Tommy Ray and the Rayguns Jezebel's Jukebox I don’t know where the hell these guys came from, but boy are they turning some heads.  We first caught a glimpse of Tommy Ray and the Rayguns at Elvisfest.  Not many bands get our attention these days, especially since everybody and his brother is jumping on the rockabilly bandwagon and the kustom culture in general.   It was nice to find a new, enthusiastic band that actually has rockabilly in mind and knows that you can’t put billy on the end of the word suck and make it work. We were so happy with their sound and performance, we invited them to play the Rockabilly BBQ.  Hell, judging from the crowd response, we made a good decision.  I was even happier to get my hands on their debut CD, Jezebel’s Jukebox. So here goes. Jezebel’s Jukebox kicks off with an anthem that sticks with all of us called Rockabilly Girl.  Based on a true story, this loveabilly, upbeat thumper gives homage to the fact that you can love her, but you just can’t keep her.  “Rockabilly girl loves me all night long.  When I wake up in the morning she’s rockabilly gone,”
singer Tommy Ray declares.  Devil By Your Side is a creeper that crawls into you soul by pointing out the reasons why not to run with the devil. From here, Jezebel’s Jukebox kicks up the pace with Women and Alcohol.  This gasoline-fueled drinker puts the emphasis on why what happens happens when you are dealing with chicks and liquor, as the super-talented Scotty Gates drives this ditty home, riding his Gretsch all the way. The rest of this up-and-coming, kick ass band is rounded out by rhythm guitarist Chris Gillikin, Badger on the doghouse and Rusty Cloninger pounding out aggressions on the skins.  It’s been a long time since Charlotte has had a new band chocked full of passionate musicians and that passion shows in Jezebel’s Jukebox. 4th and Vine is a morbid, surfabilly psycho-rage about loving someone so much that you cut out her heart and set that bitch in the corner.   The rhythm boys really keep this gravedigger within the trenches as the guitar duo hammers the nails in the coffin.  Original Sin grabs a hold of us as an upbeat and treacherous killer as Tommy Ray states, “ I’ve seen the face of Satan and you look a lot like him” as he ponders the beauty and behavior of a beautiful woman. Jezebel’s Jukebox rounds out with a fantastic cover of Ring Of Fire done more like Social Distortion’s cover of Johnny Cash’s version.  Whatever the case, this version rocks!  And so does this band!  But just like that, the CD was over and it was Rockabilly Gone.  Pick up your copy of Jezebel’s Jukebox at http://www.myspace.com/tommyraytherayguns. Mark 7/2/08
Lords of the Highway Rarities Lords of the Highway from Cleveland, Ohio have been tearin' up asphalt since 1992, bringing you hillbilly punk rock that knocks ya flat, runs ya over, and doesn't look back. The Lords have hauled along the highway from NYC's CBGB's to honky tonk dives in the hills, playing with the likes of Reverend Horton Heat, Southern Culture on the Skids, Hank III, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Dick Dale, Nekromantix, Tiger Army, El Vez, Hasil Adkins, Lee Rocker, Ray Condo, and many others - not to mention countless of kick ass punk bands. I was more than happy to get my hands on their latest release, Rarities, a compilation of songs that never made it to the Lord’s CD.  Some of these songs were used for movie soundtracks, others didn’t fit the mojo of the current album, but are damn good tunes that deserved to be heard.
The CD kicks off with Johnny Nemeth’s Lounge.  This upbeat rockapunkabilly ass-kicker is a tribute to good times with good friends.  Next up the Lord’s take the Dave Dudley classic 6 Days on the Road and drive spikes into it.  This little ditty has never had so much energy injected into it.  The CD continues with hard driving truckstop detours like the humorous 40 Acres. Although the CD chews up and regurgitates the 50’s lifestyle, it still maintains the retro charm in it’s recording and delivery.  Songs like Claudette Rock and Montana Joe are ghostly reminders of bad ass mofos that are presented on a vintage platter. Rarities kicks into 6th gear with Ready to Rock.  This shaker drags you down the highway like a muffler hanging out from under a beat up pick-up truck; sparks ensue.  This collection of oddities and favorites rounds out with Rebel Yell.  Billy only wishes he could have hammered out such a version. I have been a big fan of Lords of the Highway for years, so I was very excited to get the CD and book them at this year’s Rockabilly BBQ!  Pick up your copy of Rarities and a crapload of kick ass Lords of the Highway CDs at LordOfTheHighway.com and whatever you do, don’t miss this national act at this year’s Rockabilly BBQ. Mark 04/13/08
Straight 8s Never Return To Me The 8s finally return to us and give us a new CD.  And what an album they crafted!  The Straight 8s outdid themselves with this evil concoction.  On Never Return To Me, the 8’s draw the curtains and dim the lights and climb out of the darkness like we have never experienced. Don’t get me wrong; it’s still straight up rockabilly, still straight up good music and still straight up Straight 8’s.  This time it’s just darker. Never Return To Me comes alive with On Your Knees, the first sign that things are different this go around.  This upbeat, browbeating track lays the rules down to what kind of relationship this really is.  As singer/guitarist Robert Striegler explains, “It’s not as complicated as I anticipated”,
and that sums up the just of this love song.  Never Return kicks into I Wanna Know.  This percussion driven hate song confesses the evils of love and the victory of knowing that you don’t need the drama and find yourself asking. “I wanna know that you still hate me,” Striegler angrily asks as King of all Drummers, Bernie Fox, pounds out the aggressions of love on his stripped-down, stand-up kit.  Bassist Pat McGraw wrecks the house, pound for pound, right beside Fox. The Straight 8’s have commanded the East Coast rockabilly scene for a reason.  Their style, energy and abilities are unmatched and Never Return To Me drives the point home.  A darker side of the 8 moves in with King of Fools.  Anger, emotion and drive make this (my favorite track) the cornerstone of the 8s new sound.  “I wish for everything, but what remains”, Striegler denounces.  If you have been a lover of the 8’s, this new sickboy attitude will only make things better.  Damn, what an album! Along with the shade, comes the sun and the good ol’ 8’s attitude.  With songs like Rockhouse & Go-Go Juice, they leave no rocks unturned as they shove the one’s from the 50’s into the fire.  Misunderstood, is a future classic as the 8’s hammer the beat into your face.  Damn, what an album! As the album closes with the above-mentioned Go-Go Juice, I just started the damn thing over, sent them an email to invite them to the Rockabilly BBQ, kicked back and listened again.   Pick up your copy of Never Return To Me at www.Straight8s.com and don’t miss them at the Rockabilly BBQ June, 7th 2008!
The Bo-Stevens A Little More Road The greatest voice in honky tonk is back with his band of outlaws for a kick ass new album, A Little More Road.  With this disc Richard Boyd and the Bo-Stevens break the 2nd album curse, where # 2 is usually never quite as good as the 1st.  Road kicks off Honky Tonk Saturday Night, a twanger, a dancer and an up-beat ditty about honky tonkin’ with your girl.  This kick-off song is just a slight introduction to the updated and more professional Bo-Stevens sound. I Need A Drink is a classic country song about drinking and heartache that puts you in the mind of listening to country music in the 1970’s while riding in the car with your dad on a Saturday morning.  It is heart felt, damned good music. One More Town, the albums mantra, is a long distant drive towards home and honey.  “One more town between me and you dear. A little more road, baby, I’ll be through,” Boyd serenades.

