|
Featuring the solid thump of the upright "doghouse" bass, the echoing twang of the big hollow-body electric guitar, and the solid backbeat of a full drum kit, The Kingmakers ain't no Stray Cats part II...
...More like a living snapshot of an era where blues, jazz and country fell into bed together and spawned a variety of genre-bending styles from jump blues to rockabilly to rock and roll. It was in this era that kings were made, kings of rock and roll like Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and of course the king of kings, Elvis Presley. And leading or following in their footsteps were countless other talented, if less well-known, artists.
It was an era where labels like SUN Records in Memphis became legendary, churning out 45RPM singles for every exciting new act they could find. An era where Elvis lied about his mother's birthday to get into SUN Studio and record his first song.
In tribute to and this era and the commitment to keeping its spirit alive, The Kingmakers were born.
Featuring Clark Lawlor on the Shure 55S (the "Elvis mic"), John Cormier on the electric twang box, Steve Donnelly on the doghouse bass and Pinstripe Bobby
on the machine-gun drums, The Kingmakers capture not just the music but the raw energy of the era, where showmanship was key and songs were short and to the point.
In the current spirit of rock and roll revival helped along by films such as Walk the Line and releases like Brian Setzer's tribute to SUN Records, the time is ripe for a visceral, modern take on a historic musical period. The Kingmakers answered the call and have risen to the occasion.
At a recent warm-up gig in Ottawa's cosy Aloha room, manager Paul Ste. Marie was asking the band back before the final note had even stopped ringing.
Catch The Kingmakers while you can, as they head straight for the top, baby!
|
..
