Christmas With Karling: a holiday treat for rockabilly and western country fans

Looking for a last minute holiday gift for your rockabilly/western country friends? No problem – head over to cdbaby.com and wrap up Christmas for Karling. My favorite Southern California rockabilly gal - the British-born singer-songwriter Karling Abbeygate - has just released her first holiday album and I’m hooked. Although she includes a number of classic holiday favorites (“Jingle Bells,” “The First Noel,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Silent Night”), the original tunes are what makes this album unique.

As soon as you pop in the CD, you know this is going to be a one-of-a-kind Christmas album. It kicks off with the oddball tune “What’s in the Box,” a track Tim Burton and Danny Elfman would be proud of with mystery contents, goofy sound effects, and slightly creepy back-up vocals. Then there’s the Wanda Jackson-esque “Christmas Party,” the perfect soundtrack for getting your eggnog on.

Karling’s pouting, whispery voice on “Santa’s Got a Crush On Me” will remind anyone of Marilyn Monroe’s sexy “Happy Birthday” and you can see how she’s got a hold on the big man in red. But what I adore about the song are Karling’s creative and innovative lyrics about a very naughty Santa and a vindictive, jealous Mrs. Claus. A slightly more twisted and dark version of the classic “Santa Baby,” the humor which laces this track (and others) makes this a holiday record I’m not ashamed to admit plays on repeat in the car.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the review on my Examiner site....

The 2011 Freak Show Festival Review

The second annual Freak Show Festival hit Austin on October 15^th, offering a line-up hand-picked by festival founders Clint and Rachel Simmons that was also informed by a Facebook poll of last year’s attendees. Danger*Cakes, Austin’s local Pickled Punks, and horror punkers Calabrese got the party started while people melted in the sun. Koffin Kats returned to the Freak Show for their second year with what I believe was probably the high point of the festival in terms of audience reaction and energy. These guys always know how to give their all to the audience, and we weren’t disappointed. Next, Colleen Duffy of Devil Doll brought her blend of Wanda Jackson-inspired rockabilly to the stage, proving she’s not one to be messed with as she waved a fake pistol around during her rendition of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” Finally, Mad Sin graced the stage, having come all the way from Germany for the gig. True psychobilly fans were obviously pleased to have a chance to see this legend of the genre, but it felt like much of the crowd had already dispersed. Nevertheless, the wrecking pit was decent and Koefte de Ville was in fine form.

Click HERE to go to the Examiner website to continue reading this article.

Patricia Day of Horrorpops files suit against Mattel Inc. over "Rockabilly Barbie"

Day filed a "trademark infringement" suit on December 23, 2010 against Hard Rock Café and Mattel Inc. for selling a Barbie doll made in her image without permission.

Mattel and Hard Rock have recently teamed up to release a series of Barbie dolls in the likenesses of pioneering female rock and roll stars. The first three – the "Debbie Harry Doll", the “Joan Jett Doll”, and the “Cyndi Lauper Doll” – are specifically named after the musician whose likeness they appropriate, “with authorization and compensation to the female musician upon whom they are based” (Tehranian, “Day v. Wonderama”, 8). But the so-called “Hard Rock Café Barbie Doll”, or “Rockabilly Barbie” (retail $80), bears a striking resemblance to Day, and yet Mattel didn’t “obtain any licenses for the use of her right of publicity for commercial purposes.”

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE ON EXAMINER.COM

The Perfect Life After Death: The Psychobilly Zombie

I just posted a 6-part series on zombies in popular culture versus zombies in psychobilly. It's too much to copy and paste each of the 6 parts here on Blogger, so please follow the below links if you're interested!

SECTION A gives examples of the so-called Zombie Renaissance within recent popular culture.

SECTION B discusses the origins and definitions of zombies that make us think they're evil and must be killed.

SECTION C talks about how zombie stories over time have corresponded to major fears or anxieties that permeate the masses.

SECTION D analyses the ways in which zombie movies help us prepare for disaster and learn strategies for surviving a real apocalypse. It's about the catharsis we get from killing zombies.

SECTION E describes the idealistic zombie (post)apocalypse that psychobillies have constructed as a fantasy preferable to their current situation.

SECTION F caps off the series by talking about what it means when psychobillies dress up as zombies and how they identify with zombies.

Plus, there's a really cool slideshow of psychobilly flyers and how they depict zombies: HERE.

Please leave comments on the Examiner page or on here to let me know what you think!

Nekromantix, The Howlers, and Mutilators tour hits Austin this Sunday (July 11) & many other cities

This is a show you can’t miss. Any psychobilly fan already knows plenty about Nekromantix and knows why they should relish any chance to see Kim Nekroman slapping (and sometimes licking) his custom coffin bass as he drinks shot after shot of Jägermeister. However, most Texans haven’t yet had an opportunity to catch the new female drummer, Lux. Franc is still rockin’ away on guitar too.

