After a couple of silent years 69 Beavershot played at the the Scum Bash festival earlier this year. They kinda picked up performing again, with drummer Rene. In July they were sharing stage with Bob Wayne, at the Baroeg. A dark and little venue in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Mostly alternative bands play there. Mostly hardrock, metal, but gradually Psychobilly, hillbilly is setteling at the Baroeg.
Guitar player Robert always has this great style of playing, inspired by Brian setzer, Scotty More, James Burton. His growling voice is just right for their kind of rough rockabilly. All their songs have titles you can easily sing and shout along with, like, red headed woman (my favorite although I’m not a red head), hell cat and speed track. 69Beavershot played their own originals as well as some covers. While guys sang along especially woman danced exotically in front of the stage. Is it because of their music or are they hoping Robert is giving them the eye?
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
69Beavershot Baroeg
The WyattChristmas Trio – I’ve got rhythm: CD review
The WyattChristmas Trio from Germany; I’ve already interviewed them in 2010.
But since then, a lot has happened.
The frontman of the band, Andy WyattChristmas (Wyatt like Wyatt Earp) is still leading the band, since he started the trio in 2008.
They’ve released their first album in 2010 called “Well, it’s allright”.
But since then two members have left the band and they’re replaced by Lee Diefenbach (drums & vocals) and Ralf Exter (bass & vocals).
With this line up they’ve released recently the second album, called “I’ve got rhythm”. And for sure, the name is perfectly chosen!
You can describe their sound as a mixture of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues and swing. A vintage sound like the early fifties, very danceable music.
Most of the songs (90%) are self-written songs and the harmony vocals run like a thread through the whole album.
Rockabilly is taking over the Rotterdam (again)
Photo by Terral Bouman
All of my 22 years here on earth I’ve lived in Rotterdam. I grew up with wild rockin’ stories about jivin’ in Jailhouse Place, and late nights at The Flaming Star. But those places are no more 🙁 So I traveled all over the country for party’s, thinking that rockabilly in Rotterdam is gone. Until the last few months!
It started with a event called “De Rotte Tiet”. In english, translates to ” the rotten titty”. But let me explain! The name came from a parody of The Titty Twister, from From Dusk Till Dawn! Born from the brains of Jesse van der Heijden and Dennis Klootwijk, the plan is to organize a party, where you can just be yourself. Guys can be just classy lads, girls can be pretty ladies! Not like the disco,hipster and hiphopin’ folk on the regular places. The evening is filled with dirty Rock’n’Roll and Rockabilly, boppin’ tracks! Hans Worst is there to still you’re hunger with sauce, right from the grill. You can have you’re picture taken! And it goes on till late! I know, because I spinned the wax there! I danced like crazy when I didn’t spin. But the best part, I saw the older generation rockers and the newer generation in one place! So I highly recommend to go there! And I Look forward to the next edition!
Calabrese – Born with a Scorpions Touch (album review)
Calabrese – the trio brothers that hail from Phoenix Arizona – have a new album called “Born with a Scorpions Touch,” a newer, harder sound busting out balls of steel and riding high on the hog. Blood, Sweat and Tears were put into this album and it is hardcore to the core. The Scorpion is the main symbol and the key to Calabrese. Revenge is sweet of this band as it tells the tale as this album unfolds. They call themselves “American Rebel Death Riders.” This is the band that is going to take the world by storm, the living and the dead, one step at a time.
Oakland Metro Operahouse, Them Creatures, The Bastard Makers, Limnus, Stellar Corpses and Calabrese
photo by James Leon
January 29th, 2014, show review by Christina Death
Scum Bash Rotterdam, part 1
The men of Schorem, Haarsnijder en Barbier have been in the Dutch media a lot lately, being one of the few vintage styled barbers in The Netherlands. Clients lining up in front of their shop, they don’t mind waiting for one or two hours. Women are not allowed in, dogs are. Men with beards and moustaches everywhere, with the greasy haircut. Even at the university, grocery store, shopping mall. They’ve shot the hype into the mainstream world. Barbers loving the vintage style of the thirties forties and most of all music!
