Baseballs or Paladins, you choose (What makes Rockabilly 01)

Posted by Angel On October - 4 - 20103,678 views

Anyone remember Milli Vanilli? For those who don’t, i’d like to say; Don’t bother…but for the sake of what i’m going to write in this column i ask you to keep your patience, so bear with me please;
Milli Vanilli, the popduo consisted of two singers !? who didn’t sing. How strange does that sound… They were actually a clever marketing stunt on which their recordcompany gladly filled their pockets, i imagine. Truth is Milli Vanilli looked like they were shot straight from the caribean with Europe as a target. They looked the business, that’s for sure (imagine Bob Marley going shopping in the dreadfull 80’s). The thought of them makes me shiver while i’m writing this. There were actually some ‘unsung’ session singers that actually did the vocals on their records. They remain to be unseen to this day i guess. Yes, i know Milli Vanilli were not rockabilly, nor where they real..

I’d like to try to give the relatively ‘new’ Rockabilly and Rockabella a good taste in how i see Rockabilly. Since i don’t even know how to make my own ducktail i won’t step on thin ice and dig into the style aspect of Rockabilly lifestyle. The ladies on this site do a much better job concerning that. However, i do plan to go into somewhat of the technical side of things, for instance about what certain gear sounds like using youtube to support my vision on things. I am a bluesman at heart, therefore i’ll take the ocassional step towards blues, sometimes to jazz or country because i think today’s musicians live by stealing or honouring their musical forefathers. Since this is all a matter of personal taste (mine) you might raise your eyebrows and want to comment me on my judgement; By all means, i urge you to and maybe i’ll learn something too!

Back to what really makes Rockabilly…; The rockabella’s, don’t they… Every good rock ‘n roll gig they show up. Dressed in pink, pencilskirts, or jeans with shirts so tight you might think you’ve ended up at a flying boobfest! Keep in mind, they don’t have to feel comfortable, they’re just there for the men to drewl at and spill their beer on! I’m just joking of course. They just add to that special flavour of any rockabilly gathering. And the greatest thing about it, is that there’s never an age limit. Go to see any gig and see 13years old’s enjoy themselves and they might even be joined by their 65+ grandparents, just great. Do bring earplugs for your newborn though…!

No, what really really makes Rockabilly is sheer intense energy. It came from country, blues, jazz, swing etcetc. It’s raw, mellow, sweet or faster than fast. As far as setup goes simpler than simple, yet so difficult to play right.  One thing stands out though; It’s always pure, fair and real. For this one i’ll end with a little comparison to show where some things may have come from;  The late Magic Sam, bluesman and the so much alive Paladins in Paradiso!


Cheers!
Angel

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