On my blog site recently there's been a discussion starting about the " guidelines" of being a modern rockabilly band. In one of my posts I admitted that when I initially began playing in a rockabilly band years ago, I didn't even know enough about rockabilly to recognize that my bass guitar wasn't "authentic" rockabilly gear. All I understood is that I enjoyed the noise of the music and I wished to play it. I soon learnt that there were a lot of fans who felt that we couldn't be a real rockabilly band since I wasn't playing slap bass on an upright bass fiddle. A reader in the UK relates a similar experience since he doesn't play the " best" guitar for rockabilly. This all brings up an old sore spot with me and opens the conversation when again about what's essential: The music or the look ?
Opting for the look
Of course, it's fun to dress like the original rockabilly cats and chicks from the mid to late 1950s when rockabilly was new and fresh and Elvis was taking the world by storm together with all of the other musicians he inspired. And by and big, it does not cost a great deal of loan to attain the rockabilly look. You can find all kinds of fantastic clothes at garage and rummage sales along with second-hand stores. Simply gunning through the far back of your moms and dads' (or grandparents'!) closets can gain fantastic rewards for rockabilly clothing.
Things get more complicated when you're in the band. Now it's not simply the clothes that make the rockabilly look. It's the instruments. And it's a lot more expensive to set yourself up with a vintage instrument from the 50s period. And brand-new instruments made to appear like the old ones are not exactly cheap either. What's a new aspiring rockabilly act to do? If they do not feature a standup bass and a Gretsch 6120 hollow-body guitar (like the one Eddie Cochran played), they're not taken seriously. They're deemed imposters, not genuine "rockabillies".
The original rockabilly club was not unique
Absolutely nothing could be even more from the spirit of initial rockabilly! Rockabilly was not an unique club that was open only to those kids that came from rich households that could afford the " ideal" instruments. No method! By and large, our heroes were dirt poor. These guys were vibrant, young gamers who took whatever they occurred to have at hand and made music with it! And as contemporary rockabilly fans, we've all reaped the feast of amazing music that these artists made on those instruments.
Now, it so happens that hollow-body electrical guitars and stand-up basses are the instruments that a great deal of these people owned at that time. Those were the exact same instruments used by nation artists of the day and because rockabilly was so strongly rooted in country, it made sense that rockabilly artists-- many of whom began out playing country initially-- utilized those same instruments. However not all of them followed that mold.
For instance, as far as guitarists go, they utilized several guitars to make their music And they weren't all hollow-body guitars. No one believes less of Carl Perkins because his smash hit "Blue Suede Shoes" was recorded with a solid-body Les Paul guitar. Pal Holly played a solid-body Fender Stratocaster on his fantastic early rockabilly and no one at the time discounted him. Cliff Gallup, who played for Gene Vincent's Blue Caps utilized a strong Gretsch DuoJet guitar and most rockabilly fans consider his guitar work as a few of the outright finest rockabilly playing of perpetuity.
It's not the look, it's the music.
Simply put, it wasn't about the "look" at that time. It had to do with the noise and it had to do with the energy. It's enjoyable to have the "look" nowadays and the majority of bands attempt to put their own spin on the classic look. However eventually when I go to a rockabilly show, I'm far less concerned with what the band looks like as I am with what they seem like. If they rock and their music makes me smile the way and move rockabilly does, well then, that's great enough for me! The rockabilly neighborhood could really use with less concern about the look and more concern about releasing and delighting in the sounds. That's what it's truly all about anyway.
If you're a group of kids and you do not have lots of dough, however you wish to start a rockabilly band, you'll probably face the self-appointed "authentic-look" authorities sooner or later. Do not let them stop you. Get the instruments you crash and have into those first stress website of a excellent rockabilly tune. If they can't see past your want to listen to and delight in the music, it's their loss ... not yours!
In one of my posts I admitted that when I initially began playing in a rockabilly band years back, I didn't even know enough about rockabilly to understand that my bass guitar wasn't "authentic" rockabilly equipment. Cliff Gallup, who played for Gene Vincent's Blue Caps used a solid Gretsch DuoJet guitar and most rockabilly fans consider his guitar work as some of the outright best rockabilly playing of all time.
Robert Gordon was doing straight-out rockabilly and having a bit of success while bands like The Blasters were utilizing rockabilly influence greatly to form a brand-new "roots rock" sound.
These fans do not just purchase rockabilly records and go to rockabilly programs. The rockabillies use the features of 1950s style to express their love for rockabilly music and the excellent parts of the rockabilly lifestyle.