“For all you guitar geeks out there, expect some surprises…” says Boston rocker ahead of European dates

The last time Mayhem managed to grab a work with Jittery Jack, it was after his Rockabilly Rave debut, five years on we caught up with him once again. He is currently on a European tour and tonight he plays at The Nambucca in London.

“We always enjoy getting back to Europe when we can. An opportunity came up to play with our friends Hillbilly Casino at a festival in Finland, so we figured some dates around it. I am hoping to do a much more complete tour next year, in 2020.”

Back in 2014, Kevin (aka Jittery Jack) was the poster boy for the Rockabilly Rave and I remember the excitement building as the weekender got closer, with lots of people eager to see the wild man in action. The reception he received was fantastic, albums sold well, and he has fond memories of his time at The Rave.

“I was actually born in England and moved to the States when I was a kid, so it’s not all foreign to me. The English crowd are knowledgeable, they really know their music and are a very discerning crowd. At the end of the day they all love a good time and I do too, so I think we’re good company! We are adding new stuff to our set this time too, we are working on a new record, plus I’m pushing Amy to do some more instrumentals, so for all you guitar geeks out there, expect some surprises”.

Jittery Jack has released a few different recordings in his time as an artist. His early stuff with The Raging Teens, a 7 track CD which featured The Hitman and Switch Your Dial, before recording with Wild Records in LA.

‘Gonna Have A Time with…Jittery Jack’ is his latest single release and he has confirmed new recordings and re-releases are coming very soon.

“Yes there is new material coming! Amy and I reunited with our former Raging Teens bandmasters and cut a 45 for Swelltune Records last year. I’ll have copies of those with me on the tour. ‘Gonna Have a Time’ is acutely getting re-released on Rum Bar Records in the USA next month, a really cool label that does a lot of garage stuff. We hope to have a new full length album ready to go by the end of the year with the possibility of an Amy solo record too!”

Before the interview was over I had to ask Kevin about this recordings with English Rockabilly royalty, Darrel Higham. The 12 track Rockabilly killer album was released back in 2016 and I for one, couldn’t stop playing the record when it was first released, especially the bopper ‘Big City Blues’. The Boston rocker explains how the recordings all came about.

“Darrel’s a lovely fella and a great talent. We sort of become friends from playing together, and every time he passed through Boston, we’d connect and go clothes/record shopping. He mentioned that had been thinking about making a record with any other singer and asked if I was interested. Well, I couldn’t say yes fast enough! The record was cut at his studio over a couple of days. We split the songwriting up, and even had a great song written by Pete Pritchard, who plays bass on the album. It was a ton of fun to make, and there has been talk of a follow up, so stay tuned for that”.

Rob hopes the album will open a few new doors for the band as The Broadkasters release their latest recordings

Rob Glazebrook is one of the counties biggest players and the guitarist sat down to discuss his thoughts on the latest going’s on with The Broadkasters with Mayhem’s Scott Barber.

The album entitled ‘Hot Blues and Boogie!’ got its ‘official’ launch at The Railway Hotel in Southend on Sunday 26th May to a packed and appreciative crowd. His latest recordings are certainly impressive and the album sounds as if it was recorded back in the day. Since Mayhem last spoke to Rob there has been a change in line up and the current members all feature on the new record.

“Things are going good with the band at the moment. We have our new line up sorted, the sound sorted and we are trying to find new gigs. It’s difficult at times as we are trying to break into a scene that I have less knowledge of. Booking systems mean it can take years to get a gig, it took 7 years to get Blues on the Farm, so we are hoping the new CD opens a few more doors”.

The new album seems to have gone down extremely well in the early days since released and it’s certainly been played on repeat in Mayhem owner, Scott Barber’s car. The record sounds like it was recorded back in the day, and Rob is extremely happy with the recording set up.

“The new album was recorded at John Hannon’s ‘No Recording Studio’ in Rayleigh. John is so easy to work with and I have done all of recent recordings at his studio. He lets us use our old mics, and gives us full control over our sound. If there is a technical issue he will bring that to our attention. We recorded this album last November”.

The CD is mostly covers of a range of blues numbers from early rarities, fast, slow and an original track too. When asked what his favourite tracks were on the album, Rob had his favourites.

“It’s hard to name personal favourites because I do love them all” confirmed Rob. “We have a couple more coming out soon on a vinyl 45, however back to the album, I think the two slow numbers have a cool atmospheric sound that grabs you, for example ‘Sweet Little Angel’ and my own composition ‘Anna Lee’.

Rob is a well recognised personality on the music scene, both locally and internationally and the singer has aims for the future with the band. He still has two other bands he fronts as well as playing guitar in the Star Lite Trio with Johnny Gunner, but he hopes to continue with all projects.

“We just want to keep playing as much as possible, which is complicated by myself and the others’ commitments, but things are starting to happen for this band slowly but surely”.

“I still front The Playboys, but mostly The Houserockers, which takes up a large portion of available time. However, there is more time becoming available to do the blues stuff. It’s difficult to define what gives you most pleasure, as I feel very much at home with all genres.

However, if push came to shove, I love playing blues and my education in this field has been helped by Little Victor and being able to recently play with him”.

‘Hot Blues & Boogie!’ is now available to purchase from the band.

