Posters for rockabilly shows often stress rockabilly fashion etiquette.
Ricky Dean Sinatra formed in 1987. By 1990, Rot Gut, which included future members of the Spam Skinners and Chubby Smith, was on the scene.
Several local bands with a variety of different sounds flourish under the rockabilly name. The members of Hell Cat Trio describe their sound as mood-swing or full-throttle rock and roll. "We started out as rockabilly, but we're doing something different with it," says Hell Cat guitarist Slim Hanson. "We take the roots of country music, blues and jazz and then take it somewhere." The Trio's debut CD, Black Mumba, contains only one true rockabilly song in it." The only reason we still get classified as rockabilly is because of our instrumentation; upright bass, stand-up drums and hollow body guitar."
Psychobilly is the full throttle rock-and-roll son of rockabilly. Psychobilly is rockabilly for speed freaks, swing dancing be damned.
Rosenberry remembers when the band The Reverend Horton Heat from Dallas first began to experiment with this sound. "It was a rediscovery of that energy and rebellion," he said. When RHH were just starting, Rosenberry said only 50 or 60 people showed up. "Course now, they sell out places as big as Liberty Hall. They took the '90s concept to rockabilly: psychobilly."
One local psychobilly band, Tenderloin, has former RHH drummer Taz and is now a national act. While psychobilly fans are probably more partial to beer-fueled mayhem than rockabilly fans, they do share similar tastes in clothing.
Several of Lawrence's live music bars embrace rockabilly. Smaller clubs such as the Replay Lounge, Rick's Place and Harbor Lights all have rockabilly and psy-
chobilly shows. The Granada and the Bottleneck also book local and national acts. In addition to these regular shows, Liberty Hall hosts an annual greasers ball each fall.
Just as the band's music has progressed so has the sense of fellowship among bands in Lawrence's rockabilly scene. "When we first got started four years ago, there were bands like the Spam Skinners and Chubby Smith, but if there was a scene, we weren't aware of it," says Hell Cat drummer Sean McEmily. "Now, it has definitely grown. There's a lot more pickin' parties going on. Individual players from different bands will get together and jam. So in that sense, there is more unity."
"It's been a community over the years. It's like a family," said Rosenberry. "There's never enough of us to go around. We'll have members of two or three bands in the same show. It's an incestuous relationship really—but in a positive way."
Despite the small numbers of players, the fans of Lawrence's rockabilly music number many. "We book rockabilly shows every chance we get. The crowd tends to be nicer, a little bit older," said Sarah Eggers, a server at the Bottleneck.
D
Fans of rockabilly have continued to turn out for shows over the last decade even though new forms of music move into Lawrence all the time. "I think it's because there's a passion for the music," said Rosenberry. "Whether we like it or not, our cult fascination with Elvis Presley keeps rockabilly going," he said. "He burst onto the scene as a rockabilly singer, and that's what's kept it alive."
733 New Hampshire
Dine In Carry Out
749-0105 749-5622
Now accepting VISA/MC
Fatso's
House Specialties
House Specialties
Buffalo Wings ... $4.00
Chicken Fingers ... $4.00
Mucho Nachos ... $4.25
Onion Rings ... $3.00
Fatso Fries ... $3.00
Buffalo Fingers ... $4.25
Soups & Salads
Soups & Salads
Broccoli/Cheddar Soup ... $2.50
Garden Salad ... $3.50
House Salad ... $2.50
Fried Chicken Salad ... $4.00
From the Grill
Big Fatso $4.25
Super Fatso $4.25
Chicken Breast $4.25
From the Slicer
From the Slicer
Super Veggie .$4.25
Turkey Swiss $4.00
The Club $4.00
Tree Hugger $4.00
The BLT $3.75
Grilled Cheese $3.75
(Sandwiches served with chips, $.50 extra for fries, $1 extra for O-rings)
Drink Specials
Tuesday Nights .1/2 price 1/2 pound burgers
32 oz. mug specials
Wednesday Nights .$1.50 everything
Thursday Nights .32 oz. mug specials
$1.50 local micro brews
Friday Nights .$2.00 Jagermeister
$2.00 Guinness
Saturday Nights .$1.50 bottles
Fatso's 1016 Mass 865-4055
5
Entertainment
February, 1996 The Hill