Column #25 - published September 5, 1999

Young Rock at Rollin' Rock!
Actually this is the wrong title for this column: I just finished recording BILL HALEY'S ORIGINAL COMETS, and even though their birth certificates show them to be in ages from 65 to 78, they act, feel and sing very young, like teenagers indeed !!

So, then they should belong in this column, but they already were in my column last month, and this column is mis-titled anyway!! What I meant by "young" is new acts who have come on the Rock'n'Roll Horizon the last few years, maybe then I should have titled this piece "NEW ROCK AT ROLLIN' ROCK".







Be that as it may, we can start with DRAGSTRIP77. Their new Rollin' Rock CD has just been released through Dionysus Records.

I was made aware of Dragstrip77 about three years ago after I met Jorge Harada through the Rockabilly Mailing List. Going to their shows I was impressed on how they would appeal to different types of people: greasers, rockabilly rebels, punks, rednecks, hippies, cowboys, college kids, etc.


Jorge, Andy and Roger


Dave

The current line-up is Jorge Harada on guitar (and some vocals), Andy Lopez on vocals and slappin' bass, David Luna on drums. On the Rollin' Rock CD there is also Roger Casanova (who is no longer with the band) on the slappin' bass. Drumming was shared by Jon Carroll and Chris Noreen.

Jorge is the cat resposible for dragging me back into recording after a hiatus of 13 years!!! So all you guys who have recently recorded at Rollin' Rock (eh, Mack, Narvel, Comets, Rip, etc.) know now who to thank or cuss out!! :-) :-0

I ain't gonna review any of my CDs here, but for those who may ask, here is how I would describe Dragstrip77's sound: WESTERN PSYCHOTIC SMOKIN' HOT ROD SWITCHBLADE ROCKABILLY!!! A mouthful indeed!!





Rip Carson & The Twilight Trio
Rollin' Rock CD-102

The other "YOUNG" band, or was it "NEW" band??, is RIP CARSON & THE TWILIGHT TRIO.

Rip Carson is originally from West Virginia, but is now working out of San Diego. On guitar is Danny Angulo, Reece Linley is on slappin' bass, and Charles Henning plays drums. ."


Rip on the floor without missing a word.


Reece, Rip and Charlie

These kids have been raising up a storm in California with a very frantic stage show, always full of surprises! Rip has been called "a young Mack Stevens", or "he could be Mack Stevens' younger brother"! Needless to say that Mack Stevens didn't mind these comparisons at all! While their savage sound is reminiscent of the Johnny Burnette Rock'n'Roll Trio, they have their own distinctive style.


Charlie and Danny

Other "young" bands who have recorded recently at Rollin' Rock are the SHUFFLE AIRES, and THE ROLLIN' ROCKS from Japan, but since their CDs are still several months away, we'll cover them in a future column.


Always Rollin' The Rock,
Rockin' Ronny Weiser,
The Rockabilly Rebel Westerner from Las Vegas, The Wildest West Possible

ROCKIN' RONNY WEISER - See his on-site Rockabilly HOF web page