Leen and Bertus started the first Scumbash in Rotterdam on February 22nd, 2014. 14 bands on three stages, playing at the Van Nelle fabriek in Rotterdam (NL). It was like a North Sea Jazz festival for scum! And that’s a good thing. Loudness is the main criteria for being invited as a band.
Well not always. The Small Time Crooks, opened the festival. Four bearded men with tattoos from The Hague form a acoustic band, playing fun bluegrass, singing harmonies, kazoo and washboard included.
Graverockin’: Thee Gravemen – Rockin’ In The Graveyard
Front cover of the single
I see you reading this title, and think: ‘Why in Elvis’ name would he post this on here? Isn’t this supposed to be on the psycho page? That’s what i thought when i got the 45RPM in my hands from Dee-Ann at her performance in the Cruise Inn. Looking at the cover, you would think that too. The guys, Sir Lee Tea on the guitar and vocals and Devilish Daz Thrash on the stripped down Voodoo drum set, look like a bunch of English gravediggers.
The two titles i saw on the cover are Rockin’ In The Graveyard and a cover of Tornado. Off course “Tornado” got my attention, because its one of the best boppers ever! I frequently bop to this song, be it on the hardwood floor in the Cruise or in my room 😀 So I didn’t go my normal way but decided to hear the B-side first. Their version of this song, originally published in 1959 by The Jiants, Begins with a storm over the graveyard, which you keep hearing during the song. It sounds new and not with that classic feeling to it, but that doesn’t take away that this is a good cover. Lee’s voice sounds raw.
Ollie Vee – Lonesome girl (album review)
Ollie Vee, a Canadian band, have their first cd released called Lonesome girl.
Jesse Adamson: lead vocals, guitar
Johnny Vassos :guitar
Howard Linscott: double bass
Adam Perzia: drums
The cover has some great pictures. Inside the sleeve you’ll find a story about the recording of the album, as they call it: it was live off the floor, some songs were recorded in one take! All on tape to get that vintage sound. (Jesse tells about it in RBO’s interview: https://www.karto.nl/?p=10417)
Candye Kane – Coming out Swingin’ (album review)
Candye Kane’s new album Coming out Swingin’ has it all and proves again that Candye can’t be pushed into one musical direction. Starting with the title song, it has a the big band swing of the roaring twenties feeling. Then she takes us to rhythm and blues shuffles, sixties summer song “When tomorrow comes”. “Rise up” clearly refers to the Motown days and then back to her autobiographical and melancholic song “Invisible Woman”. You should listen to the lyrics to take a peek into her deepest emotions the last few years, of transforming from a big breasted singer, to a older and wiser cancer surviver, still singing and inspired more than ever to make music.
Although you’d think, can’t she make up her mind which way to go? This mixture of styles is held together by her great musicians like guitar slingerette Laura Chavez, master of the piano keys Sue Palmer, Thomas Yearsley, and of course her rhythm section, horn player etc. They create the sound on this album which makes it the perfect combination of songs which surprise you all the way through.
Most songs written by Candye and Laura. ‘What love can do’ is written bij Rick Estrin, one great Rhythm and Blues artist from today. All recorded live at the Thunderbird Analog Studio.
Cousin Harley – B’Hiki Bop album review
As i might have mentioned before, Cousin Harley from Canada are one of the finer rockabilly trio’s out there. Deliberately i refer to them as a rockabilly band, however that label doesn’t do this band justice. For newbies to this band just a few words to better describe this pack of distinguished yet somewhat wild gentlemen; Drummer Jesse Cahill isn’t just a rockabilly drummer but in the Canadian jazz scene he is regarded as a fine craftsman practicing the art of subtle jazz drumming and played with quite a few jazz greats. Keith Picot has a great passion for Louis Armstrong and Bob Wills (keeps him up all night), which makes him a serious force in swinging the doublebass. Apart from his mysterious ways of turning soup into Cousin Harley’s greasy hairpommade he is a silent movie director and stars in his own productions regularly(with hilarious results too). Cousin Harley a.k.a. Paul Pigat doesn’t seem to have any hobbies and i imagine he doesn’t need any. Why? He is very serious about guitarplaying and songwriting and has brought out a couple of (solo)albums that showcase his talent. Travispicking at lightspeed is but one of his trademarks that made him earn the respect of guitarplayers all over the world.
