ARE YOU ROCKABILLY?

Conversations with a Rockabilly Hero

“Have you accepted rock and roll as your personal lord and savior? Have you let rock and roll into your heart and have you been redeemed by the holy fucking spirit of rhythm and blues?”

No. I hadn’t.

Not yet at least. But as he leveled this question at me—leaning over the table, peering at me with fiery bloodshot eyes, and pointing at me with his burning cigarette—I couldn’t help but begin to question everything I had ever known about music, God, and rock and roll.

We were in his hotel room, a Friday night following an Atlanta show. The ashtray was by this point over-flowing, and the beer all but gone. He sat in a wrinkled crimson suit, tie undone and pompadour disheveled. He doesn’t tell me his name, but only says to call him “The Rock & Roll Hero.”

He is a rockabilly; a rare and endangered breed of musician savagely protecting a seemingly archaic tradition of rock and roll forged in post-WWII America. He and his rockin’ brethren proudly uphold the traditions of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. Armed with an acoustic bass, a rhythm guitar, and some drums, these noble warriors stave off the onslaught of hip-hop, rap, indie-rock, and pop.

“Its not that we don’t like other music,” says The Rock & Roll Hero (who later admitted to being a huge fan of Outkast), “its just that rockabilly speaks to us in ways that other music can’t. You simply will never get a sound more raw, more powerful, more emotional, and more energized then this rockabilly sound.”

I asked him if he really thought that nothing was more raw, powerful, energized, and emotional then Elvis.

“Well, to be sure,” replied our Hero, sipping on his can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, “Elvis was in another time and place. And anyway, he just ripped off what the black rhythm and blues musicians had been doing for years and rode the fucking rocket of other people’s talent to stardom. Elvis was a fuck. But that sound he used was essential. You got to remember that in 1955 [rock and roll] was like a fucking revolution. The rock and roll menace took over the country while everyone over thirty-five stayed in doors waiting for the storm to pass. Dig? Well that stuff now seems tame, but as times have changed so has the music. What we do now is a lot harder, it’s called psychobilly.”

He paused to light another cigarette, and I asked him to elaborate about psychobilly

“Well, you see it’s like the angry cousin of rockabilly. It was once described to me as what happened when punk and rockabilly got drunk, fell in love, had a kid at a truck-stop, and left it to be raised by murderous mechanics.” He laughed and I noticed for the first time that two of his teeth were missing. Important ones. Ones he needed. “Psychobilly is all about love and murder and gasoline. It’s about giving people the fucking creeps; making them fall in love, shit their pants, and want to dance all at the same time.”

Given the isolated nature of this specific subgenre of music, I assumed the audience would be somewhat limited. But the Hero explained to me otherwise,

“Rockabillys are among us. They could be your neighbors, your friends, even your family. There are many more then you would expect. Besides, it’s huge in Japan. Like, every fucking Japanese person is a rockabilly I hear.”

I asked if him if he’s ever been to Japan. He said no.

“The point is,” he continued, “is that if you love rock and roll—you’re a rockabilly at heart. ‘Cause everything rock, from the Rolling Stones and the Beatles to AC/DC or Metallica, they owe it all to those first few originators, those first few rockabillys.”

There it is, in a nutshell. If you love rock and roll—you’re a rockabilly at heart. So next time you go “jam out” to your latest Hootie and the Blowfish or Maroon 5 CD, remember our Hero: valiantly spreading the gospel of rock and roll, selflessly championing the back-beat, and nobly defending a musically endangered way of life.

–Nicholas Justice

The Rock & Roll Hero is a drummer for the Atlanta based Screamin’ Demons. They will be playing Captain Skiff’s Shrimp and Boogie Club in Memphis on June 3rd, the Springwater Supper Club and Lounge in Nashville on June 4th, and will be back here in Atlanta on June 12th at Mulligan’s

WMRE 2004-2005 DJ Awards

Best Show: The Quiet Storm (Cecillia Kelley, Tiana Patterson, Daniel Spivack)

Best Rookie Show: Craig and Drew Show (Craig Newman, Drew Bury)

Best Personality: Craig Newman (check the spelling)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Noah Gold

WMRE Bonecrusher Award: Mark Cullip

A lyric poem from Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde for WMRE’s graduates

Ev’rybody knows

That baby’s got new clothes

You know it balances on your head

Just like a mattress balances

On a bottle of wine

Your mama’s moanin’

You better go now

Sooner or later

Everybody must give something back

Sometimes it gets so hard, you see Well, they’ll stone ya when you’re trying to be so good

They’ll stone ya when you’re tryin’ to make a buck. They’ll stone ya when you are young and able. They’ll stone ya and then they’ll say, “good luck.”

Not too many can be like you

You just did what you’re supposed to do

With your pockets well protected at last, With your childhood flames on your midnight rug, And your streetcar visions which you place on the grass, Who among them do you think could resist you?

Who among them do you think would employ you?

Well, early in the mornin’ ‘til late at night, Hopin’ you’ll come through, too.

--Valerie Gaimon, zine editor

Mini Reviews

Album: Sightings -- Arrived in Gold

DJs, Class of 2005

Spencer H. Koch

Rachel A. Gottschalk

Lawrence O. Oji

Christopher K. Daresta

Tahira A. Augustus

Noah J. Gold

Marcus T. Ballenger

Vandana Botta

Erica L. Davis

Jason B. Neider

Tahira Augustus

Peram Behzadi

Abin Banyopadhyay

Hans Mouser

Sanjay Shah

Sightings are at the forefront of the New York art scene. Borrowing from the scene led by Black Dice, and the ever present influence of the almighty Sonic Youth, and combining postpunk rumblings of the Liars with a fusion of Providence’s artsy noise bands, even the influence of no wave, Sightings attacks the listener with a fusion of sounds. Using all the traditional instrumentation of bass, drums, and guitar but making them sound like other instruments, for example the guitar like drums, and the drums like chimes or bells. This makes Arrived in Gold quite a unique album. However it is much more accessible than previous efforts, and is not the full-on assault for which they were previously known.

Show: Hella & Out Hud at MJQ

Tight Bros. created the ultimate showcase of two unique bands playing very different styles of music. Hella, a twopiece guitar and drum duo, play extremely frenetic math rock. This shit was completely insane. They decided to change things up, and had a bass player and a dude playing both guitar and keyboards accompany them. This completely pushed the boundaries of their sound. Looking like caveman or unwashed hippies they played some of the most intricately constructed math rock soundscapes that left the audience in bewilderment. Out Hud then took the stage to provide their unique blend of house music, dub, and post punk. Bodies slowly began to gyrate to the sweet sounds of synth beats, soothing female vocals, cello, and pure sexuality. Slowly, the more rambunctious and less inhibited members took over the floor creating a party that made the movie 24 hour party people look like a frat party. Members of out hud even jumped into the fray to booty dance with audience members. The phrase “Excuse me I thought I was dry humping my girlfriend’s leg” was often used. Wait no it wasn’t but it could have!—Chris Daresta