The Bo-Stevens unique sound is a formula due to their unique blend of musicians.  Stage right stands Greg Bell on the HulaCaster.  Greg’s unique twangy riffs are part of the Bo-Stevens supersound.  Mark Peurifoy plays timekeeper with the beautiful and talented Billie Feather as she gracefully hammers out the bass in yo’ face.  The uber-talented Jeff Shu on pedal steel and mandolin rounds out the group.

A Little More Road continues with Happy Faces, a song I would swear was taken from my autobiography and I may sue for copyright infringements, but I doubt it.  Happy Faces is a fast strumming insight into a man that is has been wearing a mask for years.  “I just can’t smile no more, my heart is aching.  My spirit is gone and I’m tired of faking,” Boyd sighs.  This album is packed with emotions and will make the skeletons in your closet get up and dance.  The honky tonk ensues with more classic tracks hell bent on hell raising and paying for those sins.

Then comes the suckerpunch of the album when track 12 hits the air.  Beautiful Ms. Billie takes center stage as she strides across her doghouse, which is bigger than she is, in Honky Tonk Woman.  Her ghostly, angelic twang explains to us why this little honky tonk woman needs a rock and roll man.  “No CEO will ever hold my hand, you see I’m a honky tonk woman who only takes a rock and roll man, “ Billie explains.  After years of Mr. Boyd swooning all the women at the Bo-Steven’s live shows; this is the time when all the men get their revenge as we all stand still, mouths agape, staring in awe at Ms. Billie.  That’s what he gets.