B’hiki Bop is the fourth album the band has recorded and being the creative soul Paul is, he thought it was just the right moment for recording one strictly instrumental. Despite the fact that these gentlemen can play their rootsy brand of music at supersonic speed there’s a lot of variation to be heard and quite a number of styles and different rhythms.
All instrumental and originals except for 1 Chet Atkins original; Where Chet went for a Django-ish kinda’ tone, Paul seemed to have chosen for his own sound with class A backing from Jesse and Keith, love this one! I’ll talk you through a couple of the original tunes then.
Rigby’s romp; Big band floor tom groove with just guitar, untill Keith joins, that is. Freddie green-ish style rhythm guitar and a couple of whatevertherecalled whacky guitar effects. Nice snare and swing action on Jesse’s part there, love it, these guys cook!! Sounds like someone dusted off his cowbell on Winkle Picker. Not the everyday drumgroove, surf-ish guitar. This is a Cousin Harley signature tune.
The Burlesque Assassins
The Burlesque Assassins is the first feature film of Canadian writer / director Jonathan Joffe, whose previous short films have earned him 20 awards and screened at over 50 festivals worldwide.
The Burlesque Assassins. Beautiful, deadly, and a vital weapon in the war against communism and tyranny that threaten our freedom.
Created during WWII by the lovers turned resistance fighters Johnny Valentine and Katarina Molotov, The Burlesque Assassins used the feminine charms of the dancehall to lure their way within killing distance of the top ranking members of the Nazi regime. Their mission, SEDUCE AND DESTROY.
The Obscuritones – CD review
In the spring of 2012 I’ve already introduced you to The Obscuritones, a 6 piece band from London (UK), by reviewing their 8-track demo.
The Obscuritones are Joey Hill and Gaby Romano (both vocals), Hugh Byrne (guitar and vocals), Andy Bavington (bass), Phil Casey (drums) and Sam Kidman (guitar).
Crazy Times Album Review – Swing your shoes off!
Part 3: Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes – Real Rockin’ Papa
The Album Cover
Before I started this review, I heard about this guys because they started appearing at some festivals I read about. I also read they were a rhythm and swingband.
Shot of the band
Hoorn Rock ‘n’ Roll Sunday Danceday
Hoorn Rock ‘n’ Roll, a famed rock and roll party in the centre of the city of Hoorn, The Netherlands. I heard a lot of great things about this party, but i never went, though i had planned to go last year. To my disappointment i missed the party, and with that the Teddy Boy singer Yann the CorrupTED! So when I was asked to go, and one of the organizers who also writes here one this site, asked me too, I didn’t have a choice 😉 So i got a ride and went there.
Poster from the event
I went with some friends, and we first went to the Spunyboys, of course. The first set was as energetic and powerful as every time i see them! He had a great arsenal of songs, including songs from Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. He even played the great Sandy Ford’s song Oh What A Shame. ‘Especially for Rocky’, Remi(the singer) said, Sandy Ford being from the Teddy Boy band The Flying Saucers. Near the end of the first set we went for a stroll to see which band to go next. On the way I came by a lot of friends from all over the country 😀 We just walked from bar to bar and saw Gotta Go, The Rechords (good band!) and the 2-tones, before walking into El Rio Trio. Always good, the quartet from Amsterdam! Bopper had his new pinstriped bass and wasn’t scared to show it off. And although the bar was small (all bars were), they played the roof from the joint again!
Crazy Times Album Reviews
Part 1 – If your lonely, rock-a-bop your socks off!
The whole package from Crazy Records
When I came home I found two packages on my doormat. One contained a CD from The Royal Hounds, which I wrote about earlier. The second package contained some vinyl and some cds. When I took a look, I saw that they container some various subgenres of rockabilly, like Neo rockabilly, Rock and Roll, swing and of course regular rockabilly.
