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Ezra Lee

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Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band - Boomerang Boogie
Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band - Boomerang Boogie
Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band – Boomerang Boogie

Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band – Boomerang Boogie

Rhythm Bomb Records – RBR 5823 [2016]
Boomerang Boogie  – My Baby Wants To Rock’n’Roll All Night – Nasty Boogie – Is It Wrong (For Loving You) – Caught In The Middle – Honky Tonk Girl – Motorbilly Radio (Go Cat Go) – My Baby Dont Lie To Me – Tore Up – Honky Tonk Downstairs – Try To Forget My Name – So Long – Endless Sleep – She`s Tough – Let It Rock

For his new album, the third, for Rhythm Bomb, Ezra Lee teamed up with the Shaun Havoc band (Shaun Havoc on drums, Kevin Spiers on guitar, Pete Mavric on double bass and Mark McGurgan on tenor saxophone). To bring variety to the set both Lee and havoc takes the lead vocal duties.
If you compare to his previous albums, it shows a slight departure in term of sound. It delves more into the sixties and mixes rockin’ blues, New Orleans rock’n’roll and country rock. Some songs evoke either Creedence Clearwater Revival or even the Flyin’ Burrito Brothers like Motorbilly Radio (Go Cat Go). The later features a pedal steel while some other songs have a guest fiddle for a straight Honky Tonk sound (Try to Forget My Name).
The choice of covers reflects that eclectism too with songs coming from the catalogs of Champion Jack Dupree, Charlie Rich, Jody Reynolds, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry but also the Paladins, the Reverend Horton Heat and Aussie fellows Pat Capocci and Danny & the Cosmic Tremors.
Pumping piano, strong drum beat, mean electric guitar and jumpin’ sax, everything concurs to make a solid Rock’n’Roll album.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Ezra Lee - Motor Head baby
Ezra Lee – Motor Head baby

Ezra Lee – Motor Head baby

Rhythm Bomb RBR5809 [2015]
Rock Little Baby – Motor Head Baby – Wow Wow – Volcanic Boogie – Over At Hattie’s Barrelhouse – It’s You Baby – The Entertainer – Don’t Say That You Love Me – Last Date – Pink Champagne – Rocker – A Little Unfair – Skinny Woman – Low Down Piana Blues – Rock & Roll Outlaw

Ezra Lee the piano pounding wizard of Oz returned with a brand new album that confirmed all the good things we thought about him.
Backed by the excellent Firebird Trio (Pete Belair on guitar, Hank Elwood Green on drums and on slap bass Chris Nomad D’Rozario who played with Brian Setzer during one of his recent Rockabilly Riot Tour) Lee covers a wide range of style. Of course there’s plenty of Jerry Lee influenced Rock’n’roll (and the production of Paulie Bignell with the drums to the fore strenghten that impression). there’s also a good dose of blues (most notably the excellent Low Down Piana Blues), some Boogie Woogie and even of cover of Scott Joplin’s ragtime classic The  Entertainer. The sole minor flaw would be the cover of AC/DC’s Rocker that doesn’t really fit him vocally but that shouldn’t prevent you to buy that very good album.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Ezra lee - You Can't Stop A Freight Train
Ezra lee – You Can’t Stop A Freight Train

Ezra Lee – You Can’t Stop A Freight Train

Press-Tone Music PCD 15.
Just One Of Those Things / Mean What I Say / Creola / Can’t Stop A Freight Train / I’ll Keep Waiting / Rock’n’Roll Piano Man / Pantin’ Panther / Ezzy’s Boogie / Look, But Can’t Touch / Count On Me (To Shoot You Down) / Firefly / Spread It All Around / The Devil Is A Dame / She Done Gone.

