Poi Rogers’ award winning take on American roots music combines western swing, Hawaiian steel guitar and vivid storytelling. The Santa Cruz duo of Gerard Egan and Carolyn Sills will be on tour this spring/summer to celebrate the release of their second album.
"Bassist Carolyn Sills and her guitarist husband, Gerard Egan - Santa Cruz's Les Paul and Mary Ford - crank out good stories, catchy love songs and creative chord progressions that will take listeners back to vibes of the post-World-War-II era. Carolyn is the real deal of throwback country music.” - Good Times Magazine
AWARDS
2024 and 2018 Ameripolitan Award Winners
2024 Academy of Western Artists’ Western Swing Album of the Year
2020 Academy of Western Artists’ Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year
2019 Inductees to The Sacremento Western Swing Hall of Fame
TOUR DATES
ALBUM RELEASE 4.25.26
Join us at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in beautiful Santa Cruz, CA, on Saturday, April 25th, to celebrate the release of Poi Rogers' second album! We're bringing the oh so talented Grey DeLisle to town, and she'll be backed by our pals Eddie Clendening and The Blue Ribbon Boys.
More 2026 tour dates being booked/coming soon.
Click here to contact Poi Rogers about a show at your venue/home.
Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, Poi Rogers performs original and vintage American roots music, with Gerard Egan doubling on acoustic guitar and steel guitar and Carolyn Sills on standup bass.
They won the 2018 and 2024 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group (as ‘The Carolyn Sills Combo’), and Carolyn was named the Academy of Western Artists' Western Swing Female Vocalist of 2020. They performed at the 2024 Monterey Jazz Festival and are both Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame inductees. They’ve been known to occasionally perform other musicians’ material, from ZZ Top to Patsy Cline to Django Reinhardt.
What began as a fun way for the couple to explore the vintage musical styles they love turned into an in-demand touring act, with the second Poi Rogers album due out in 2026.
AWARDS/PRESS QUOTES
2024 and 2018 Ameripolitan Award Winners
2024 Academy of Western Artists’ Western Swing Album of the Year
2020 Academy of Western Artists’ Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year
2019 Inductees to The Sacremento Western Swing Hall of Fame
Carolyn wins The Academy of Western Artists’ Western Swing Female Award… a big thanks to all who voted:
“… last week I spent Thursday night at The Side Door watching the duet Poi Rogers from Santa Cruz. This talented couple provided a sundown infused with their rare mix of cowboy campfire rhythms and blazing tiki bar tenderness. The audience absolutely loved it.” - Scott Thomas Anderson, Sacramento News & Review
“Poi Rogers comes with a built in pedigree. Multi-award winners with the Carolyn Sills Combo, Inducted into the Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame and possessing a thorough knowledge and love of the many styles of music reflected in this eight track collection, they set a standard for others to strive for.” - Ritchie Ritchison for Country Music News International Magazine
‘Twilight Blues’ received an Album of the Year nomination from the International Western Music Association.
‘Twilight Blues’ jumped from #170 to #11 on the Alt Country Specialty Charts the week of 6/4/25.. and then to #2 the week of 6/25/25:
“Twilight Blues sits at the edge of the Western Swing world — less barroom, more beachfront. A little surf, a little prairie, a little salt in the air. It’s shaping up to be a mood record. A California mood, even if it doesn’t call itself that. For fans of vintage Americana, steel guitar, or modern storytelling with classic bones, this release is one to keep an eye on… - Meghan ‘Mae’ McCoy, Western Swing Society
“The punningly named duo channel 50s honky tonks and the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles with both self-penned and vintage Americana, playfulness being the keynote… a real joy, happy trails indeed.” - Mike Davies, folking.com UK (read full review here)
"Powerhouse Carolyn Sills is the real deal of throwback country music. She has enough soul, heart, style and swag to convince audiences and listeners that they may have been transported to an era where country swing rules the waves, juke joints were the place to be, and heartache had a kick like a mule... all the lonesome wails, tongue-in-cheek humor, and late night reflection you'd expect from a classic country gem." - Good Times Magazine
“Poi Rogers’ Twilight Blues jabs (“Don’t Steal My Covers”) and jukes (the title track) with effortless elegance.” - Alt Country Specialty Chart (read the full interview here)
“Sills' songs, written and produced with Gerard Egan, are an homage to jukebox Americana—tasty twang reminiscent of Merle Travis and Patsy Cline." - Monterey County NOW
"Bassist Carolyn Sills and her guitarist husband, Gerard Egan - Santa Cruz's Les Paul and Mary Ford - crank out good stories, catchy love songs and creative chord progressions that will take listeners back to vibes of the post-World-War-II era. Carolyn is the real deal of throwback country music.” - Good Times Magazine
Gerard and Carolyn’s other project, The Carolyn Sills Combo, won the 2024 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group at the legendary Moody Theater in Austin, TX. Visit www.carolynsills.com for more details
MUSIC