Al Willis & the New Swingsters
The Royal Hounds – I’m In Love with a Zombie
When I came home I found two packages on my doormat. One contained a CD from The Royal Hounds, which I will review here. The package didn’t contain only the cd, but also a nice letter was in there. I will tell something about the band. The Royal Hounds are from Knoxville, Tennessee, state of the king and base for the roots of rockabilly. Scotty Hinds is the leadsinger and standupbass, accompanied with Scott “Bramble” Billingsley(drums) and Brian Lee(guitar).
The Band
The Albumcover
The Deadlies – Go To Nashville
The Deadlies
Surf. Is it considered Rockabilly or not. Its an ongoing discussion. I consider instrumentalists like Dick Dale Surf/Rockabilly. And I think Link Wray is also more Rockabilly (Run Chicken Run is a bopper)! More recently, The Montesas bring their own style of surf rockabilly. So when I got a CD from The Deadliest, a surf band from California, I was curious. They say they pay homage to the Ventures, Dick Dale and the Chantays , so I didn’t know what to expect.
For me surf is very relaxing, like the soundtrack from Pulp Fiction. Wrong! When I inserted the CD, I heard a lot of upbeat guitar! My feet were taping, so much for relaxing 😛 Its modern day surf, with more electric. Although “Wudy’s Ghost” sounds oldschool. And Star Sprankled Banner has a little Dixie riff at the beginning, which I find funny because it’s the American anthem :P. “Rumbled” clearly is a cover of Link Wray’s “Rumble”, which they do good. A lot of variety in the guitar work! But the album also contains some relaxing surf i described earlier!
Movie review: Cry Baby
John Waters, one of my favorite film directors. I watched his version of Hairspray (1988), Cry Baby (1990) and A Dirty Shame (2004).
Cry baby has a very interesting cast: Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake (before she lost a lot of weight), Iggy Pop (we all know Iggy don’t we?), Traci Lords (she became infamous for appearing in pornographic films as a minor). Although it’s another wild boy and square girl fall in love story, John Waters gives it his own twist, by creating over the top caracters, like Cry baby’s sister, Pepper, who is pregnant tough girl, as well as her friend ‘Hatchet-Face’, the ugliest girl in town. Those creatures against the pretty soft eyed square girl Allison, who’s supposed to date the rich and educated guys. But she is intrigued by the motorcyclist Cry Baby and his rough crew.
Her jealous boyfriend arranges a riot, during a party of Cry Baby’s grand parents, so he ends up in jail and Pepper’s children are taken away from her. Of course all ends well, but in the meantime you can enjoy the music.
Lipstick on your Vinyl?
It was the last weekend of my vacation, and I just had my last dance lesson on Friday. And i thought that there was nothing to do, nowhere to go for a rockabilly party. But i heard through the grapevine that there was a boppin’ party going on in dB’s in Utrecht. So I looked it up. On the website I read that it was called “Boppin’ The Rock”, which is organized once in a few weeks. 3 Bands were playing that night. This time it was The Buckshots from Belgium, The Slapback Johnny’s from The Netherlands and The Whiskey Daredevils from the USA. And I found out some of my friends were going also, so I decided it was best to go too 😉
The flyer
It was pretty much next to the station, but the door was on the other side. When i walked in I didn’t know where to go, I’ve never been here before. So i walked straight to the bar 😛 After waiting 20 minutes or so, the doors opened to see the band. The Buckshots were first up. They looked like a country/Rockabillyband, with a lovely female vocalist. After one song, my friends cam dripping in, one by one. They’ve been to dB’s before to see JD Mcpherson.
Voodoo Swing – Fast Cars, Guitars, Tattoos & Scars, album review
Voodoo Swing released their first album We’re Usin’ Code Names! in 1993 on Nervous Records. Their second album Well, Okay Then! was released on Netherlands’ Rockhouse Records label. Now they are attached to the Electric Lotus Label, starting with their 2011 album Keep on Rollin’ and this years’ Fast Cars, Guitars, Tattoos & Scars.