The masterpiece of the CD is Lace, a grisly tale of love and murder where vengeance is had from beyond the grave.  I stand and yell “BRAVO” as the Bo-Stevens reach a whole new level of musicianship with this gravely crawler.

A Little More Road spins to an end with Satisfied.  Satisfied has on old school country feel with a driving guitar sound.  It gives you a toe-tapping, head-nodding feeling that you just bought the best country album of 2008.

The killing continues as Hot Rod Man comes into the rearview as I fight to get out of its way.  Addison & Turbo tear past me as the tempo builds into a punk classic-style drive train.  “Now call the law and tell them what you saw,” Mug declares.  Speed Demon piles on with its hardcore guitar crunch and a fast-tempo kiss-my-ass pledge, while Big V-8 is the CD’s premier track that hands you a fistful of guitar-laden, stop & go slut-mobile tribulations.

My favorite track, Slant Six, takes over the road with over-bearing power and heavy ass punch.  The sexual innuendos fly as Slant Six takes on a whole new meaning.  The CD rounds off with Continental Ghost and it leaves me wanting more.

Fortunately, we landed the Hot Rods for the Queen City Meltdown on Oct. 20^th at the World Famous Milestone Club in Charlotte.  This way you can see this outrageous band of hellions for yourself.  In the mean time, pick up you copy of Super Sport at Myspace.com/thehotrodsband.

The Droptops
The Droptops

  You know what is great?  True rockabilly.  You know what’s even better?  To finally get your hands on a traditional rockabilly album from a kick-ass band.  After so many garage bands tag their style as some sort of billy just to get attention, I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of the self-entitled album from Maryland’s The Droptops.

  The Droptops kick off their stunning album with, Where There’s Smoke.  This upbeat thumper takes you on a pleasure ride into the pick-up scene were you are making eyes with the bettie from across the room and then some.   From there the upbeat pace continues with Rock! Rock! Rock!.  The driving bass and drums on Rock! Rock! Rock! keep your hips shakin’ and toes tappin’ as The Droptops throw you around like a rag doll.

  The thing that makes The Droptops so unique is that they are comprised of 66.3% females.  Lead singer & bass killer, Johnny Bozarth has a true vintage style in his sound, both vocally and slapping.  His crooning is very retro, but his intentions are very right here, right now.  Elizabeth takes her Gretsch and shows you that chicks do indeed rock.  Where and how she came up with such a unique sound, all the while maintaining the traditional rockabilly feel, is a mystery to me.  Finally we get to Christine, the backbone of this rockabilly trio.  Nice, clean and pristine.  She pops and snaps The Droptops into their retro style.

  The album spins on with more of the 50’s vibe, bouncing from song to song ranging from love sickness to love meanness.  She’s My Baby rattles in with as fast-paced love song, while Back With My Baby is more of a mid-tempo honky tonk-ish road rash ditty.  The Droptops are all over the road, yet keep it right inside the lines and keep their style true to the music.

  By the time When You Go comes around, I’m getting sad because the CD is almost over.  I won’t drone on and on about The Droptop’s unique sound or keep letting their secrets out.  But I will say we saw this band 2 years ago at the MobTown Greaseball and we were super-excited that they wanted to play the BBQ 07.  Lucky you, you get to see them in all their glory!  Before the BBQ, pick up a copy of The Droptops at www.thedroptops.com.  This is a swinging band and Charlotte loves to swing.  Get ready!

The Tremors
Invasion of the Saucermen

Something fell out of the sky today and it wasn’t part of a dilapidated space station.  It wasn’t some object from a rickety old plane.  It was truly a UFO. That is what I thought until I ripped it open.  There I was holding an object with hints of the past, yet laden with futuristic visions.  Yep, it was the new Tremors CD, Invasion of the Saucermen.

  The Tremors have stepped up to the microphone and taken their upbeat, grownup punkabilly mixed with retro-horror rockabilly to a new level.  Saucermen kicks off with World War III Boogie.  In traditional Tremors style, Slim, Jimmy and Stretch reintroduce themselves to the masses with this hopped-up instrumental.

  The self-entitled track invades the airwaves next.  Invasion of the Saucermen is a doghouse driven, fear for you life, ass-kicking testament to the little men in the sky.  Somatose makes it’s way through the cosmos knocking you out of your chair.  This drug-laden ditty pays tribute to all the things, legal and illegal, that make us all feel good and giddy about life.  This is just one of many songs that really make this CD a must-have!