“I want to think big! What’s the point of being in a band otherwise?” says frontman Danny Dawkins

Last week Scott Barber from Mayhem Rockabilly managed to grab a chat with Danny Dawkins, the frontman from Danny ‘O’ & The Astrotones. The guitarist responded with some interesting answers as they look to take the Rockabilly world by storm in the coming years…

(You can find an exclusive live video shot at Hemsby by Mayhem on Facebook and YouTube of the band)

1) How did The Astrotones form/begin?

The Caezars split in 2017 and I had a big summer off in 2016 between studying to obtain a law degree with the hope of becoming a lawyer. I could feel that The Caezars were coming to a close and had been writing some things by myself for myself for a little while. Still, I hadn’t really found my voice as a songwriter. After studying law, I felt like I became articulate enough to moan about things that I never really wanted to moan about before I guess? Simple frustrations about how bizarre this system we live in is and how contradictory it all is. I won’t get too political but there is definitely an angry young man expressing his displeasure about the way society has decided to organise itself in the 21st century in my lyrics if you want to read into it a little. 

So, in 2016 I demoed my angry young man songs in my glorified back garden shed called Moose Lodge in the hope that one day they might see the light of day. I was so nervous about trying to sing them, though. They felt incredibly personal like they were the sort of thing that only I would want to sing and I wouldn’t want to give them to anyone else. I decided to have a crack at it and thought that I didn’t sound awful so thought about getting some musicians together to see if it could be a project with legs. I knew I wanted my best mate Steve to play bass and had a couple of guitarists in mind but no drummer. I originally thought it would be great to get a guy called Dale in who had played some shows with The Caezars but, he decided to move to Germany with a girl he met at, ironically, a Caezars show in Düsseldorf a few years earlier. I’d even got as far as sending him the demos and then he just left! I still like him, though. Honest…

So, the idea of a band was basically shelved after that until a year later in late 2017 after The Caezars did split I decided get Steve to play bass on the demos just in case we ever bumped into a drummer that we liked and got on with who may be up for joining in with what we had. Then we shelved the idea again for 6 months or so as no one showed up until I saw a clip of The Red Hot Rockets playing online with Curtis Doel on drums. I sent him a message to say I was looking for a drummer depending on what his commitments were and, luckily, it was The Red Hot Rockets last gig. That was around late June 2018 and I messaged Sam French who I knew through Chris Magee and from Sam playing in The Runawayz and The Quantums to see if he wanted to learn what I’d written. He was really up for it and we had our first rehearsal on Sunday July 8th 2018. Unfortunately, my dad went into hospital that evening and then passed away on July 14th 2018 which kind of put a spanner in the works. It did sharpen my focus to some extent and I knew I wanted to keep things going as music keeps me sane (I think…). 

The funeral was on 10th August and we played our first songs together there as it felt like the right thing to do. Basically, I put together a show with the 3 bands I’ve played in, Thee DB3, The Astrotones and The Caezars. Each band played 4 songs and then one of dad’s because I always covered one of his songs in every band I’ve played in. This is because he had a nasty accident when I was 10 leaving him as a quadriplegic and unable to play guitar any more. I wanted to keep his music going and that was one way I could do it, by always making sure I was doing one of his songs when I played live. That and they were usually better than the ones I’d written myself! He came out to see The Caezars loads and was by far our biggest champion and helped us out to no end when we were starting out. Anyways, The Astrotones set at the wake wasn’t a full set, just a few of the songs that we’d got the strongest at which included Machine Gun, which was a track of my dad’s. The Caezars did Heartache Overload and Thee DB3 played an instrumental of dad’s called Kerbcrawlin’.

This mini-set actually sped-up the whole process of the band. A few clips went up of The Astrotones from the wake and they started to garner some interest. If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have even announced the fact we were a band until January 2019! I think that you need to have a goal, purpose or mission as a band. I didn’t want to trundle along playing rock’n’roll clubs for no reason. I had these songs I’d written, found out I could get away with singing them and wanted to do them justice. I wanted to wait until we had a good video, some seriously cool photos and had released at least a single but, preferably an album, before we did any gigs. 

 

2) Obviously you’ve got experience from The Caezars, has that helped you create this band?

 Thanks for spelling the name correctly for a start!

The success in The Caezars definitely taught me a few things about how to promote/manage a band and what steps you should and shouldn’t take. It taught me how to say no to things and gave me an insight into the sort of things you can try to do to make some sort of an impact and gain a following. 

I think I wanted to keep only playing original material and putting on a wild stage show but avoid losing sight of what I personally really enjoyed and made playing in The Caezarsgreat. To me, a big part of that was looking cool on stage and wearing the right clothes and also staying true to what I believe has the best sound or the best way of getting that sound without compromise. Whether that’s by only using a double bass when playing or only recording on tape, I wanted to do something that was 100% my own thing and definitely grounded in the rock’n’roll/rockabilly world. 

People have seriously short attention spans nowadays. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to be born as a finished project. This again was something I learned in the Caezars. The Caezars didn’t start off ropey but we weren’t exactly the tightest band ever and it took ages for our album to actually get pieced together. I feel like we only really got going as a bad after the first 4 years or so, that’s why I wanted the ball to really be rolling with The Astrotones before we even set foot on a stage. Also, the place where you really sell merch is at gigs so, what is the point in playing if you don’t have anything to sell? People will just forget about you if they can’t take home something to remember you by and you’re in a band to build a fanbase, not get people to forget about and ignore you. 

