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Biller & Horton

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Biller & Horton – Texotica

Biller & Horton

Vinylux V0007 [2005]
The Sneak-A-Roo – Deep Eddy – Tiki, Tiki – Blackberry Bounce – The Devil’s Birthday Party – Whispering Palms – Grease Fire – Slippin the Mickey – The New Thang – Dutch Treat – Mood Music for a Tropical Depression – Adam the Inkman – Texas Twilight

Texas guitar slingers Dave Biller and Bobby Horton teamed up to record this all-instrumental album titled Texotica (for Texas and Exotica) for Vinylux records in 2005. Biller plays the guitar, and Horton takes the steel on most of the track except for a couple of tunes where Horton plays the lead guitar and Biller switches to electric bass. Bobby’s brother, Billy, plays the bass (and records the whole thing), Biller’s wife Karen plays the vibes, T. Jarrod Bonta plays some piano, and Buck Johnson is on drums.
It’s a varied mix of styles. Hence you’ll find Hillbilly swing (The Devil’s Birthday Party with Erik Hokkanen on fiddle, blackberry Bounce), some influences from Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant (The Sneak-A-Roo), jazz (Dutch Treat) and some blues oriented stuff (Slippin’ the Mickey, which I suspect is a reference to Mickey Baker, Texas Twilight). Also, plenty of songs justify the title and songs like Tiki Tiki, Mood Music For A Tropical Depression, and Whispering Palms sound like Hawai/Exotica/Martin Denny all rolled into one with a dash of Les Paul for the former.
This album will ideally find its place next to Biller and Wakefield’s or John Munnerlyn and Lee Jeffriess’ one.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Dead Beat Jacks

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The Dead Beat Jacks – Graveyard Chicks Are Easy

dead beat jacks

Jax Wax Records [2021]
Psychobilliac – Before I Lose My Mind -Graveyard Chicks Are Easy – Scary Truck – Baddest Cat In Town – Demon O – Drink IPA – Satan’s Niece – How I Go – An Undying Quest – Bone Stimulator – It Just Gets Worse – Zombie Bloodbath

Coming from Chicago, The Dead Beat Jacks are a trio (guitar, double bass and drums) and sing songs about graveyards, zombies and demonic things. That would be enough for a lazy reviewer to qualify them as a Psychobilly band. But things are a little bit more complicated than that.
Of course, it contains plenty of songs that belong to the Psychobilly idiom — like Scary Truck or the ‘Demented Are Go’ influenced Psychobilliac — but they also have more neo-Rockabilly sounding tunes like Drink IPA. Their album also contains, and that’s where they develop their true identity, a solid dose of musical oddities like Before I Lose My Mind, which in its structure evokes a 50’s ballad in the style of Buddy Holly. Still, once the Dead Beat Jacks treatment is applied, it becomes a weird and totally insane thing. The same goes for Satan’s Niece. This one is very close to Heavy Metal in its form but escapes the genre’s grandiloquence by a very down to earth treatment.
This is one of the main strengths of these guys. By avoiding all the clichés and the facilities, their songs are often groovy with unusual structures and changes of pace. Hell, they even play a love song!
By not following the rules, the Dead Beat Jacks have developed an infectious and very original brand of music.

More infos here.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Kevin Fayte and Rocket 8

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Kevin Fayte and Rocket 8 – Ridin’ In A Rocket

Kevin Fayte and Rocket 8 - Ridin’ In A Rocket

Nervous Records NERD 024 [1985]
Bluest Of Blue – County Jail – Money Talks – Blame It On The Moon – Hey, Baby – Gal O’ Mine – Rock Candy – So What – Oh, My Little Claudie – Ridin’ In A Rocket – Baby, I Know – I’m A Rebel – Big Ol’ Sun – You Can’t Come Out Tonight – I Don’t Know – Teacher, Teacher – Get Off My Train – Movin’ To Memphis – Bop, Man, Bop – Gonna Rock