Let me introduce you to the infamous Tremors.  Slim Perkins is one of the Southeast’s most notorious and notable doghouse destroyers.  Stretch Armstrong stands tall and strong as one of the best drummers on the circuit.  Rounding off this cult of personalities is the mastermind of this futuristic, 1950’s crowd-eating band, Jimmy Tremor.  Jimmy’s unmistakable, frantic voice and manic style make this band a powerhouse of subhuman proportions.  Catch them live and you’ll know what I mean.

  Slim takes control of the situation with, Atomic Jesus.  This double-time anthem plays tribute to a nuclear savior destroying and saving lives at the same time.  Slim does an excellent job for his debut behind the mike and the boys pile in for the joyride.  (I Ain’t No) Two Timin’ Man spins by as very upbeat explanation of the touring lifestyle and the devotion to keeping the little man in your pants when you have a little Bettie at home.  “We keep blasting out our crazy rockin’ songs, I’m having fun but just can’t wait to bring myself back home”, Jimmy clarifies.  This is one of the standout tunes on this saucer.

This gang of degenerates brings it down a notch with the rockabilly ditty, Treat Me Right. Treat Me Right captures the rhythm and stylin’ that the Tremors bring to the scene and the superb songmanship that goes on at their planet.  Shaken’ From Seizures is one of my faves as Jimmy and the boys get into the groove of the music and gives you the album’s toe-tapping icing on the cake.

I’m not going to ruin the rest of this CD for you.  I will say that it is a rare occasion that a band can top their debut CD.  But the Tremors pull it off, keeping it real and in that same loveable Tremor’s fashion, all the way down to the 3-D artwork on the album.  Somewhere, Hank, Elvis and Joey are all standing around nodding to the rocking sounds of Tremors.

Hearts and Daggers
A Home For My Lonely Tears

My first glimpse of Hearts and Daggers was at the Honky Tonk Hoedown.  It was their first time in Charlotte and I didn’t know what to expect.  What I got was a lesson in a good ol’ fashion outlaw country ass whuping.  Their upbeat, yet downtrodden honky tonk stole the show, but I didn’t really get the full tilt until they handed me a CD.

A Home For My Lonely Tears kicks off with Desperado’s Lullabye.  It was this song that sold me on singer, Kevin Wolfe’s unique voice.  If I have to put it into words, think honky tonk Violent Femmes.  His nasal, sometimes purposely off-key vocal stylings bring a whole new twist to the old honky tonk game; a very welcomed change. Desperado’s Lullabye has an old west guitar crawl, complements of Jason Bulter, where a desperate soul accepts death as opposed to living in hell with a woman that brings dark and lonely thoughts.   This hate anthem is in all of our darkest thoughts.

From there, What It Means To Cry takes a turn to the bottom of heartbreak.  “I’ll take the truck and my worn out luck and just get to gettin’ gone,” Wolfe proclaims.  What It Means To Cry is laced with the angelic honky tonk, back-up voice of Christy Smith from Nola Band fame, and is Wolfe’s Bonnie to his Clyde.  Their lonely duo about loss and love is a mid-tempo, slow-tempo, up-tempo farewell to love.  This is by far my favorite track on the EP.

The Daggers could not pull off their hard-driving honky tonk sound without the excellent backbone hammerings of Steve Judge on the catfish bass and Marshall Miller on drums.  This duo keeps this Raleigh supergroup headstrong.

Black Smoke fills the room as the CD continues on.  More of Butler’s guitar sounds drive this movin’-on song as the Wolfe/Smith team continues their honky tonk farewells in unison.  “Let the devil take my mind before I see you again,” Wolfe proclaims.  This dancer keeps the rhythm up and the mind-state down.  It is a train journey to nowhere.

Waltz #7 comes around the bend slow and steady with more angelic harmonies via a drunken night leaving sorrow and pain behind and finding happiness in dreams.  The musicianship in the Daggers really shines out on this track.  Their ability to reach another level of outlaw honky tonk is proven in Waltz #7.

Sadly, the EP comes to an end with John Harper’s Heartbreak.  This tribute song to outlaw John Harper and his heists, his journey to Mexico, and leaving his family behind only further proves that Hearts and Daggers versatility is something to behold.  Their own brand of honky tonk is long overdue and well needed.  I’ve listened to this album over and over again, and I can’t think of a reason to stop.  Someone make it stop!

Pick up your copy of A Home For My Lonely Tears at www.HeartsAndDaggers.com. They’ll be back!