 

3) Introduce the band for us?

Curtis Doel is the drummer. He’s too young for his own good (I’m not giving away ages here) and lives in a tiny place called Alton which is near Guildford in the south of England. 

Curt was in the Red Hot Rockets for a time and has played drums for other artists with his dad’s band, The Doel Brothers. The most notable (from what I can remember) was playing drums for Scotty Baker on the main stage at The Rockabilly Rave which is pretty damn cool for a 5-year old!

Steve Neller is on double bass. He’s married with a kid living in Bognor Regis, which is about as rock’n’roll as it gets! 

Steve has only really been in The Caezars, I can’t think of any other band he’s been in that he would want me sharing with you. There was a dodgy punk band he was in when he was younger that played the local pubs but he doesn’t like me bringing that up!

Sam French is on rhythm guitar and lives way up in Ipswich. It’s a pain in the arse rehearsing with him but, at least it means I don’t question his commitment when he does his 7 hourround trip on a Tuesday evening!

Sam has played with The Runawayz who did really well on the rock’n’roll scene before they split up, as well as The Quantums, who were a rockabilly band fronted by Mr. Bopflix Films, Chris Magee. Thw Quantums played some really cool shows in the UK and Europe, Boppin’ the Blues in London and a mini-tour of Switzerland come to mind. 

I’m (Danny Dawkins) based in Portsmouth and have been for a pretty long time now. So, I guess we’re not really based anywhere as a band as we’re from all over! Still, that was something I was used to in The Caezars as we were all over the place geographically so that didn’t really phase me when putting this line-up together. 

I cut my teeth playing guitar in The Caezars and have also put together a Screaming Lord Sutch Tribute band that played a few shows (and could possibly convinced to do so again) and also played in a surf/punk/garage band down in Portsmouth called Thee DB3 with a couple of guys who used to play in bands with my dad. 

 

4) Which artists have influenced you?

In terms of our sound, I’m still trying to nail that catchy sound-bite that really just rolls of the tongue. My main influences would probably be Chuck Berry, Jack White and Link Wray. I guess that makes it a combination of blues, rock’n’roll and garage rock in equal measure. I think I’d say we’re dragging what’s best of the past but been lost in the midst time and bringing it kicking and screaming into the future. We play our own brand of in-your-face, guitar-driven rock’n’roll with more than just 3 chords. It’s a description that needs work but, I want it to sound something like loud Link Wray riffs played over a pounding rock’n’roll backbeat delivered with electricity of an amphetamine filled Dr. Feelgood show.

I wouldn’t say my music choice is particularly diverse, though. I just love loud guitars and that’s what does it for me. I sorta say I like ‘weirdo music’ and usually gravitate to things that are left field. Whether that’s The Sonics, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, Big Bill Broonzy, La Luz, The Hives, Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Cramps, Screaming Lord Sutch, The Strokes, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Yak, Ty Segall, Andre Williams, Oh Sees, Fat White Family, Howlin’ Wolf, Daddy Long Legs, X-Ray Spex or all of the weird rock’n’roll singles that form the bulk of my record collection. Those singles compiled on the Desperate rock’n’roll series, the Greasy rock’n’roll series and That British Sound series. I love British rock’n’roll between 58 and 63, recorded before The Beatles got massive and slightly after that. All of that probably comes through in my music. I want people who are musicians to be surprised by the chord changes and structure of my songs but I also want people who aren’t musicians to enjoy the chorus’s and the melodies of them. I want more than 3 chords but still simple enough for people to gravitate towards. I think it’s a fine balance and only time will tell if people like it or not! 

 

5) How has the album/singles gone down with the crowds?

I think the singles have sold really well. I know Felix is almost out of his copies of Everyday Chains and has had even more orders from dealers for Paint The Town. We’ve sold a lot online and they’re selling consistently well at gigs. I think both singles will probably sell out in the next couple of months or so as we’re getting low on both now. I’d say we’ve probably got under 100 left of each single ourselves so we’ll be out soon and the only ones left will be those already sold to dealers. I’m still not sure if we will repress them or not. Part of me does like the limited edition aspect of the vinyl but, if there’s enough demand then it’s going to be hard to not to. We’re not quite at that stage yet, though. 

The album. ‘Introducing… Danny “O” & The Astrotones” will be released on all formats on Witchraft International on June 7th 2019 and can be ordered at http://www.planetastrotone.com

The live shows are going really well too and that’s people’s only real experience of the album at the moment. We’ve had some really positive feedback, though. Geoff Barker from BBC Radio said that we were one of the most impressive live bands he had seen in a very very long time so we must be doing something right! 

 

6) Did you enjoy Hemsby? What was the reception like?

Hemsby was great! I think Bill, Jimmy and George Guntripdid a fantastic job. They’ve stripped back the weekend to a really simple mix of what makes weekenders great. Great Bands, Great DJs and a focus on entertainment not outstaying it’s welcome. Everything went to time, the DJ sets were fantastic and everyone was drinking and dancing until the early hours. The atmosphere was great and I enjoyed is way more than I thought I would so hats off to the Guntrips!!! I’d like to take this particular opportunity to thank Bill for having the confidence to book us and put us on at 20:00 which is an amazing slot to get when you’ve only been a band for 5 minutes! I think we went down really well and I’m pretty sure there’s a really great video of 3 of our tracks put up by a blog called Mayhem Rockabilly you can find in depths of the internet somewhere! 