Singer-pianist Ezra Lee is another proof of the good state of health of the Aussie’s rockin’ scene. Like his first recordings available on “Preston Rockabilly vol. 2” this album has been recorded at Preston Studio by the expert hands of Graeme Thomas (and Cal Robinson too) with long time friend Pat Capocci on guitar (who also wrote or co-wrote half of the songs here), Cal Robinson on bass and Ricky “the Goat” on drums.
It’s a pretty good and solid debut album. One could fear that a pianist named “Lee” would merely be a Jerry Lee copycat, but it would be a huge mistake. Sure it contains a healthy dose of piano pounding rockers like Just One of Those Things, Ezzy’s Boogie (pretty much like Jerry Lee’s Real Wild Child) and of course Rock’n’roll Piano man.
 But there’s plenty of other good things too like Sun rockabilly (Spread It Around) and Honky Tonk (I’ll Keep Waiting, Count on Me (to shoot you)) which proves that this boy also likes Moon Mullican. One will also find a couple of blues numbers that show his admiration for Otis Spann and Jonnie Johnson like Mean What I Say or Firefly a Muddy Waters inspired number. There’s also a beautiful New Orleans blues with a Rumba beat called Creola (a little bit like Earl Hooker’s Guitar Rumba), a Texas blues (Pantin’ Panther) and a Carl Mann influenced rocker.
No need to say that Pat Capocci’s guitar is the perfect complement to Ezra’s voice and piano.
Good job folks, I’m really looking forward the next one…
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

 

The Rock’A’Dees – Stomp

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rock-a-dees1

Self released
Rock ‘a’ Dee’s Stomp – Baby Blue Eyes – Something Else – Frames – Black Cat Woman – Flying Saucer Rock And Roll – Lonesome Tears In My Eyes – High Heel Creepers – I’m On Fire  – I Don’t Like You No More – Train Kept A Rolling – Memphis Town  – Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie – Your True Love – Won’t Take Me Alive – C’mon Everybody  – Gonna See My Baby Tonight – Memphis Tennessee  – Please Don’t Touch  – Luck Of The Devil  – Real Wild Child

The rock-A-Dees are a neo-rockabilly trio from Melbourne, Australia. On can hear in their brand of high-octane Rockabilly the influences of the old masters like Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and most ofall the Stray Cats.
“Stomp” contains 21 tracks (good value for money!) with roughly 2/3 covers and 1/3 originals. If the covers are mostly well known classics, some borrowing the arrangement the Stray Cats made of those songs (C’mon Everybody), they are well played and enjoyable. Their own songs are more interesting. Rock’a’Dee’s Stomp has some elements of Gene Vincent’s Dance to the Bop in it mixed with Cochran’s 20 Flight Rock and must be a hit when played on stage. Black Cat Woman reminds of Stray Cat Strut (or is it Blank Generation?). High Heel Creepers is excellent with a s superb intro and a solo in the style of Cliff Gallup. Memphis Town is a tribute to Sun records, Won’t Take Me Alive is a Psychobilly track that could easily be on a Quakes album and Luck of the Devil is more on the Hillbilly side.

More infos at www.rockadees.com

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Pat Capocci

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Pat Capocci
Pat Capocci
Pat Capocci

Pat Capocci is nothing else than one of the best thing to happen to modern rockabilly in the recent years. “Modern” is probably not the right word to describe the sound of this rockin’ cat. He sounds as if he came right from the fifties wether he plays rockabilly, blues, hillbilly bop.
And most of all this guy has the whole package that would make more than one envious: he has the look, the songs, the sound, the voice and he’s more than able when it comes to deliver a hot (or a smooth) guitar solo.
All this reasons made that Capocci arrived on the top list of the guys we wanted to interview.

by Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Can you introduce yourself?
Pat Capocci: Hi my name is Pat Capocci, Im a guitarist/singer from Australia.
I’ve grown up my whole life in the Maitland/Newcastle area,kinda in between the country and the coast,but now I’m unfortunatly living in Sydney,its great for gigs as there’s so much more on but it’s so fast, busy and has no soul compared to home

In the liner notes of Steppin’ Out you’re writing that your Dad took you to gigs when you were young. What kind of importance did he have in your discover of rockin’ music?
Pat Capocci: Dad and mum have always been really suportive of anything I do musically, when I was a teenager and into punk rock he kinda pointed me towards the bands I should listen to and then when I started getting into the rockin scene he took to me to see bands in pubs (mainly blues bands) when I was underage,he had a great vinyl collection of early Chicago blues and I guess thats really were the obsesion started to grow
One thing he always made sure was that I remained open minded about all music styles, listen to it and learn something from it rather than just critisize it push it aside,and I guess that’s still with me today and reflects in my influences and my playing

