Wow. We still can't believe this one. Two iconic singer-songwriters visit the Tree House on April 1st--and we ain't fooling. 

John Doe, founder of the seminal LA punk band X, is one of the most influential figures in American alternative rock. He’d always had a soft spot for country music, though, and after X broke up he began to explore a more roots rocks, alt-country direction. In 1990, he debuted the eminently satisfying Meet John Doe, which garnered worldwide acclaim. Another standout was 2005's Forever Hasn't Happened Yet, of which Rolling Stone said, "John Doe proves again that this punk legend/journeyman actor can still make great music." Two years later came A Year in the Wilderness, and in typical John Doe fashion its 12 tracks feature an array of guest appearances, including first time collaborations with Aimee Mann, Kathleen Edwards, and Jill Sobule. Entertainment Weekly calls his work "rip-roarin' and warm-hearted," and Q deems it "the tightest, finest, and most morally acute music of the last 20 years."

Jill Sobule writes folk-inflected compositions that alternate between ironic, story-driven character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s songwriters as Warren Zevon, Loudon Wainwright III, Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. Over two decades of recording—yes, there has been life after “I Kissed a Girl,” her chart topping 1996 single—the Denver-born singer-songwriter has tackled such topics as the death penalty, anorexia, shoplifting, reproduction, the French resistance movement, adolescence, and the Christian right. Jill is at her best in front of an audience; she's funny, personable, and incredibly musically adept. Over the years, she’s shared the stage with the likes of Neil Young, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, and Warren Zevon. Quite the serious guitar player, she even toured the world as lead guitarist in Lloyd Cole's band a few years back. In the words of New York Times music critic Jon Pareles, "Jill Sobule can claim her place among the stellar New York singer-songwriters of the last decade. Topical, funny and more than a little poignant...grown-up music for an adolescent age."

John and Jill's new collaboration is entitled A Day at the Pass, and you can buy and listen to their songs at either www.jillsobule.com or www.thejohndoe.com. We owe a big thanks to Tree House friend David Corn, who made this show possible.