 

7) Obviously you have dates for the rest of the year, I bet the phone has been constant with promoters wanting you?

Yeah, we’ve been having to turn down gigs for 2019 since March this year because the calendar was so full! However, I’ve had to put in a lot of hard work to get to that position. For some shows, we were approached by promoters for all the festival gigs but I’ve managed to secure a fair few shows myself because of the Delta Bombers tour. The plan was to get shows booked in all the cities that we’re playing with the Delta Bombers to try and capitalise as best we can on the support slot. We have shows booked in for most cities so that we can promote those gigs at the shows we play with the Delta Bombers, in the hope that we impress people enough that they will want to come and see us again. All of those shows I had to book myself, using contacts I’d built up with The Caezars. A couple of the cooler shows I’ve arranged myself include at the Mondo Water Rats in London with Big Joe Louis doing his one man show supporting us and Little Carl and Mouse DJing on Saturday September 21st (which is also the night after my birthday so it should be a big one!) and a gig we’re doing in Sheffield at the Shakesepare with Howlin’ Ric & the Rockateers supporting us, who are the UK’s answer to JD McPherson and that one is on November 16th. 

It’s amazing that we’ve been received so well this far and I’m looking to really cracking onwards and upwards in 2020, starting at the fantastic Rockin’ Race Jamboree festival in Spain that we have been booked for in Feb 2020. 

 

8. What are your ambitions/realistic aims with the guys?

I want to think big! What’s the point of being in a band otherwise? I think certain dreams are to play VLV, The Rockabilly Rave, High Rockabilly and to play a show or two in Japan. I would absolutely love to somehow end up getting airplay on BBC 6 music as I feel that would really be a huge achievement for a band playing music like ours. I just want to keep working hard, promoting the hell out of what we do and play really really cool shows. I’d love to be able to sell-out small venues in the UK and Europe on weeknights as I think that’s the sign of a proper band, if people are parting with their hard earned cash to come and see you on a Wednesday and then turning up at working feeling hungover because they’ve come to see my band play, that’s quite a big deal for me as I only do it for bands I really love! I think we’d look at putting out album 2 in 2021 perhaps, maybe earlier, not sure. All the songs are written, I just need to get them demoed well enough for the guys to learn. Onwards and upwards over the next few years I hope, building a fan base that digs what we do and allows me to perform in front of people who enjoy our music. Live performance is everything to me and if I ever get to the stage where I see hundreds of people in a crowd singing along to the songs that I’ve written at a big sell-out gig or festival show, then I’d die a happy man.

“I’m living out a dream right now” Scotty Barber talks about his debut album.

Dreams can come true and they certainly are for young rockabilly singer Scotty Barber, after his debut recording session for his album on Sunday at No Recording Studio in Rayleigh. The 24 year-old man from Hullbridge in Essex teamed up with three members from The Blazin Aces to record a ten track originals album on Sunday, and we at Mayhem Rockabilly, caught up with the man himself this evening.

“I am chuffed to pieces, I really am” beamed Scotty.

This has always been an ambition of mine, to get a CD recorded professionally with a band for a keepsake, and I have made huge strides in achieving this. I cannot thank the band enough and I owe a lot to them all, especially Guy, who believed in me from the very start and gave me the chance to perform live with his band”.

Scotty originally met The Blazin Aces last November at a local gig in Southend, he was originally approached to do some video work for the band, he then got talking to lead singer and guitarist Guy De Cruz at great length, then discussions about the album started.

“At first I didn’t know how serious to take it. I told Guy that I had done a few jam sessions and that I had recorded a few home demos that I would like to record someday, the next thing I knew, I was invited to the band rehearsals. Everybody welcomed me with open arms and we started jamming around with one of my demos, the following week I was invited to perform it live with the band in Strood, Kent. It was around the time my Dad was in hospital so it was a stressful time for myself and my family, so this little bit of news boosted my confidence and made me believe in myself again”.

After performing several times with the band, including at the bands’ administrator and general do-gooder Victoria’s birthday party, the studio was booked for the 16th August where the boys would finally lay down 10 original songs that Scotty wrote himself. The 24 year-old says he will be forever in the bands debt for giving him this opportunity to record his own original material.

“Everybody related to the band has been absolutely brilliant to me, I have seriously made friends for life with all of them, it’s like a little family. They’re all so talented, kind and caring, and my confidence in my own ability is back. I’ve loved every single minute of this journey so far, there is still quite a bit to do with the album in the mixing stage and I am also looking to re-record my vocals for ‘I’m Helpless’ and do that song as a duet with Nicola Cook.

Nic is fantastic, she has a great voice and her confidence has grown immensely too, if we can manage to arrange something to get her on the album, I will be over the moon”.

Scotty doesn’t know what the future holds as such, but he tells Mayhem that he isn’t exactly expecting a great deal, but whatever does come his way, he will cherish.