What kind of stuff did you start with? I mean, did you start by listening to modern bands then move backward or did the pioneers led you to the current scene?
Pat Capocci: I gues as far as Rockin/Roots music concerned I’ve always mixed it up, I started with Carl Perkins, Merle Travis, Deke Dickerson, Bob Wills, Little Walter, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rogers (Chicago one), Joe Maphis, Johnny Guitar Watson, Charlie Christian, Jimmie Vaughn and Big Sandy,the list goes on but I guess these fellas are the main guys I lernt/stole from!haha

When did you pick up the guitar? Were you influenced by a guitar slinger in particular?
Pat Capocci: I would have been around 6/7 I think? Dad played a bit and there was always one lying around the house, I was a very curious kid,I had to know what was goin on! haha
But round that age it was pretty much dad picking his folk blues tunes that got me exited.
From 16 on Dave Biller, Junior Watson, TK Smith, Jimmie Vaughn, Kid Ramos and Dangerous Dan were my go to guys

Tell us about your early experiences… What were the first bands you’ve played with?
Pat Capocci: My first serious atempt playing in bands was in high school, I was around 13ish,we had a 1977 inspired punk band,we did a heap of buzzcocks,the clash,the vibrators,all the good English stuff,I was still listening to dads records during this time but
It would have been two years after when I met Ezra Lee,he was 13 and I was 15,we’d seen each other round Mailtland and I managed to track his number down,I called him up and we were jamin the nxt day and pretty indeprable for the next few years after
Ezzys dad played bass in a local legendary band Johnny Greens Blues Cowboys,we were at every gig that was close by and always got asked up to do a few tunes,thinkin back I dont know how good we would have sounded,two young fellas thinkin they know everything about playing a shuffle!haha
That band and the pub we grew up in (The Grand Junction Hotel) gave us good music and life education.
My first real fultime band I joined up with when i was 16 were called The Torpedos,dad took me to see em one Saturday night,the next week I tried out for the guitar spot and that Saturday was my first gig!
They played everything,Rockabilly,Jump Blues,Hillbilly Bop,Blues,Country,Swamp Pop,Jazz,pretty much all the great styles in roots music,we played everywere,pubs,clubs,partys,on the street,wedings pretty much anywere that would have us,it was a good grounding to learn alot of styles at a young age because your brains like a little sponge soaking it all up
I was with the Torpedos for about two years,and they were a good two years,i met heaps of great players,traveled a bit,learned alot about music,the busniess side of it,life,it was good times
Before I went out on my own i tried to set a goal of being able to Travis pick and sing at the same time,I kinda had a direction I wanted to go in and figured if I couldn’t do that I’d be up the creek without a paddle!
That was when I was 18/19 and amongst all the other bands I’m in the solo line up is still the main band we regularly play with

Your debut album “Steppin’ Out” shows a wide variety of rockin’ style with hard hitting rockabilly, Sun sounding Rockabilly, western swing/hillbilly bop influenced stuff, honky tonk… Is this something you deliberately did, as some kind of “visiting card”?
Pat Capocci: That’s a good way to put it Fred!yer exactly,that was pretty much the idea,and that we were big fans of “The Graeme Thomas” sound,we weren’t sure if we’d ever get a chance to record there again,and Graeme is a master of all styles so we set out to try everything


Recording Press Tone Rockabilly 4 with Rusty Pinto

One very good thing on that album is that you penned your own songs.
Was it important for you to release your own material?
Pat Capocci: Defantly Fred,it’s something that Dingo (Presstone Label Owner) has always pushed us to do,his reasoning was that why re record something that’s been done to death by other bands,try and create something new and exiting
Everyone we’ve really dug has written there own stuff so it was just a natural progresion to do the same I think

I remember discovering Preston records in the 80’s with the compilation album “Aussiebilly” on Nervous Records and it was quite a shock especially at a period when most band were more neo-rockabilly sounding.
How do you feel about being associated to such a legendary label/studio?
Pat Capocci: Aussiebillys a great comp! It was defanatly a dream come true to record at Preston,all our favorite Aussie bands made there recordings there, I still remember the first song we ever recorded there and hearing it playback the first time,it was nuts,a very sureal experience!
Graeme Thomas is a genius when it comes to nailing a sound,his music and studio knowlege is spot on!
And now Dingos taken the next step by rely pushing the label into the international market

