I have never been to a Rockabilly/Psychobilly concert in my life but when I heard that Igor and the Red Elvises were going to be in town along with two other acts I jumped at the opportunity to see them live and get a taste of what was it about.
I know the main act was Reverend Horton Heat, the patron of the Rockabilly revival age, but I had heard about the Red Elvises about 15 years ago on a televised report that I think I saw on Discovery Channel. I don’t remember anything about what was said about them or their music; I just recall seeing a big triangle shaped bass (which was formed after a typical Russian instrument, the balalaika) and funkadelic clothes.
Cafe Campus was the venue for this experience. The entrance was organized, the place was in order and waiting in line were several characters that were what you imagine when anybody mentions the word Rockabilly: sideburns, leather jackets, 50s-inspired clothing, and hairdos from the same decade. I liked it and it made the whole experience more immersive and entertaining.
Having walked in at 7:35 pm, I had missed the first song by Igor and his band, but I jumped right in and tried to sync my moves with the rest of the people. This was one of the few concerts I have been in the last few years were people were not staring at the stage and living through their cell phones. They were moving, dancing, sipping beer and interacting with the band.
Igor and the Red Elvises have been through many changes throughout the years ever since their conception in the mid-90s, this Russian-American band rocked the stage; their songs were hilarious, their lyrics had many puns and great choruses that everybody sang and repeated at the indication of Igor.
Some of the songs you should give a listen to if you want a brief introduction to their style are “Closet Disco Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” “I want to see you bellydance” and “Bacon.” According to Igor, they’ll be visiting Montreal in a couple of months.
Next up was the Reverend and his band, which I thought was strange since I expected Unknown Hinson to come out next, but there was a reason for that, Unknown does not have a band and joined the Reverend at a couple of moments throughout his act.
Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name for guitarist, singer and composer, Jim Heath. The band was formed in Dallas, Texas and can’t be necessarily boxed in the Rockabilly genre, you see, their repertoire is inspired by country, punk, good old rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass, swing and surf music. I had heard some of their songs before the show, but I hadn’t expected to listen to what I heard live.
All musicians from the band were virtuoso in their own right making the show sounds as if you were listening to a record. From the legendary Jimbo Wallace, who played the upright bass with a slap bass technique, the keyboard player who slid through the keys as Chubby Checkers or Fats Domino and the drum player Arjuna “RJ” Contreras who is a trained musician and played drums like Gene Krupa or Buddy Rich.
They played their most famous songs, and the Reverend (is that the proper term?) Told tales and anecdotes of their more than 30 years of career. Each tale introduced a different song and dwelled in topics like collectible cars, farms and even gay cowboys.
At the middle of their set, they invited Unknown Hinson, a guitar virtuoso and a unique character and stage name of the singer Stuart Daniel Baker, who also voices a character for the Adult Swim cartoon Squidbillies.
His person could be described as a pale creepy-uncle cowboy. He has a cult following that includes the likes of Matt Groening and Billing Bob Thornton.
As mentioned above, he joined Horton Heat at a couple of times and entertained us with his unique humor, weird character, and virtuoso guitar playing.
Punk, surf, good old rock and roll and even disco were heard that night. People danced, sang and even a mosh pit formed at the front of the stage.
Everything seemed familiar but yet unique and novel. Beer, old friends, and new ones made a pleasant spring evening into an unforgettable one.
Review + Photos – Ricardo D. Flores
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