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Beatin'
the Chops:
The Vegas Rockabilly Weekender
by Big Rude Jake
As
seen in the Fall 1999 issue of ATOMIC Magazine
Some
friends of mine went down to Las Vegas this Easter weekend to
partake in one of the greatest events in the retro world: The
Vegas Rockabilly Weekender. The annual happening is anticipated
with glee by cats the world over, and this year, I was told
that hep daddies from as far away as Japan made their way to
the Nevada Desert to get their fix of what they love best: diggin’
retro sounds and drinkin’ with their friends. By all accounts,
the weekender was an eight-cylinder blast, and everyone had
the time of their lives.
So,
why mention a Rockabilly event in a magazine that covers swing?
Because there’s a lot to be learned about the new swing movement
by observing the recent history of Rockabilly. The parallels
are enough to give one pause.
Consider
this: The Rockabilly revival started to pick up steam when
the Brian Setzer’s Stray Cats had their first European hit
with “Runaway Boys” back in the early Eighties. It took some
time, but eventually the Stray Cats were topping the charts
in America too. “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town” were
all over the radio, and Rockabilly went from obscure to mainstream.Then
came the backlash—serious cats who had been into the scene
for years were suddenly being crowded by half-baked wannabes
who were just jumping on the bandwagon. It was nothing less
than media overkill. Newspapers ran stories about the nutty
kids and their funny, old-fashioned get-ups. Record labels
signed bands because the lead singer had a pompadour.
The true beauty of the music was lost in all the hype, and
the spirit of the movement was diluted by too much crappy
media input. Soon after, the critics declared Rockabilly “over,”
and suddenly, being into retro music was uncool. The average
cat went from being a weirdo to a sell-out to a bumpkin in
the space of about ten months, and the movement, from the
perspective of the main- stream, appeared to disband.
But
appearances can be deceiving. Although the numbers dropped,
hard-core listeners and road-tempered musicians kept the music
alive through Rockabilly’s darkest night. In a few years’
time, the scene recovered, and now it is better than ever.
A whole new crop of young bands has sprung up, and the fan
base is growing by leaps and bounds. But the best thing about
the latest wave of Rockabilly is that the media is oblivious
to it. At one time, a convention of greasy wildcats in full-tilt
Fifties regalia converging on Las Vegas would have attracted
media attention nationwide. But the Rockabilly feeding frenzy
in the media is over, and so the kids are left alone to dig
their own vibe without being exploited by journalists and
other bottom-feeders.
Sound
familiar? It should. For years, there were terrific swing
scenes in big cities across America, especially in Los Angeles
and San Francisco. They thrived on their own with no help
from newspapers or television. Then came the deluge. The Cherry
Poppin’ Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and (once again) Brian
Setzer broke into the mainstream. And good for them! They
went platinum playing the music they love. Unfortunately,
the media sharks smelled blood, and soon enough, the movement
was all over. Every media outlet in America was running pictures
of swingers taking a twirl on the dance floor. Talking heads
on the tube and pundits in the press blabbed on about the
cute kids and their funny two-tone shoes. In the age of heroin
chic, they saddled the swing scene with a wholesome, squeaky-clean
image. And eventually—perhaps inevitably—critics and record
industry wiseguys declared that swing was dead. Media overkill
claimed yet another victim.
But,
if the Rockabilly scene is any indication, having the media
turn its back on swing might actually be the best thing that
could happen. It seems journalists are possessed with an anti-Midas
touch: Everything they get their hands on turns to shit. They
might have wrecked our scene if we had let them, but we stood
firm, and now the future looks bright. Today, we can start
to grow and develop the cult of swing without being preyed
upon, and we can return some of the integrity that was lost
last year when the hype was just too much. What’s more, we
now have our own media through which we can stay in touch
with each other and keep the swing community alive and thriving.
Magazines like ATOMIC are available across the country, and
you can access a truckload of cool sites on the Internet with
just a drag and a click. And then there are such venerable
organizations as Hepcat Records, a successful mail-order company
that publishes a thick catalog of old and new swing, big band and Rockabilly music titles.
Fortunately
for us, the media experts were wrong. Swing is now
better than ever. Exciting new bands are coming
out all the time, pushing the boundaries of a familiar
style and taking the music to strange new places.
And the fans are legion. Some folks are in it for
the dancing, others because swing is the last truly
vibrant form of alternative music left in this era,
the last gasp of the 20th century. Without a doubt,
word of mouth is the best way for good music and
a great scene to prosper these days. Don’t trust
the mainstream press or what you see on TV. Those
dorks will only lead you astray. Just keep diggin’
the music and spreading the word.
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