Dash Rip Rock

I finally got to see Bruce Springsteen last night. The E Street Band made up for – and then some – the show they had to cancel two weeks ago. They played a three-hour rock and roll party, with a mix of old and new, with Bruce even pulling hand-written requests from the audience. I really liked that they rocked so hard, with Bruce and Little Steven facing off in guitar duels and Bruce emphasizing his own guitar playing.

Heather over at I am Fuel, You are Friends wrote an excellent entry last month about her first Bruce show and I think it’s worth reading. He had a slightly different set-list that night (and my beer cost $11, rather than $10), but the crowd emotion and reaction is the same. She also posted a few Bruce songs, which I’m not doing today.

And that provides a smooth transition to what I am going to post today.

I don’t remember if I first heard of New Orleans rockers Dash Rip Rock on the blogs or if I found them somewhere else. Either way, this self-proclaimed “Greatest Bar Band in the World” lives up to the title. The live album from which I took today’s music, Live at Schubas, leaves no doubt Dash Rip Rock is a helluva good time. They’re playing a couple of shows in Key West this summer and if I can find my way down US 1, I have no doubt there is a guaranteed good time awaiting me.

Some quick band history, in case you don’t know: Dash Rip Rock began playing in the summer of 1984 in Baton Rouge, La. The group formed when drummer Clarke Martty brought together Bill Davis and Ned Hoaky Hickel, Jr. for a rockabilly trio ala the Stray Cats.

They released their debut album in 1986 and began touring heavily through the southeast. It was there they developed a strong regional following, especially in college towns. Fueled by whisky and egged on by the raucous college crowds, Dash Rip Rock evolved into more of a bar band over time. One of their most successful recordings was a parody of Danny and the Juniors’ “At the Hop,” a song called “Let’s Go Smoke Some Pot.”

Drummer Fred LeBlanc, who had replaced Martty, left Dash Rip Rock after the second album, 1988’s Ace of Clubs. He now fronts Cowboy Mouth.

The band’s name supposedly comes from the Beverly Hillbillies: Dash Riprock was a boyfriend of Ellie May’s.

Check out the band’s Web site for more information, tour dates, and for some Free Downloads.

Locked Inside a Liquor Store.mp3
Delta Dawn (Tanya Tucker cover).mp3
I Saw the Light (Hank Williams cover).mp3
Let’s Go Smoke Some Pot 2005.mp3
Jambalaya (Hank Williams cover).mp3

Labels: alt.country, garage rock, live albums, psychobilly

posted by aikin @ 11:03 AM