Over the past week I've been travelling. I've been on a business trip out East, mucking about airports, stirring around in a hotel room, and generally feeling like a hermit. I enjoy travelling but when I do it along I always start to feel like an antisocial monk: when I'm out and about I want to be left alone and when I'm back in my room I just want to contemplate a little television or read a book. The upshot has been, for the last week I haven’t danced a step, not even practiced. When I got home (about 1AM this past Friday) I would have worried about being ready for a demanding dance event like the Rockin' the Barn if I hadn't been too tired to think about it!
Well, when I started dressing for yesterday evening the sneaking suspicion I'd be in trouble came over me. Rockabilly swing is demanding stuff and we don't even do the Psychobilly genre. I had visions of my knees giving out, breaking out in a flop-sweat, and spending the greatest part of the night sitting on the sidelines making excuses. I'm one of those doomsayers - you know the half empty glass and all that. When we pulled up in front of Mike's Dance Barn my fears grew - we were looking at the biggest crowed I've ever seen at the barn, the lot was full and we had to pull around behind the building just to find a spot to park on the grass.
The Makeshifts were on stage, tearing it up, when we walked in. They definitely had it going on! Anthony Ray Wright and Chris Girton were in great voice and their tunes weren't too country for those of us with rock n' roll sensibilities. Kell and I found our seats and then found the dance floor almost immediately.
You've heard that old saw about riding a bike? Once you learn you never forget? I'm not so sure about bicycles but dance fits the cliché - at least when the once upon a time involved is the span of a week. I think yesterday was our best night of rockabilly since we learned the dance. We pulled off every trick and move we tried and most went over passably. It's my contention you're never perfect but you can be good enough that nobody notices the flaws and last night nobody noticed any of our minor goofs.
Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band followed the Makeshifts performance. Terry and his band of geniuses are, for my money, the hardest working band in Indiana. They rocked the house, of course - nailing Jerry Lee Lewis' tunes in sound and energy. Kell and I danced until we were out of breath and when Terry finished his set we wanted more.
After a break, Art Adams has been laying down hot wax since the 50's and he's the genuine article. If you want to know if you like Rockabilly or not, check out Adams' work, its classic country driven, moonshine fueled rockabilly goodness. Interestingly, of the three bands that played the Barn last night, Art Adams' band played the fastest and the hardest ones to dance rockabilly swing to. Goes to show that your dance skill-set needs to be broad for you to get as much floor time as possible!
If you're in the mood for a hot time, see ANY of these bands. Kelly and I love Terry Lee and (as you know if you've read our blog) we'll see Terry every chance we get. The Makeshifts are young, hot, and real rockabilly with plenty of tunes you can triple or single swing. And Art Adams is one of those unsung national treasures you ought to take advantage of - not because some brainiac tells you to, because it'll do your soul good. We walked out of Mike's Dance Barn last night, beat to the souls of our feet, sweaty, and feeling like we ran a half marathon - and happy as hell for all of it!
Well, when I started dressing for yesterday evening the sneaking suspicion I'd be in trouble came over me. Rockabilly swing is demanding stuff and we don't even do the Psychobilly genre. I had visions of my knees giving out, breaking out in a flop-sweat, and spending the greatest part of the night sitting on the sidelines making excuses. I'm one of those doomsayers - you know the half empty glass and all that. When we pulled up in front of Mike's Dance Barn my fears grew - we were looking at the biggest crowed I've ever seen at the barn, the lot was full and we had to pull around behind the building just to find a spot to park on the grass.
The Makeshifts were on stage, tearing it up, when we walked in. They definitely had it going on! Anthony Ray Wright and Chris Girton were in great voice and their tunes weren't too country for those of us with rock n' roll sensibilities. Kell and I found our seats and then found the dance floor almost immediately.You've heard that old saw about riding a bike? Once you learn you never forget? I'm not so sure about bicycles but dance fits the cliché - at least when the once upon a time involved is the span of a week. I think yesterday was our best night of rockabilly since we learned the dance. We pulled off every trick and move we tried and most went over passably. It's my contention you're never perfect but you can be good enough that nobody notices the flaws and last night nobody noticed any of our minor goofs.
Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band followed the Makeshifts performance. Terry and his band of geniuses are, for my money, the hardest working band in Indiana. They rocked the house, of course - nailing Jerry Lee Lewis' tunes in sound and energy. Kell and I danced until we were out of breath and when Terry finished his set we wanted more.After a break, Art Adams has been laying down hot wax since the 50's and he's the genuine article. If you want to know if you like Rockabilly or not, check out Adams' work, its classic country driven, moonshine fueled rockabilly goodness. Interestingly, of the three bands that played the Barn last night, Art Adams' band played the fastest and the hardest ones to dance rockabilly swing to. Goes to show that your dance skill-set needs to be broad for you to get as much floor time as possible!
If you're in the mood for a hot time, see ANY of these bands. Kelly and I love Terry Lee and (as you know if you've read our blog) we'll see Terry every chance we get. The Makeshifts are young, hot, and real rockabilly with plenty of tunes you can triple or single swing. And Art Adams is one of those unsung national treasures you ought to take advantage of - not because some brainiac tells you to, because it'll do your soul good. We walked out of Mike's Dance Barn last night, beat to the souls of our feet, sweaty, and feeling like we ran a half marathon - and happy as hell for all of it!
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