But you might not know as much about Mutilators, a band from San Francisco that defies categorization. Nekroman has become a fan of this band’s sick sense of humor as well as their talent for writing and playing extremely catchy songs that reflect influences from Gene Vincent to Gene Simmons to Gene Krupa. Read more about them here: "The Mutilators: a great-sounding psychobilly band with a sense of humor."

I got a chance to ask the band a few questions about this tour with Nekromantix and The Howlers (a punk psychobilly band from the Los Angeles area):

Anything new you have planned for this tour?
There are plenty things: new songs, new merchandise, guest appearances by good friends, and much more that'll make this a rockin’ as all hell event to remember.

The band is known for having crazy outfits and dressing in odd and bizarre ways. I remember seeing you all covered in fake blood in Berkeley, and I hear you played a show or more dressed in drag. Will there be multiple costume changes throughout the tour?
Well, wouldn’t you like to know? We’re going to wear black and be psychobilly (yawn, wink wink).

Awhile back, a woman named Linda Lee posted a YouTube video asking the public to ban your band because of the song “Put the Baby in the Microwave.” Obviously she didn’t understand that it was a satirical piece based on real events. So did this have any effect on Mutilators or their fanbase? Have you noticed any repercussions at all?
There is no feeling on the matter. Any publicity is good publicity. We are all allowed to voice our opinions, just as we do.

What are you most excited about in terms of touring with Nekromantix and The Howlers?
The opportunity to be amongst peers and bring the music outside of California with live performances to fans who would never get the chance to see Mutilators.

Anything else you want to add about why people should come out to the show?
Just you wait, people. We will burn images in your head that you'll never get out. We will sing songs that you'll never stop singing. We will give you a taste that you'll never get out of your mouth. We will scar you.

And it’s true. You won’t be able to get their songs out of your head. My favorites include “I F***ked a Zombie,” “As You Die,” and “(If I Gotta) Kill Ya (To Keep Ya).” As long as you don’t take yourself too seriously, you’ll get a kick out of the way they self-consciously mock the scene with songs like “Gay Love Song for Nick 13” and “I’m SOOOO Psychobilly.” Their live performances are fantastic, so don’t miss this!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE...

Promoter/DJ von Badsville: a walking music encyclopedia who throws great parties (interview part 1)

Most promoters have gotten into their business because of an honest-to-goodness love of the music. It’s great that they’re doing their part to help people enjoy and discover music. But some promoters are so devoted to the music they love that they’ve forgotten how to also have fun hanging out with folks of all types. Von Badsville is the best of both types of promoters: he can talk your ear off about everything from garage to psychobilly to surf and more, but he’s also a people-person who has befriended musicians and fans all across the spectrum of rockabilly, punk, psychobilly, garage, 80s, and surf.

You can see Von Badsville out nearly every night of the week: he organizes, hosts, and/or DJ’s Rhythm ‘N Booze (a 50s Record Hop on Mondays at Spike’s in Rosemead), The Breakfast Klub (80’s every Wednesday at Spike’s in Rosemead), ShakN’ Bones (at The Bamboo Bar in Whittier), and Rev It Up (punk/garage/billy/rock n roll at locations all over Southern California).

Don’t miss his upcoming event, a post-Hootenanny party and birthday celebration for himself and Tommy D, at Tropics Lounge (1842 W. Commonwealth Ave, Fullerton) on July 3rd featuring Gamblers Mark, The Black Tibetans, Legendary Swagger, the Embalmers, and more.
Doors at 7 pm; car and bike show in the parking lot. $8 cover / $5 with Hoot wristband. 21 and over.

I got a chance to catch up with Von Badsville.  CLICK HERE for part 1 of this interview, which focuses on how he started his career, why he finds his job so satisfying, and why he respects rockabilly legends like Johnny Powers. Further excerpts will be posted in the future about his favorite records, being Link Wray’s bodyguard, learning how to parallel park with Eddie Nichols of Royal Crown Revue, and other favorite memories over 10 years of promoting.

Black Cat Entertainment's 10 year anniversary show this Friday, May 28 with The Quakes and more

Don’t miss your one and only chance this year to catch The Quakes in SoCal. This Friday at The Music Box in Hollywood, they’ll headline Black Cat Entertainment’s 10 year anniversary show, rounding out a great night with The Grims (from Los Angeles), Human Flys (a Cramps tribute band), Evil Devil (from Italy), and a Coffin Case fashion show. Click here for more information on why you should see The Quakes this Friday.
 
Since this is the 10 year anniversary of Black Cat Entertainment, I got a chance to ask owner Rich Vreede about the ups and downs of promoting psychobilly and rockabilly events over the past decade. Black Cat also hosts the Hollywood Showdown Weekender, the Valentine’s Ball, and the Cinco de Mayo Fest, among other events.

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