Kevin Fayte and Rocket 8 were a traditional Rockabilly trio consisting of Kevin Fayte on vocals and guitar, Buster Fayte on vocals and bass, and Joe Snare on drums. They seem to be forgotten today, which is rather unfair. Maybe they came too early. When most of the bands were trying to follow the Stray Cats paths, Kevin Fayte and Rocket 8 choose to remain faithful to the Rockabilly of the origins.
The band formed in 1983 and disbanded around 1986. In between, the trio managed to release this album consisting of twenty original songs, penned by the band members, but their producer, Gary Rebholz, also contributed to the songwriting. One could fear that twenty tracks are a tad too much for a rockabilly album, but the songs are short, and since both Kevin and Buster share the lead vocals, they manage to keep variety all along the lp. Most of all, they really knew how to write songs, focusing on the melodic aspect.
This excellent album deserves to be rediscovered today.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Hopped Up!

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hopped up!
hopped up!

Hopped Up! – Get Gone

Straight 8 Records – S8-101 [2004]
Get Gone – Rock & Roll Rocket
Hopped Up was a Rockabilly quintet with Scotty Shanks-Bruemmer on vocals, Shawn Burrell on slap bass, Justin Barr and Ralph Rodriguez on guitar and Gary Daly on drums.
A-side is a traditional jumping rockabilly number sung by Scotty who has a pretty good voice. The flip side is more on the frantic side and is sung by Ralph. Both songs are originals.
Good single.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Garnet Hearts (rockabilly band)

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The Garnet Hearts - Cupid

The Garnet Hearts - Cupid
The Garnet Hearts – Cupid

The Garnet Hearts – Cupid

Another Mile Records [2010]
This Lonely Bed – Carry On Renee – Cupid – Thistle In Your Garden – All The Time In The Worlds – Medusa – If She’s Pretty – Broken Arrow – Every Good Love Story – Can’t Be Loved – Bonfire – Thistle In Your Garden (alt.) – Every Good Love Story (alt) – Bonfire (alt.)

The excellent rockabilly combo the Garnet Heart returns with a new guitarist, a new label and a brand new and hot platter. Eddie Macintosh (formerly of the Boom Boom Cats – try to get their album on Vinylux) is one hell of a rockabilly singer with a mean voice and a sense for writing songs that grab you (wether it’s to move your soul or your feet). The core of this album is made of hot and wild rockabilly and rock’n’roll numbers that already sound like classics. The recording/production work suits them perfectly and is not that far from the Wild Hare label sound. I mean it’s roots and sounds “authentic” but it’s never to the detriment of the quality of the sound (many band should learn that). You’ll also find a bit of hillbilly (Right Here with You, All This Time In the World) and a superb Arthur Crudup type of rockin’ blues (Medusa). Still on the blues side, “Every Good Love Story” sounds like a cross between Howlin’ Wolf, Charlie Feathers and Dale Hawkins, man, can you imagine how good it sounds (don’t imagine, buy the record). One of the highlight of the album is Can’t Be Loved” a latin lament with a beautiful Spanish guitar I could listen over and over again. Last (but surely not least as they say) is a cover of Jimmie Piper’s Bonfire, a awesome murder ballad that confirms three things: the Garnet Hearts is a highly talented band with impeccable taste, Andrew Ladson is the perfect addition on guitar and Mark Pettijohn has to be one of the best drummer in the land. Included are 3 alternate takes/mixes.
The choice is yours: buy it or… buy it.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Hamburger James

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Hamburger James - Watch That Cadillac Burn

Hamburger James - Watch That Cadillac Burn
Hamburger James – Watch That Cadillac Burn

Hamburger James – Watch That Cadillac Burn

 (2011)
Watch That Cadillac Burn – Town I Can’t Call Home – Reaching For The Ring – Berryville – best Thing I’ve Ever Had – Hillbilly Angel – I Don’t Need To Have A Reason – Queen Of Broken Hearts – The Devils Bad In Bed – Scar Tissue and Surgical Steel – Cheatin’ Side Of Town – Heartache Waiting To Happen – Bad Bad Man – Boom Chicka Boom – Rock And Bowl – Woody On The Beach

