Yup, it’s true. There are a bunch, I mean, a ton of really good rockabilly bands around our fair state of Arizona. We felt rockabilly really should be getting more coverage so we decided to cover three more incredible AZ rockabilly acts in our never-ending quest to expose more-n-more true rocknroll! Enjoy.
Fast Cars, Guitars, Tattoos & Scars
Voodoo Swing has been making records since ’93. That’s 20 years of solid rocknroll, folks. The February 2013 release of Fast Cars, Guitars, Tattoos & Scars certainly lives up to it’s name. It takes years of life on the road and the stories that go along with it to write an album like this. Tracks such “When Death Comes a Callin'” and “If You Ever Want to Come Home” (featuring local crooner Pat Roberts) suggest a new sort of maturity from the band previously unheard. Not to worry though for fans of classic Voodoo Swing, there’s more rockin’ and rollin’ on this album than in some band’s entire careers. They even close the album with their 20 year old classic, “Chasin’ the Devil’s Hot Rod” followed by the “Hot Rod Hymn,” an eerily-haunting chorale of lost souls. Playing tonight at 6 PM for the Spartan Riders MC annual “Ghetto Blast!,” and throughout the Valley for the month of April. Make sure to catch ’em here before they leave to tour Europe this summer! Click here for songs and showtimes.
EP
Well, if this isn’t the cutest thing to hit rockabilly since the polka-dot: Whiskey Kiss is led by husband and wife duo Nick and Niki White. She sings lead while he plucks his upright bass. Don’t let that fool you, however, Whiskey Kiss will creep up on ya and plant a fat kisser right to the cheek! With Jason Kay on the drums, Joel Dark on guitar and Bruce Legge on trumpet, Whiskey Kiss mixes in calypso and swing into their more traditional rockabilly sound to form a groove you just have to shake and shimmy to. Click here to find out where to see and hear Whiskey Kiss!
Lonesome and Blue
Pat Roberts keeps it traditional and I like that. No bull or pretension here, just honest songs. With Paul Thomas on upright bass and Ed Michaels on the drums, Pat Roberts gracefully lays his fine guitar work and crooning vocal style over a solid marble rhythm section. The Heymakers latest album, 2011’s Lonesome and Blue, hearkens back to an earlier sound in rockabilly. Don’t expect boombastic, over-the-top antics here. Instead, you can expect one ‘helluva’ record that will receive constant plays. At least, it certainly does with me. Make sure to catch Pat Roberts and the Heymakers live at one of their many upcoming shows around town! Plus, the group put out one of our favorite covers to date. Check out their video for “Creep” down below!