“There’s been slight talk of it being released on an independent record label, but talks are only at a basic stage. I’m not really expecting a great deal to come of this in all honesty, I am just a young man that has had the chance to record and perform my own material with my good friends, it doesn’t get much better than that. I guess the next step is to get the album fully mixed and furnished, release it online and see how things go. It really is exciting how something I do as a bit of enjoyment, people seem to like, it is an incredible feeling.

I hope I get the chance to perform regularly with the band still and maybe have my CD’s on sale at their gigs so I can kind of promote the album that way, but we will have to see. The band know I have 12 other little gems waited to be recorded” smiled the youngster.

Marcel Bontempi Was Really ‘Diggin’ A Hole’ At The Rave

German rockabilly sensation Marcel Bontempi chatted to Mayhem Rockabilly literally hours after finishing his debut set at The Rockabilly Rave in Camber, England. The man has made great strides on the rockin’ scene and his song ‘Dig A Hole’ has become a regular DJ bopper in rockabilly clubs all over the country. Marcel tells us he was simply blown away by the response he received on the main stage and how his album has been received globally.

“There was friendly people all around me, and it was very organised. There was good food in the neighbourhood, a great audience, great band and DJs. I was pretty overwhelmed here by the way Ira and myself were received and I was also mighty happy to have had the chance to play once again with Mark, Tony, Rob and Bill, AKA ‘Bill Fadden & The Rhythm Busters”.

I first saw Marcel live at Hemsby 52 (May 2014) on the main stage and I was blown away by his approach and take on this wonderful genre of music. He sings about obscure creatures etc. but does it with such a fantastic sound and authentic rhythm that we just don’t seem to care. He explains to us how he got involved in this genre of music.

“I really got into music when a friend of mine wanted to form a band when we were back in school. They needed a singer and somehow I felt challenged and jumped into it! Once I started singing I then saw it would be convenient to strum a few chords on the guitar to accompany myself, so everything just started” said Bontempi.

“My influence was mainly Rockabilly, but I quickly wanted more different sounds to play so I discovered Hillbilly music and that was followed by Jamaican-Ska, Soul, 60’s Surf. I can say that I basically love all music from the 1940’s ’til 1960’s but it has to be criminal somehow, strange and appealing. The typical genre cliches never interested me that much!”.

Dubbed ‘The Wizard Of Rhythm’ Marcel’s debut album ‘Witches, Spiders, Frogs & Holes’ has been a world-wide success with many a rockabilly fan hunting down a copy. Vinyl, CD and digital formats have sold so well and that pleases the German artist no end.

“Yes sir! This really is the best reward for investing so much time and lifeblood in it. To be honest, I just had to do it, so there was no planning, I just recorded and recorded and recorded without any aim or target. I can tell you, it get’s pretty lonely and cold in this little bunker, but still I have to go there and design my songs. I really appreciate all the kind words and it made my day to see the young band covering my version of ‘Dig A Hole’ at The Rave!” beamed Marcel.

The ‘Spiderman’ has a busy schedule left in 2015 and already has some bookings for 2016. It really is no surprise to us here at Mayhem how much of a success Marcel has, and continues, to be.

“In exactly 5 days time I am playing at The Rock ‘n’ Roll Midsummer Jamboree in Finland. After that I am back to Camber for The Rhythm Riot, then the fantastic Dracula Weekend in Valencia. Next years Summer Safari in Germany so far, but I have club concerts and all-nighters all around Europe”.

He hails from Germany and he confirms that there is quite a major scene out in the country of his origin. Rhythm Bomb Records is based in Germany and there is much more rockin’ to be had in the country according to the ‘Train of Sin’ singer.

“Oh yes, definitely, there is a strong scene with many bands a good DJs. They have mighty record labels, great festivals and it is growing bigger and better all the time. I am so happy to be a part of it!”.

When I asked him if he would consider playing The Rave again (if he was asked) you can bet what we said!

“Definitely! Never have been there before, but so many of my friends go there each year, now I understand why! Jerry Chatabox, 100 points to you!” ended Mr. Bontempi.

Photographs by FOTOMANIA/KASSEL.

“My mum booked the studio for me, it’s turned out to be a good career step!” Harry Young on his debut recording session.

Harry Young has seemed to have left his mark with the guys at Sugar Rays recording studio after his 6 track recording session at the Essex studio. The vocalist from Bournemouth has just recently formed his own band, Harry Young & His Boys, and he is hoping for a successful career after this gift from his mother. The Young-ster had the studio session booked as a birthday present from his mum and he honestly believes that this is a fantastic stepping stone for himself and any other new musician that wants to perform on this vintage music scene.

“I’m from Bournemouth and I have just formed my own band and they are pretty good musicians. I have been brought up with this scene from my mum and I also have a very keen interest in country music too, it’s all just great music! I do listen to other types of music too but not rap or dubstep, that is not music in my opinion” said Young, 18.

I had the pleasure of listening to one of the six tracks, ‘Shine, Shave and Shower’, which he cut at Sugar Rays studio in Wickford, Essex. I have had the opportunity of recording a few tracks there too and it really is like stepping back in time to cutting a record at Sun Studios, the authentic sound the guys at the studio create is brilliant and for a vintage sounding album it is the only place to go.
“We haven’t gigged as a band yet but we headed to Sugar Rays to cut 6 tracks. I’ve been solo gigging for around 2 years, so I am hoping this recording session, can help the band and myself get some gigs booked up. We headed to the studio as my Mum booked the session for my 18th birthday present and it has turned out to be a great career step. It was a great experience in the studio but I was really nervous to start with and a great place to start a music career” beamed Harry.

