Memphis Rockabilly Band Tonight

The Memphis Rockabilly Band has been playing gigs together all over the US and Europe since 1978.

From their website:

The Memphis Rockabilly Band was formed by Jeff Spencer and Bill Coover in 1978. The band quickly became one of the most popular bands in Boston and New England, as well as other destinations up and down the east coast. MRB traveled to Europe in 1981 and 1982 and recorded for France’s Big Beat Records. The band also released an album on Blind Pig Records in 1986.

Between 1979 and 1989, MRB was privileged to play with artists such as Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roomful of Blues, Duke Robillard, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Link Wray, Jack Scott, The Persuasions, Etta James and others.

Carl Perkins called them “the best rockabilly band I have ever seen.”

Jeff Spencer and Bill Coover again teamed up in 2005 to create a new incarnation of The Memphis Rockabilly Band. The band now includes bassist Paul Justice and drummer Alan Sheinfeld. Memphis Rockabilly Band has returned to Europe after a 23-year absence, playing to crowds of adoring fans, and establishing themselves at the forefront of the American roots music scene in Europe. As in the past, the band’s repertoire includes original and cover songs drawn from rockabilly, surf instrumentals, blues, rock & roll, hillbilly and rhythm and blues. Memphis Rockabilly Band has always been known as a great dance band and a favorite of swing dancers, and that tradition continues.

Come on down tonight and see these great entertainers A $5.oo cover is requested at the door, or, if you are lucky, there may still be a few free tickets available around the villages of Falmouth and Woods Hole at Coffee Obsession (in both locations), Woods Hole Market, Daily Brew (N.Falmouth), Artie's Cafe, West Falmouth Market, Wild Harbor Market (N.Falmouth), Quarterdeck Restaurant, and Fishmonger Cafe.

Tomorrow: Sweet Melissa with Chris "Stovall" Brown

Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish play on Friday

Ready to dance? Come on in and see Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish at Grumpy's on Friday. If you've seen them before, you know what I'm talking about! These guys have a way of getting even the most reluctant dancer to get up and have a good time on the dance floor.

From their myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnnyhoybluefish ):

Formed in 1991, the band has evolved through many incarnations, five cds, trips around the world and mostly the joys of playing a lot of music on Martha's Vineyard where most of them live... Jeremy has been with the band for most of its life - since the summer of '93.

The band started out as a four piece with no piano, became a five piece for several years, and then returned to a four piece configuration, this time with no bass, and it's been that way for almost 10 years... Paul arrived from Texas in 1997 after a famous stint with The Red Devils in LA. He had gone back to Denton and Austin to form his own band with his friend and fellow guitar master Johnny Moeller, and Johnny Hoy found him at the right moment and asked him to come up and play with us. With a couple of breaks, he's been with the band since he got here. Chris came aboard in 2000 and he and Jeremy have been the rhythm section all along. He stays around Boston - we can't make him move down here. A real city boy...

Here's a review of our cd, Film Noir Angel' from Blues Revue, March 2007: The first release in five years from this Martha's Vineyard-based band is a self-produced, self-released affair featuring four originals and 10 diverse covers that reveal an affinity for rockabilly, country and traditional blues. The album's blues tracks - Little Walter's "High Temperature", J.B. Hutto's "Hip-Shakin," Lightnin' Slim's "Nothin' But but the Devil," and Bo Diddley's "Cadillac" - are solid. It's the other covers that are the most surprising, and despite their sources, they don't stray far from the blues. The most anomalous tune is a "Sloop John B" cover that features wistful harp and Tom Waits-like vocals. Hoy channels Jerry Lee Lewis on Stephen Foster's "Old Black Joe," which starts lugubriously before bursting into pants-on-fire boogie typical of the Killer. For the great Charlie Rich Blues, "Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave," Hoy sings with the requisite blend of resignation and weary defiance. Hank Williams' "You Win Again" is transformed into a West Side shuffle, and Arthur Alexander's "Sally Sue Brown" receives an Excello-style swamp blues treatment. The Mavericks' "All you Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" is straight honky-tonk. Three Hoy originals ("Shack in the Back," "Throw Down Your Hammer," and the title track) are Southern rockers remiscent of Little Feat, while "Big Stacka Darlin'" evokes the twangy bayou rockabilly of Dale Hawkins. Hoy is a consumate harpist whose brawny tone owes much to Little Walter, and his vocals recall Waits' world-weary grittiness and garbled enunciation. But it's Jeremy Berlin's scintillating, two-fisted piano work that steals the show. Fans of the Nighthawks, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and the Blasters will find much to enjoy on 'Film Noir Angel.' Though we would take issue with some of the characterizations, we're happy with the good review!

This is the only time the band will be here in June, so come on down to kick off the summer right!!