The Flat Tires
Gettin’ Nowhere Fast

  I remember being stunned.  I was off balance and confused.  Did that really just happen or had I dreamed it up?  Had I just lived through a brush with death, or did I just stumble away from a Flat Tires show?  That is the way I felt 22 seconds after the Flat Tires bid farewell the night of the Rockabilly BBQ pre party in June.  I have never heard a band capture true southern punk-a-billy like the Flat Tires have. 

I grew up with honky tonk and punk rock, but as I got older I moved to more of the traditional rockabilly sound.  So I am a bit jaded with what some folks call punk or honky tonk or rockabilly, for that matter.  Most of the time the bands just don’t get what all this is about.  Not these Tires.  They never went flat, not once. So when singer, Clint Harrison, gave me a copy of the CD, I couldn’t wait to hit the keyboard.

With the introduction of Pretty Lady, the Flat Tires hammer the coffin nail of hardcore dating with conclusion of “I got one more load and it’s rarin’ to go”.  No hardcore Bettie or New South Southern belle could possibly keep up with Clint’s demands.  With his hopped up, honky tonk voice, Clint had me hooked.

Getting’ Nowhere Fast moved into guy territory with Five Finger Date and the ideology that a five-finger date is way the hell cheaper than wasting your money on a high class sponge.  Grab a remote control, a video tape and call it a date.  Been there, done that. 

Since the Flat Tires played the BBQ, this thing has been in rotation every day.  The CD quickly moves into Rag On.  Rag On is a tribute to, well, you know.  The Tires explain their understanding of the monthly hell cycle and the events that take place therein.

With Two of Three Things, the Flat Tires lets us all know that 2 of 3 things will be happening tonight – getting drunk, getting laid or getting in a fight.  “Two of thing of three things are happening now, are happening tonight with me,” Harrison demands.  His lowbrow threats and nothing to lose attitude causes this song to reek of testosterone.

I can’t keep commenting on every song, but all these songs are great.  With Lee Osborne on guitar, Phil Keller on drums and Scott Cline slapping the bass, it’s hard to deny that I was handed the best punk-a-billy CD of 2006.  Knowing my background, I would have never thought that this band of rouges would pull off a CD that would get my undying attention. 

On with the menace, Sugar Shack plows into the speakers with a stripper’s worse nightmare, a band of hellbillies on a spending spree.  Meanwhile, Monday describes the day after such a night.  This fast-paced downtrodden song of despairs about having to show up to work after a hell-bent weekend of partying drives the point home.

I hated to end the CD as much as I hate to end this review, but all good things come to an end.  The difference between my words and this CD is I can start the CD over again and get different meaning out of it each time.

Get your copy of Getting’ Nowhere Fast @ The Flat Tire's MySpace site.

Mark
7/11/06

Cheesecake Anyone? 
Interview with photographer Joe Bemis

Nearly everyone has seen the infamous pin up of Betty Grable in her white bathing suit, million dollar legs and that sweet, yet devilish look.  This picture adorned many a G.I.’s locker during WWII.   It was during this era that cheesecake photography moved into the public arena.  Cheesecake/pin up photography has been around since there were cameras, but it wasn’t until the 40s and 50s that it became a new form of marketable art.  Once Playboy published their first issue featuring the famous “Golden Dreams” series of photographs featuring Norma Jean Baker it became obvious that this style of photography wasn’t going away any time soon. 

As photography became more sophisticated, the cheesecake style began to fade.  It wasn’t until recently that interest began to peak again.  With wars, skyrocketing national debt and the constant threat of terrorism, the world yearned for a more wholesome time.  That time was the 1950s.  Thus, the renewed interest in cheesecake photography.  Here we are interviewing a modern day cheesecake photographer, Joe Bemis. Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, Joe now resides in Greensboro, NC. At age 27 Joe is already gaining national recognition and we just had to find out a little more about him.

Q. How did you get started in photography?
A. I started when I was about 14. At the time, my brother was taking photography classes at UNCC and he really got me into it by showing me what he had learned in class. Just like that, I was hooked.

Q. What drew you to the pin-up/cheesecake style of photography?
A. Well, I've always loved pin up art. Not only was the art beautiful and compelling, it was also a reminder. A reminder of a time long gone. A time when things were more personable.

Q.  How long does it take to create a good photo?
A. I can tell you that it takes about 4 hours to complete one photo and that's not counting me going back time after time tweaking it.

Q. What are some of your latest projects?
A. Let’s see, I just finished some new pin up work where I made my girls look like WWII nose art (you know like on planes and bombers). My current project is a shoot I’m doing for The American Red Cross, which I’m really excited about. 