I asked the young singer how he would describe his vocals to the rockabilly world and who was his main musical influence. You can listen to the band on ReverbNation and search for ‘Harry & His Boys’ and the tracks he recorded at Sugar Rays were ‘Get Rhythm’ ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ ‘Cocaine Blues’ ‘Shine, Shave & Shower’ and ‘Red Headed Woman’, just from that track list you can pretty much tell who Harry’s influence is!

“I don’t think I compare with anybody and there is not anyone out there that I would say is similar to me. I think I have a great scale and good power to my vocals for such a young voice. My biggest musical influence is Johnny Cash without a doubt. I really enjoyed this experience but I want to get back in the studio and do a CD with more modern covers on it” confirmed the vocalist.

“We hope people like it and that our fans can see where we are coming from” Rob Glazebrook on new Houserockers CD

The Houserockers are one of the hottest bands on the European rockabilly/rock ‘n’ roll circuit and their guitarist and vocalist, Rob Glazebrook, sat down to tell Mayhem the lowdown on the band and their recent recording session.  The band had huge success on Rhythm Bomb records in Germany after their previous CD ‘Shake Around’ proved to be the labels highest selling CD in 2013 and that is something that Rob is pleased about.

“Things are really good with the band at the moment as we have new gigs coming in and established ones re-booking. Completion of a new CD, in quick time, and there has also offer of a deal from Rhythm Bomb Records in Germany to release another CD after the success of ‘Shake Around’ which was their highest seller in 2013” said the guitarist.

Here at Mayhem (previously Essex Rockabilly) we have had the pleasure of covering Rob several times either with The Houserockers or his blues band ‘The Broadkasters’ who have recently started to earn rave reviews from their album ’21 Days in Jail’. The band boast great musical knowledge of this genre and they have recently been in the studio recording their second release.Rob tells us what material/feel he is hoping to achieve with this record.

“I always start playing the songs live a little bit before we choose to record, so that we are familiar with them. This does speed up the recording time and also gives you a nice flow and vibe whilst you are recording. It makes it easier for the sound engineer too, so everybody is happy. The material is a mixture of cool tunes, some known, some unknown. We are trying to cover a few styles as well as adding some of our own songs that I have recently written”.

When listening to any of Rob’s bands, especially The Houserockers, there is something vintage about them. That’s not just their looks, as they wear vintage attire on stage, but the way they play the music and the sound they produce when performing is something very unique. It is authentic to say the very least.

“Sound can be so different on an individual basis. The idea of authenticity as you put it, is to keep the sound simple, not too much equipment. However, you have to use enough equipment to keep different sized venues happy but also it is about the players and how they play because that is why every band is different. Another factor in our favour is both Nick (Hoadley) and I have a cool record collection put together over many years, so we understand the different sounds you can get, but not forgetting it is our take on all this material”.

After their recent performance in Rob’s home town, Southend, the talented guitarist believes the new CD can be just as successful as their first release. After their gig I managed to grab a word with all three members of the band before they mixed the tracks the next day and they were all very pleased and hopeful that it would be a great album.

“Regarding the new CD, we hope people like it and that our fans, and friends understand where we are coming from. The mixture of material we hope will prove to be a hit and we hope everyone likes the sounds that we’ve gone for which is slightly different than the last CD. It is always important to move on , but also to evolve and keep up with the demand” stated Rob.

“The Next 12 months look good for us, we hope the new CD helps get new people to like what we do, we always try to sound like we do live on our recordings, so everything is recorded live with no overdubs, it is what it is, which to many in my experience, is refreshing. We will be trying to get more gigs and maybe we might even be booked for a few more UK based weekenders . For some reason we never seem to be contacted… maybe its due to being ‘low profile’ and not having an ego to massage!” ended Rob.

LEW LEWIS AND THE TWILIGHT TRIO STORY TO BE SHOWN ON A DOCUMENTARY

The story of Lew Lewis & The Twilight Trio is to be exclusively told to the rockabilly world by a Mayhem Rockabilly Productions documentary. The documentary is finally getting edited and looks set to launch live on internet screens by the end of February. Mayhem met with the lead singer of the band, Lewis Ellen, for an interview about his rise to fame on the European rockabilly circuit back in October, and the stories he had to tell certainly didn’t disappoint.

Lew, along with his band members Tom Hayes, Tony Wood and Nick Linton-Smith has enjoyed a fairly rapid success story since they started out just over 18 months ago. Going from playing in local bars and clubs in front of one man and his dog, to being selected to perform on the opening night at one of the world’s biggest rockabilly weekenders, The Rockabilly Rave.

I have known Lew for pretty much the same amount of time that he and The Twilights have been together and each time the band performs, they get better and better. Before we became Mayhem Rockabilly the company used to be called Essex Rockabilly Videos and we teamed up with Lew and his band to bring exclusive coverage of all his gigs along with acoustic jam sessions. Footage from all the early gigs will accompany the story as the documentary develops, as will the acoustic footage, which has been shot over the past 17 months.