Hot! Hot! Hot! I can’t believe it. I just received the latest Hamburger James and it’s one of the rocking-est piece of shiny silver I’ve heard in ages. I can’t believe these guys dont top the bill of European festivals. Recorded at Sun studios (where else?) it contains 16 originals tracks written by the different members of the band.
It opens with the title track, inspired by Elvis’Cadillac. And right from the start they grab you. It starts with a doo-wop arrangement then explodes into a hot rocker that would make Brian Setzer red with envy before returning to a more melodic/doo-wop style on the bridge. Superb arrangement and even better guitar solo. “Town I Can’t Call Home” is a solid country rock with steel guitar and harmony vocals, sounding as if “Six Days On the Road” had merged with Brian Setzer’s (again!) “Drive Like Lightnin’,Crash Like Thunder”. The tradition of talkin’ blues is now rich and it seems difficult to bring something new after songs like Smoke, Smoke, Smoke, A Boy Named Sue and Hot Rod Lincoln, but with “Reaching For the Ring” and its Jordanaires-like backing vocals, Hamburger Jame can add its name to the list. Next is “Berryville”. Need I say more? Well imagine Chuck Berry meets the Fabulous Thunderbirds. “Best Thing I Ever Had” is a stripped down rockabilly, mostly acoustic with just a light electric guitar. “Hillbilly Angel” shows influences of the Bakersfield sound with a bit of rock’n’roll and a superb solo that sounds like a mix between Dave Edmunds and Pete Anderson. The ballad “I Don’t Need To Have A Reason” also shows some Bakersfield/Yoakam influence. Still on the slow pace, the instrumental “Queen Of the Broken Heart” develops a melancholic mood with a slight Santo and Johnny feel in the sound. Threatening i the word that comes to mind for “The Devil’s bad in Bed”, a superb medium rockabilly number. The following number, “Scar Tissue & Surgical Steel”, is a hot rockin’ number played at a demonic pace, quite similar is “Heartache Waiting To Happen”. “Cheatin’ Side Of Town” is a pure Honky Tonk while “Bad Bad Man” is a Soul number featuring a complete horn section and sounds more like Stax than Sun. “Boom Chicka Boom” is not a tribute to the Man in Black as the title could indicate, but a mean number halway between rockabilly and Howlin’ Wolf (and a bit of Dale Hawkins too). “Rock And Bowl” is a classic Rock’n’roll with a tip of the hat to Danny Cedrone on the solo and the surf instrumental “Woody On The Beach” full of twangy guitar closes the set with class. An album that is brilliant from start to finish on which it’s almost impossible to find a weak track.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Hamburger James - Last Plane To Memphis
Hamburger James – Last Plane To Memphis

Hamburger James – Last Plane To Memphis

This quator from Richmond, Virginia takes his name from one member of the Memphis Mafia, whose job was to bring burgers to Elvis whenever he needed it. With such a name it’s no surprise to hear the influence of the King all along this album (that comes in a well designed digipack by the way). But influence doesn’t mean copy. They just take some elements, from the Sun days (That’s Allright) to the 60’s (Little Sister) via the classic RCA 50’s sound (Red Dress features some fine Scotty Moore licks), assimilate them and turn them their own to give their brand of rockabilly/rock’n’roll, a music with roots but not dated, with a majority of self penned songs.
Andy Vaughan, the lead singer, has a great voice that finds him equally at ease with straight rockabilly, wild rock àla Little Richard (“Rumble Tonight”) or the soulfull “Are You One?” that features an Hammond B3, I bet those who like The Paladins’ “You & I” will love this one too.
Country music is well represented too with notably “Ounces At A Time”, a solid honky tonk with piano and the Cash-esque “The Story Of Hamburger James”. “Wait For The Morning” is one of my very fave, a beautiful ballad with Roy Orbison’s accents that wouldn’t be out of plave in Chris Isaak’s set. A female guest singer, Jennifer Vaughan, is present on Janis Martin’s Bang Bang, a way to pay hommage to the rockabilly queen the band backed as one of their first gig.
Plenty of styles for a solid and original debut album.
Available at cdbaby.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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