire, Ex-Juncos

Singer/guitarist Jill Rogers and drummer Andrew K. Lau came to Ex-Juncos from very different backgrounds - Rogers as the singer with the highly regarded Bay Area honky-tonk band Crying Time, as well as vocalist for Orchestra Nostalgico, and her own little big band Imperial Jazz Co. Lau’s experience was in the post-punk and noise scene in Minneapolis with Zapruder's Slungshot and Fly Republic. In Ex-Juncos, those different backgrounds are burned away, leaving behind grounded, roomy melodies, static and noise, unusual percussion, occasional odd time signatures, and pointed words.

Equally at home playing fuzz-core songs in local clubs, creating improvised soundscapes with dual guitar feedback in experimental spaces, or playing knee-to-knee with acoustic guitar and washboard, Ex-Juncos exemplifies adaptability and transformation.

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Laura Benitez, songwriter, lead singer and founder of Laura Benitez and the Heartache, has been making her mark on stage and screen since 2000. She spent several years appearing in soap operas and commercials in Los Angeles before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004, diving into the region’s rich Americana and Roots music scenes. Taking her musical cues from the heavily rock influenced Bakersfield sound, and her lyric inspiration from her favorite songwriters Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, Laura began writing songs in 2008. The band released their 4th studio album, California Centuries, in 2022, and in 2023 played at Mill Valley Music Festival as well as opening for Pacos and the Rooftops, Taylor Rae and Dale Hollow.

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Trans Pecos Department Of Dust And Wire, born of the high desert and the low roads, create music inspired by the landscape of the inbetweens. Their Americana-based sound, tinged with 60’s soul and classic country evokes the sounds of Bakersfield and summers in Austin circa 1974.

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