Q. What do you consider to be your biggest achievement?
A. Just to be where I am right now.

Q. Tell us something no one knows about Joe.
A. Sorry I don't kiss and tell.

Q. How do you find your models? 
A. Here and there. I find them through friends, myspace (I know, but it works) and sometimes I just see someone on the street or at a show and ask if they would be interested in working with me.

  Q. What is in your CD player right now?
A. Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits

Q. The fat Elvis or the skinny Elvis?
A. ELVIS will always be ELVIS no matter how much weight he gained or lost. TCB baby!!!!!

Q. Is it true that the photographer gets the girls?
A. Maybe for some, but as for me I don't cross that line. As some would say, "I don't shit where I eat." And I don't think my girlfriend would like that very much.

Q. How can people see/buy your work?
A. Right now I only have some stuff up on myspace, but I'm working on a web site. If by chance you do see some of my work that you dig you can e-mail me at joe@opusphoto.com and we can talk

Q. Do you do shoots for individuals?
A. I do. Just drop me a line at joe@opusphoto.com and we'll set something up.

Q. Where's your favorite place to vacation?
A. Man, I haven't had a vacation in years.

Q. What do you do in your free time?
A. I go to a show from time to time or hang out down at the local pub. But no matter what I'm doing, I'm always thinking of what I'm shooting next.

02/06

J.P. McDermott and Western Bop
Last Fool Here

Last Fool Here takes off with blinding force using My Damn Baby as the runway.  My Damn Baby is an upbeat, fast-paced rockabilly thumper and only the beginning force of this monstrous album.  Red hot rockabilly and vintage honky tonk is not enough of a definition to describe J.P. McDermott and Western Bop.  Sure they are all of the above, but they do it in such a professional and classic way, that my ears were like a virgin.  I’m going to steal a paragraph from their website to help me sum up what is one of the best neo-vintage rockabilly albums I’ve ever heard.  

“Back before they called it rock and roll they called it Western Bop.  In '55, the first time anyone called Elvis a King, they were calling him The King of Western Bop.  Buddy Holly's first business card advertised "Western & Bop".  Western Bop is where it all comes together -- Rockabilly, Classic Country, and Vintage Honky Tonk.  Western Bop is a flattop acoustic beating time like a big eight-wheeler comin' down the track. It's a bass fiddle getting slapped like there's no tomorrow. Throw in a stinging lead guitar, and you know you've found the right place”. Nothing sums up J.P. McDermott and Western Bop like that paragraph.  The roster goes as follows: drummer Tom Bowes, doghouse-ist Louie Newmyer, guitarist Bob Newscaster, plus the thunderous voice and acoustic hammerings of J.P. McDermott.  
 
On with the show, Johnny Cash is smiling in sheer adulation over their cover of Cry, Cry, Cry.   The acoustic sound added in with McDermott’s steady, relaxing voice is a Grammy winner.  Coulda Shoulda Woulda picks up the pace as a rockabilly standard about missing out on what could have been.  Bob Newscaster’s exhibition on lead guitar drives the Bop’s retro, rockabilly sound.  The pace drops to a slow swinging tempo as Not Enough of You takes over the airwaves.  “I’ve had enough of loneliness, but not enough of you,” McDermott describes in a honky tonk, heart broken wail.

There are several covers including Blue Days, Black Nights and Sixteen Chicks that are done in the utmost way.  J.P. McDermott and Western Bop have a way of presenting even the songs you know and love with a breath of fresh air.  This especially holds true as Sixteen Chicks pounds though the speakers.  I’ve heard this song several times by several bands, but never has it hit like a ton of lead like this version does.
 
My favorite track Go Cat Go!, written by guitarist Newscaster, also holds my favorite line, “Parking lot full of kustom cars, tattooed chicks dressed like movie stars”.  This song sums up the Kuston Kulture.  Go Cat Go! is a definite rockabilly staple driven by the fill-in upright sounds of Bryan Smith and fill-in drummer Jeff Lodson.  It has the backbone and balls of a 10-foot greaser.  That Ain’t Nothing But Right keeps the vintage upbeat rockabilly alive in a song about nothing that feels so good could be wrong.