In this first Mayhem Rockabilly Productions film the documentary covers the early life of Lewis, the teenage years as he started his musical journey with college bands, Shakin’ Stevens covers and high school play performances as Danny from Grease. It then develops into how he met the Twilight Trio and how the band were formed, to the moments where Lew feels the band started picking up pace, the hiring of Bill Guntrip as manager and the first European show.

Live gig footage, archive video interviews enhance the documentaries value even more with footage from the world famous venue in Soho, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. Lew also discusses his future ambitions along with all the famous faces he has had the pleasure of meeting and performing with.

THIS IS NOT TO BE MISSED!

“I was pretty confident she would say yes!” beams Australian Rockabilly Sensation Scotty Baker.

Just over a year and a half a go Scotty Baker was pretty much an unknown name to the UK rockabilly scene, but after his two knockout performances at The Rockabilly Rave, the big Australian is gaining rave reviews and a huge following from this side of the pond. During the past few weeks I have been lucky enough to catch up with Scotty to bring you this exclusive interview with the man I met during the summer of 2014.

“This year has been really busy and especially this time of year gets really busy with my work (outside of music) as we service more than ten venues with 1000 slot machines between them. Given that there is only three of us in the business, it keeps us all busy!” said Scotty.

After chatting with Mr Baker at the Rave it was clear to see he was a genuinely decent human being, so easy to talk to as well, so I asked him to summarise what he has been up to in the last year.

“In February of this year Eva and I bought a circa 1963 house from the original owners and we are very lucky as it is completely original and untouched, but unfortunately uncleaned! The owner was a heavy smoker and the walls and ceilings are covered in nicotine. We are spending our spare time cleaning an re-establishing the garden. Our weekends are spent with my three beautiful kids and it is coming into the summer over here so we spend a lot of time swimming and playing tennis and other outdoor games”.

His latest CD he released at the Rave in the summer has earned good reviews and he pretty much sold out all of his allocation at the event itself. The British public seem to adore this tall, dark-haired Australian, something that pleases the artist quite a lot.

“The new CD has been very well received and has gotten some great reviews, it is getting played all over the world. I wasn’t that nervous this time after having performance there last year and being so well received. I felt like I’d come ‘home’ also this time my regular muso’s traveled with me from Australia, so I knew I’d be on my A game. It was also great to have Eva travel with me this year and experiences The Rave after hearing so much about it from me!” claimed Mr Baker.

“When Jerry Chatabox first booked me for The Rave, he took a huge gamble making me the poster boy, and having my headlining the weekend, when nobody in the UK has heard of me! The game payed off big time and now I am heading back in 2015 for my 3rd Rave! My original songs are hitting a chord with the British, it is an unexpected pleasure, but I am very grateful that they do”.

Scotty is now engaged to Eva, his long term girlfriend, who is famously proposed to on the stage at The Rockabilly Rave this summer. I asked him how things were going between the love birds and if he did always plan to ‘Pop The Question’ to his partner on stage.

“Things with Eva are fantastic, we are planning our wedding and working on our house. We are just enjoying our every day life together and the odd wine at night! I always planned to ask her on stage. There was a moment at the Eiffel Tower I thought was a possibility, but not only is it a little bit predictable, she is petrified of heights! I’d carried by Grandmother’s ring with me through customers into the UK, then Spain, France and back into England again, I was worried she’d see it every time my luggage got X-rayed! But all the hard work and the worry paid off”.

I then put the question to Scotty, what if she did in fact, say no to his proposal.

“God forbid! I was pretty confident she would say yes. We knew early on in our relationship that we had something very special and we had talked about spending out life together. I was actually more worried she wouldn’t get up on stage when I called her up! If she had of said no I could have tried again and again as Johnny Cash did when June Carter repeatedly turned him down on stage” joked the Australian.

A lot of musicians from this genre of music have similar artists that inspired them to perform and play this music, Mr Scotty Baker is no different, and he also told me of his personal influences that made him become the man he is today.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee and Roy Orbison, so you can see I am a Sun Records fan! My father Barry is a pretty big influence. He’s always been an awesome father and husband. He is a hard working old school father and is a very community minded person, also my grandfather Charlie, who was not only a very talented operatic singer of note back in his day, but a genuine, funny, hardworking man. He was a plasterer by trade and I was very lucky to get to know and work with him when we built a house together a few years back”.

A lot of musicians have high ambitions at Scotty is no different. He has goals to achieve in both his musical and personal lifestyles, something that he is certainly looking forward to.

“Other than ending up married at the end of 2015, I am also organising a European tour, including a third appearance at the Rave and my first Screamin’ weekender in Spain, I reckon that’ll keep me busy enough! I just enjoy the simplicity of this music with just three or four instruments you can get many varied style”.

Scotty believes he is really living out his dream, many man and woman would love to be able to live out their dream, this man is loving every minute of it. All his performances are of original songs and material, something that truly feels is amazing.

“It really is a dream, it blows my mind that a kid from a little farm in the middle of rural Victoria Australia, has been booked to play his own songs all over the world. At some of the rockin’ scene’s biggest shows in the world, the thought that I am getting these great gigs because I put pen to paper and wrote a few songs is pretty amazing Add to that some of the wonderful people I have met and now call my friends, from promoters, to models to muso’s and the average punters, I am so very blessed” smiled Scotty.