Preston Rockabilly vol.2, saw you playing guitar for Ezra Lee and Danny & the Cosmic Tremors – both great – in addition to your own songs. How do you approach the fact of playing for other singers. Do you try to vary sounds or use different “tricks”?
Pat Capocci: I think it’s always important when playing with anyone to be a team player,fit in with what’s already goin on,listen to what’s happening and play accordingly
I have my own opinions as to how the guitar should sound for certin styles and usually stick with that unless the singer wants something different,but as for tricks,I think having your chops down in a lot of different styles is key,that way you have unlimited options at the ready

What other bands do you play with?
Pat Capocci: At the moment there’s a few i’m in,there’s my band,Danny And The Cosmic Tremmors,Twilight Rythem Boys,Rusty Pinto Combo,Kieron McDonald,Scotty Baker and a new two piece western swing/rnb/country/Jazz outfit we’ve been doin called Two Timmin Playboys,and that’s been alot of fun!!

Talking about guitar, you cite the great TK Smith as one of your favorite player. I believe that you met him at this year’s Rockabilly Rave. I can suppose that your discussion centered around guitars…
Pat Capocci: I did meet TK which was great, i also got a lesson of him,and that’s opened up a whole new world just from that 1hr lesson
We did talk a bit about guitars also a bit about surfboards,alot people wouldn’t know but he shaped a heap of boards for his label in the 90s,I’ve surfed my whole life and were both into early/mid 60s designs,he’s a true craftsman in every sence of the word

Was this Rave your first time in Europe ? How were the reactions?
Pat Capocci: No,we came over for Screamin in Spain last year,that was our very first time in Europe,I think we went down well at the Rave?we sold most of the merch we brought over,and got some nice comments of the folks,we defantly had a good time,it’s was sad having to leave and come back home to reality!haha

“Delinquent Beat”, your second long play, is slightly heavier in term of sound. One can definitely hear the influences of James Burton and Roy Buchanan when both of them played for Dale Hawkins and there’s even a bit of Deke Dickerson on the guitar too…
Pat Capocci: Yer defantly,the plan was rather than try and cover all bases like “Stepping Out” have a more uniformed style and stick with it the whole record,and the fellas you mentioned defantly influenced that

We’ve talked guitar, but what about the singers and the songwriters you like?
Pat Capocci: I do talk about guitar a bit to much!haha,for modern singer/songwriters I really dig Charlie Thompson, Don Cavali, Joey Simone, Rusty Pinto, Lynette Morgan, Charlie Hightone, The Horton Bros, Sage Guyton and Axel Praefcke and the out of originals I dig Merle Travis, Willie Dixon, Gene O Quinn, Jimmie Rogers, Carl Perkins…the list goes on!haha

Recently you were featured in Marie-Claire. A word about that? Is Rockabilly in Australia that big ?
Pat Capocci: A friend of ours contacted us to see if we’d be interested in doin a photo shoot with the magazine,they were doin a fashion shoot that had absolutely nothing to do with the Rockin scene but wanted central figures from the local scene,strange?but we figured why not,let’s see what the trendy kids are up to.
I think the “look” has defantly become very popular in the trendy circles in Sydney,it’s good in the way that the “look” might turn these folks who wouldn’t usually know anything about the scene onto the music/culture,an it’s been great for me because all the Levis/Lee outlets in town have had heaps of sales and I’ve scored big time!haha
Rockabilly in Australia is no were as big as it is in Europe,however there’s some great crossovers with all the underground cultures comin to the gigs latley

What are your projects ? What are you working on at the moment?
Pat Capocci: At the moment I’m trying to put in at least 3/4 hrs of practice a day,I do the band stuff were playin that week for about 1hr and try to put the other time towards scales and improvising
As far as recording goes,were gunna do a new Lp with Rusty Pinto in December and we’ll be doin a new 45 at that time aswell
There’s some plans to do some recording in states but I don’t want to say anything yet as it’s not %100 locked in and I don’t want to jinx myself!haha
Other than that were starting to plan another European tour for around July/Aug,and we can’t wait!

One last word you’d like to add…
Pat Capocci: Were really looking foward to coming back to Europe,we had such a great time this year,if anyone out there wants us for a club/pub/festival/weding/funeral we’d love to play!haha

We also keep our website updated with new photos,news and merchandise at www.patcapocci.com.au

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