All good things must come to an end.  This retro-ride winds down with Last Fool Here.  This downtrodden tribute to loneliness brings the empty feelings that we’ve all had in a night spent sulking in our favorite honky tonk.  “I know all the bar maids and the jukebox songs by heart, I’ve been down on that floor, I’ve been thrown out that door,” McDermott cries.
I’ve been moved by only a few albums and this is one of them.  I was so moved that we talked them in to doing Rockabilly Night on January 14^th @ Puckett’s.
Do yourself a favor and pick up your copy of Last Fool Here at J.P. McDermott and Western Bop’s website and don’t miss them live! - Mark

12/27

Wailin’ Elroys
Route 33

Shit-kicking their way out of Athens, Ohio, the Wailin’ Elroys (my new favorite band) bring a fresh breath of twang to the honky tonk thang.  From the first nasally breath of Scaredy Blues, the Wailin’ Elroys take the Hank/Hankcock bull by the horns and make Route 33 a low-key, well produced masterpiece with a hidden punk spine.

Hot Rod Road is a gentle warning about being somewhere you don’t belong.  The guitar picking styling of the “Preacher” Zeb Dewar, could not be a better fit for the very retro Wailin’ Elroys sound.  “Your girls’ waiting for you back at the bar – Don’t go it’s not a hot rod car,” flattop guitarist and prodigy singer Bram Riddlebarger moans in a faux-female voice.  Route 33, the Tom Sawyer signature song for the Elroys, is an upbeat hillbilly salute to the other route, Route 33.  The tight, toe-tapping, non-pedal steel guitar sounds of Johnny Borchard give this song the ghostly train journey sound that has made vintage honky tonk just that, honky tonk.  Meanwhile the backbone of doghouse-er Justin Rayner gives this hit song the thump and bump it needs to sound so true.

The tempo slows a bit for Keep My Feet on the Ground, a honky tonk whiner dedicated to finding a honky tonk girl.  The pace holds as Pacific Rails rolls past the station as a homesick blues train ride.

Further on down the track, up goes the tempo again with Because of You.  Another reason to drink proves itself true as this traditional, vintage country song say’s, “Because of you, well I’m drinking again.  Because of you, I’m lost in sin,” Riddlebarger explains.  Drip Drip Drip, my favorite track, because it makes me hold my mouth funny when I sing the chorus, is a bass laden ditty that ain’t about whisky or beer or driving or gears, it’s a song about tears.  This mid-tempo crybaby pulls at the strings of a good ol’ fashion broken heart.  The coolest track on the album is the hidden #15; Real Gone Daddy is a fast paced driving song.  “I got a $10 dollar bill and quart of beer, just sit back honey let me steer,” Riddlebarger’s graveled voice demands.

I have listened to Route 33 more than 200 times, on my way to work, on my way home, on my way to clubs, on beer runs and any other reason I can get on the road.  Then when I get home it’s shuffling in the CD player.  I have Route 33 MP3s on my computer and I’ve learned to make my voice wail like an official Elroy.  My suggestion to you would be that if you buy any CD in 2006, buy the Wailin’ Elroy’s Route 33.  It’s worth every cent to own one of the best neo-honky tonk albums to date.  You can pick up your copy of Route 33 at WailinElroys.com

The Crevulators
The Crevulators

Caught in the trenches of a musical crux, The Crevulators step to the top of the muddy hole, guns blazing with their self-entitled debut.  The Crevulators can be labeled as several types of music, but the thump of Anything You Want, portrays their rockabilly stylings.  As a song about continuing the coolness process, only with guidelines, this band proves how they’ve fought to the top of the heap.  The bass sounds of Greg Hillje drive this retro thumper, while drummer Ross Jacobs gloriously hammers away at his stripped down kit.
Singer/guitarist, Mike Cobb declares, “I get drunk, I get stoned I’ll do anything I can just to move myself along,” in You’d Come Back, as an anti-salute to an empty relationship.  This Supersucker-ish heartbreaker is a slamming homage to good ol’ guitar rock.
Hung Over, my favorite track, puts me in a psuedo-Violent Femme state of mind. Swearing off never drinking again is commonplace in the rockabilly lifestyle, but The Crevulators help put one of the reasons why we fall off the wagon into perspective.
State Of Mine is a hillbilly stomper complete with a fucking mouth harp!  I don’t think any rockabilly song has ever been pulled of with one before.  State Of Mine guides us through the theory of self-medicating.  Creativity has never had it so good.   “And when I’m flying high, don’t you know I’m feeling fine and it’s mine all mine”, Cobb explains.
Gamblers Anonymous would have a field day making Gambler’s Blues their theme song.  This hard-hitting, wallet-busting ode to gambling hits home in many ways.  The disheveled anarchy of Gambler’s Blues along makes this CD worth buying!  From punk to rockabilly, when Cobb describes losing money at a fancy casino and then realizing he should be at a lower stakes joint, we all get the humor.
This is one hell of a 5-song demo and is one to own.  Pick up your copy of The Crevulators at their website www.Crevulators.com. - Mark
12/01

