When it comes to blues with personality, nobody delivers quite like Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Equal parts world-class musicianship and electrifying stage presence, the award-winning band will bring their signature swagger back to Historic Folsom on Sunday afternoon, June 22 for a show that promises to shake the blues out of your bones and replace it with pure joy.
This isn’t just any band, and this certainly isn’t just another Sunday gig. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats have earned their spot at the top of the modern blues world by doing what few others can—fusing showmanship, technical skill, and heartfelt storytelling into a live performance that leaves audiences breathless and beaming. A past recipient of the Blues Music Award for Band of the Year, the group continues to sell out clubs, festivals, and theaters across the globe with their fearless blend of tradition and innovation.
Born in San Francisco in 1949, Rick Estrin grew up tough, streetwise, and independent. As a ten-year-old, he was already exploring Market Street, soaking up the sounds and energy of the city’s gritty undercurrent. It was his older sister who unwittingly changed his life, gifting him a copy of Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues. The record lit a fire in him. “I became infatuated with the music,” Estrin shared in an earlier interview . “Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed.”
By the age of 15, he had a harmonica in hand. By 18, he was playing in clubs around San Francisco, earning the respect of blues veterans. He landed his first real gigs with guitar legend Travis Phillips in a band fronted by the infamous Fillmore Slim, who introduced him to his first musical mentor, Rodger Collins. Collins taught him the ropes of show business, songwriting, and commanding a crowd—lessons Estrin carries with him to every stage to this day.
A year later, he packed his bags for Chicago, the heartland of the blues. There, he jammed with the genre’s royalty, including Muddy Waters, who reportedly told him, “You outta sight, boy! You got that sound! You play like a man!” Estrin almost hit the road with Muddy—until a missed phone call closed the door on what could’ve been a major turning point. But fate had its own plans. Back in the Bay Area, he teamed up with guitarist Charlie Baty to form Little Charlie & The Nightcats, a band that would become a blues institution. When Baty retired in 2008, Estrin reimagined the group, recruited a fiery young guitarist named Kid Andersen, and formed what is now Rick Estrin & The Nightcats.
Ask Estrin what makes his band endure, and he doesn’t hesitate: “We’re a proven commodity, but we’re also constantly evolving and growing musically. We keep generating fresh material and performing it with genuine passion and enthusiasm. Plus, we’re actually good friends. We love playing together, and I believe the audience senses that.”
Kid Andersen, born in Norway and a guitar prodigy since his teens, brings pyrotechnic solos and endless creativity to the group. A four-time solo album artist and the founder of the famed Greaseland Studios, Andersen’s work as a producer and engineer has helped shape the modern blues landscape.
On keys, Lorenzo Farrell adds a touch of depth and sophistication. A former jazz bassist turned keyboard wizard, Farrell’s organ and piano work gives the Nightcats their sonic backbone. On drums, Derrick “D’Mar” Martin is a dynamo. A showman in his own right, D’Mar spent 17 years behind the kit for Little Richard and brings that same unrelenting energy and stage power to every Nightcats show.
Together, the four-man lineup is explosive—every show unpredictable, every moment alive with color and chemistry. “We know how to put on a show,” Estrin says. “People don’t go out to see people who look like themselves. They want to see something special… I feel sorry for anyone who has to follow us.”
For Estrin, the blues is more than performance—it’s purpose. “The blues has given my life meaning, and enabled me to make my way through this life, so it naturally has influenced my view of the world,” he says. “I’ve learned that people are far more similar to each other than they are different… all people share the same needs, desires and emotions.”
That belief fuels his dedication to the audience. “The audience doesn’t need any particular artist… They may need something to provide respite from their everyday struggles, but it doesn’t have to be the Nightcats. I try to always remember that fact and appreciate what a blessing it is to be able to make a living by bringing our music to the people.”
Don’t miss this afternoon opportunity to see blues royalty live in action. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats will deliver the kind of magic that only comes from decades of hard-earned blues wisdom, brotherhood, and the pure joy of performance. Sunday’s show begins at 3:00 p.m. inside a very air conditioned Powerhouse Pub, located at 614 Sutter Street in the heart of Historic Folsom. Tickets are $20 and available now at www.powerhousepub.com. This is a 21+ event.
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