 

Exclusive Interview With The Blazin’ Aces

It is always interesting to meet new bands and chatting to The Blazin’ Aces wasn’t any different. In a secluded hut off the back roads of Rayleigh, Essex, I turned up to meet some of the most genuine and polite people I have ever met. They were a little bit talented too! I was offered a cup of tea and a jam doughnut by manager Victoria Pallen and I took my seat on a three piece sofa with the band just meters away from me. I did not know what to expect in the slightest as I have never seen any footage or heard any tracks by the band but I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of material from this new rocking outfit on the scene.

The Blazin’ Aces are recently formed and they are a five piece rock and roll band that play their fair share of rockabilly and country rock to please all types of audience. The band members are Guy De Cruz on guitar and vocals, Dave Hawkins who is from the 501’s on double bass and vocals, Nicola Cook who is a vocalist, Dave Wallings on guitar and Ken Peters on drums. Ken also plays alongside Guy in a 1960’s band called Billy Liar.

After watching the first part of their rehearsal with a close eye, I then sat down with the band during their break, and recorded a vocal interview with them. Parts of this interview will be edited and uploaded with video clips and photographs playing whilst the audio is heard. So over a cup of tea in a freezing cold hut in Essex, this is what this talented band had to say.

“I started the band because I wanted to start a rocking band and I wanted a double bass sound. The whole idea of this band was to start fresh and play with musicians that I don’t normally play with” said Guy. “It’s been a very off and on project and it probably took off just under a year ago, when Dave approached me. We had a female vocalist originally who was good but didn’t really fit in with the rockabilly side of things”.

“We had quite a few early rehearsals with that band but it didn’t quite work out so it kind of stopped for a while” added Dave Wallings.

The bass player Dave Hawkins was part of the band The 501’s that had recently split up and his path crossed with Guy’s at local gigs hosted by Essex rock and roll personality Spike Richardson. Spike, along with his wife Linette, put on regular gigs at very good cost around the Essex area. Guy told me it was actually at one of Spike’s gigs that the two did meet and the idea was there to start a new band.

“I went to see The Jets with Spike and I met Dave there at that gig. Dave did actually meet me before at The SSOne club in Southend and he gave me one of his cards with his number on, which I thought was a bit worrying!” joked the guitarist. “Anyway I took his number and gave him a call and Dave came down to a rehearsal and we just fell in love, we just clicked instantly” added De Cruz.

“We then got our drummer Ken in because the original drummer couldn’t really rehearse with the band. He was getting a lot of pressure from his work which did then start affecting the band because he just simply couldn’t find the time to rehearse with us. He currently plays in the same band as me in Billy Liar, so it is good that we know how each other play”.

The other singer in the band is female vocalist Nicola Cook. Guy now tells of how fellow guitarist in the band, Dave, spotted her singing in a local pub to a karaoke machine. This is a story that goes to show if you have talent, you will always be spotted and picked up.

“I got a call from Dave one night and he told me that he had heard this girl singing on a karaoke machine. So I said to Dave to bring her along to a rehearsal and see how things go, they went well, and she is now part of the band”.

The bass player Dave Hawkins still wasn’t a confirmed member of the band and he was the last piece of the puzzle that needed to be filled. As mentioned earlier he was part of the band The 501’s which were a five piece band but split up after a disagreement, Dave now tells us how it all came together.

“The original 501’s split up because there was five of us originally and Dave (Romaine) was thinking of giving up so I was at a bit of a loose end when Guy asked me if I wanted to be part of this band. It just so happened when all that happened with The 501’s Guy asked me to come into this band, which I agreed to because I wasn’t with a band but David has since asked me to reform the 501’s with him as a three piece outfit” said Hawkins.

Since the line-up was confirmed about six months ago, it is only recently, that the band has started to gather a backing and get some dates for live performances. They have since set up a Facebook account and a Facebook band page along with a few dates for your diary, lead singer Guy, says most of that is down to his girlfriend Victoria as she has taken over all the admin side of things.

“I met Victoria at one of Spike’s gigs and she has been a big help to the band. I am good at organising rehearsals and sorting out band line-ups, but I’ve never been any good at the admin side of things, thankfully Victoria is. Spike has always said he wanted our first gig to be at one of his venues but we ended up doing a 45 minute set at The Bewicks Jam Suite in Maldon. We are penciled in for February with Spike but I know a guy from The Ambleside Club who asked us if we wanted to do their Christmas party and we are also playing Club Riga on the 12th December”. confirmed De Cruz.

One of the biggest debates on the rocking scene is the rock and roll/rockabilly clash where people say you can’t like both types of music. You are either a Rockabilly or a Teddy Boy is the common view among many on the scene, a claim that is denied by Guy and Dave.

“I know you get your purists that want 100% rockabilly, but rock and roll is good music” said Guy.

“Years ago both sets of music were separate but these days the line-ups at weekenders are consisting of both types of rocking music. I go to Teddy Boy weekenders and there are rockabillies there, and the same the other way round. It’s all changed now, it is the same music at the end of the day, Elvis was raw rockabilly when he first started” said bass player Dave.

Along with the launch of their first shows in the not so distant future, The Aces have also recorded their debut album, which they hope will launch themselves onto the rocking scene. Most bands these days aren’t booked without a record or substantial internet footage so hopefully the success of their CD and some videos from our good selves the band will go from strength to strength.