The Young Werewolves
The Young Werewolves

The Young Werewolves kick off their nightmarish, surf-punk, self-entitled disc with Evil Soul.  Evil Soul is a jangle-punk sing-a-long geared towards the underbelly of the rock and roll lifestyle.  Zombie Car Chase crashes through as a white-line-hugging, white-knuckle drag race between the Cadillacs and Chevys.  This death drag race puts The Young Werewolves into perspective as singer/guitarist Wolfman Nick howls in his punkish slur, while bassist, Shewolf Dana and drummer, Jonny Wolf pull the backbone clean out of this band. 
The Young Werewolves bring about the feeling of a modern day Misfits, with a punked-up Dick Dale in the shape of a crucifix, shoved though their heart.  Blackjack & Roulette is a catchy salute to the moon and being wrapped up in high stakes.  The nightmare continues as this band of rogues heads towards Graceland in my favorite track, The Night The Phantom Went To Graceland.  This slow-dragging killer follows a ghoulish figure as he sets out on a journey to find the King.  Wolfabilly Boogie is the one song that shows that The Young Werewolves, while appear to be sans rockabilly, do have rockabilly soul.
The Young Werewolves have a super-fat thumping backbone that shows their punk edges as songs like Curse of the Cocaine Mummies and Who Am I bite through the flesh.  The back-up lyrics and harmonies are to die for and the surf-punk mix has never had such justice done to it.  If I were Ebert, they’d get 2 severed thumbs up!
The music these undead wolves play is very hard to capture in words.  But if you would, imagine a monster like this: the B-52s with their heads cut off, the heart of Joey Ramone, the spine of Danzig (Misfit years), the head of Greg Graffin and the soul of Elvis (with surf fingers) and that might close the casket.  As Werewolf Fever kicks in, it describes the above completely.
After that The Young Werewolves bleed through 14 hidden tracks to nowhere, ending on # 27, a big fat cover of White Wedding done only the way Billy wishes he could have done it.
With that said, The Young Werewolves is a definite for any punk, surf, rockabilly music lover.  As for this copy, it’s going into my CD changer.  Pick up your copy of The Young Werewolves at their website www.TheYoungWerewolves.com. - Mark
11/15

The Ultra Kings
Streamlined Deluxe

The Ultra Kings from Bethlehem, PA, aren’t your usual garage-a-billy band.  They don’t pretend that the music that they play can be simply tied to rockabilly by sticking the affix on it.  They are seasoned musicians with a 13-song release on Barnburner Music.  Their 50’s influenced, honky tonk-rockabilly mix is so true to the era that you can’t decide if they are old or new.
Streamlined Deluxe kicks off with I Like Rockabilly, a mid-tempo salute to the greatest pastime ever.  Singer/guitarist, Rick Kuebler, uses this ditty to poke holes in the blues, country and every other genre that thinks they have it going on.  From cars to girls, Kuebler points out why rockabilly rules.  Streamlined Deluxe rolls into the title track, a slow dragging, and hard-hitting driver about the feeling about being behind the wheel of such a monster.
The Itch is a upbeat swinger powerhouse held together by the backbone of upright bassist Zoot Szmigiel and drummer Carl Von Ehst, with special guest Dave Smith on the flaming sax.  Together this band makes The Itch sound like a 50’s Hollywood soundtrack.  Ol’ Bobcat is a humorous insight to all the cool cats and how hard it is dealing with being on the bottom.  “I’m an ol’ bobcat and I don’t get no tail,” Kuebler confides.  The rockabilly goes up and up as Streamlined Deluxe spins on and on.  Uh Oh, pulls out all the stops as a duet featuring Uncle Hank Fauerbach and Jessie Lee Miller.  Uh Oh is a therapeutic discussion on a challenging relationship while channeling old influences.  The duel voices come through as angelic and dysfunctional.
So Many Pretty Women is a hot-boxing, mid-tempo thumper about picking up the girls.  Diggy Doggy Daddy is about a dog.  A hot dog.  A real dog.  The rockabilly groove is in full effect and Diggy Doggy Daddy displays the greatness of the Ultra King’s ability to drive it home.  Rounding out Streamlined Deluxe is a song about the wrong girl and the right time.  Abba on the Stereo provides you a story of