Rockabilly Nite @ Club Underground

Before I begin my review of the music, I'd like to start with a couple general comments about the atmosphere. First, as soon as I descended into the room and approached the guy at the table to get my stamp, a wave of B.O. washed over me. I can only assume this was emanating from the young male contingency in the audience. The other observation that struck me was the fetishized 50's stylings of the people who I'm sure must be the "real fans." The clothing was updated with lots of leopard print and skulls & crossbones, so I was reminded that I was still in 2009.

Now onto the good stuff! The first band was Cool Hand, based out of Wausau, WI. I very much enjoyed their music - fun lyrics, solid performance, not a huge stage presence but very enjoyable. I would definitely see them again. The only thing that turned me off was the "stripper shoe" joke halfway through the set. But still worth my, or your, time.

Next up was Reckless Ones. These guys really had the crowd going, and I must say, they had quite a presence. They consisted of a guitarist/singer, a standup bassist, and a standup drummer. I love standup drummers. And I love standup bassists. The singer seemed to be channeling Robert Smith from The Cure underneath his suit and ascot, but I suppose you can't help who you look like. The crowd really got into their music, and there was all kinds of swing and other dancing going on at the stage. I very much enjoyed their music as well, although I was just bouncing along in the back of the room. It's hard to swing without a partner. Or any knowledge of swing dancing.

Finally, Hot Rod Hearse came on. I think a lot of the crowd was still out smoking when they started their set. Also a guitarist and standup bassist, but this drummer was sitting down. Anyway, they were also pretty rockin, and I felt bad that by the time they came on around 1 am, much of the crowd had either dispersed to elsewhere on the premises, or were too drunk to do much more than walk around being loud. But I would definitely check this band out again too.

So, final conclusion: I like rockabilly! It reminds me of Nashville, which brings up those feelings of deep love and longing. If only I didn't feel like a square for dressing like I usually do, i.e., like I live in this decade.