Friends and neighbors alike, good morning from Lick Skillet Kentucky. I have been blessed enough to be the one to bring you the NEW video premiere from Rockabilly road dogs, The Royal Hounds!
We are one of the few websites that relentlessly feature Rockabilly music, as I feel oftentimes it gets less credit than it richly deserves. I wholeheartedly feel that Country Music as a whole was influenced mostly by Rockabilly. I feel that people like Miss Wanda Jackson and Mr. Buddy Holly both helped build Country Music, and made it what it is today.
I feature hard working road dog bands, that don’t just share live feeds from a couch. I applaud and honor the bands that are pushing the limitations of what the industry calls “radio friendly” or “commercial”. I appreciate those that dare to walk their own ways, and those that work in an indefatigable manner, like these three guys.
This album has many sounds, and this song spoke to me the most because of the sound, but also the message behind that sound. You know, I never realized how much labor went into a show until I started music journalism. Until I REALLY learned what the science behind all of this was, the back line, the sound tech, even the science of marketing a festival crowd.
Maneuvering through America’s interstates isn’t easy for a band. Becoming a TRUE road scholar is a time consuming art in itself. Getting from gig to gig efficiently is a tough job, with take down, merch sales, greeting fans, and getting paid. Making sure each person is doing what they are supposed to be doing and how is integral.
Here is the entire album review in case you missed it:
The Royal Hounds are amazing Rockabilly band with an eclectic variety of influences that derive from Memphis to Bakersfield. I mean, if you study their roots they are not ashamed of history. I actually moved up in respect for them on a few levels after seeing how much love they have for obscure people in music history the likes of Mr. Billy Lee Riley, and Mr. Bobby Darin.
They are am intense three piece band from the Nashville area fronted by Mr. Scott Hinds and include the guitar wizardry of Mr. Matheus Canteri from Brazil. According to their press release it took many years to clear his visa to work in America. Now this album really stuck out for me from the other two albums because they really focused on more guitar riffs and solos than lyrics. The songs are just plain out Rockabilly FUN, and easy to “get”…you don’t have to sit and analyze anything. Just DANCE and JAM on these 11 songs.
He came across Mr. Matheus on a chance video he saw on social media and sought after him in a heavy way. You see the guitar RIGHT AWAY on the song “The Walk” it just opens right on your face on the first song, and can get a live audience involved with a HEY HEY. This song is for people like ME, I LOVE MUSIC but I cannot dance at ALL. I’m clumsy as a stump! This song spoke to me as a person, and made me feel like he wrote it about ME, and that sold the album to me on the first song.
This band has an amazing live set as they stand on the bass and shred guitars, and stand on their drum kit. Mr. Nathan Place, from Texas is an accredited producer in his own right, and is the current drummer . However the drummer on this album was Mr. Scott Billingsley. Mr. Nathan has toured America as a drummer and fiddle player and has earned his own place in the independent music scene with hard work and attention to detail.
The dancing songs continue with a song called ‘Whackity Do” which features a fun stomping beat you can twist to or whatever dancing you like to enjoy. It goes on to the song “The Parthenon” , however one of the songs that I enjoyed was the guitar filled song called “Pororoca” , which is an actual thing that happens on the Amazon river. A giant wave makes it’s way down the river and people go out to ride the wave. It’s kind of a personal shout out to Mr. Matheus homeland.
“Tweakers From Outer Space” and “Pizza Party” were two crazy songs with lyrics that are just nuts, and it’s just fun to listen to them. The album gets to be the best during the song ‘Road Scholar” which chronicles how difficult their road life is. You know folks, I never realized how hard the road really was until I began following these bands around America. I load and unload semi trucks on a loading dock on third shift, so I treasure those real country trucker songs. This song really hit the mark for me! This song really put me to mind of Red Simpson and others that brought out that genre.
“Herbie The Butterfly” is a song about a butterfly that got caught on the band’s tour van windshield wiper, and he went to Tupelo, Tennessee and Texas. He went to butterfly heaven and lived a great life up there. Another great jam song on this album was “Chinese Buffet” I mean everybody loves to pile up plates of crap from a good hole in the wall buffet. For 10 bucks you can tear up some food! The album closes with a rousing cover of ‘Ghost Riders In The Sky”, written by Mr. Stan Jones in 1948.
