TGIF! Let's have some DEATH: The Grave - Tony Casanova

Splatter Platters! Death discs! Teenage Tragedy! Today we have the reverb soaked surfing drone-abilly of Tony Casanova (about whom I can find remarkably little- I found a picture of a smarmy guy playing accordion! But that's probably not him...). The Grave is yet another example of the death preoccupied pop of the fifties and early sixties.

The song has a wonderful swooning swing, straddling a divide between 50's soul ballads, surf rock, and drone. The vocals (to my ears) are pitched somewhere between Mick Jones and Nico, an odd combo but it works wonders. Anyhow, remember you are mortal and all that. Happy Friday!

Pedro Pistolas - Los Locos Del Ritmo

Today enjoy the long cool stride of Los Locos Del Ritmo.

They were one of the first major Mexican rock and roll bands to form in the late fifties, going on to become the first Mexican rock group imported back into the states (as seen in an appearance on the Ted Mack hosted Original Amateur Hour).

Pedro Pistolas is a deadly cool piece of surfabilly, the sound is pure convertibles cruising down the boulevard with a hot leather interior and the dead eyed killer intent of a shark. All in a tidy two minute package!

Tunes of Terror Vol. 1 - She's My Witch

She's My Witch - Kip Tyler

Terrifyingly toe-tapping! Right!? Am I right? Guys?

Well anyway. Happy Halloween everyone. Throughout today we will be putting up some totally holiday appropriate songs for your freaky pleasure, starting with little known rockabilly roarer 'She's My Witch' by Kip Tyler. Kip was a fixture of the Los Angeles rockabilly scene, commanding a dedicated cult following for his manic live performances and wild man attitude often incorporating bongos ( I ask you- what wild man is complete without bongos?).

'She's My Witch' was the B side to his 1958 single 'Rumble Rock,' both tunes particularly notable for the contributions of veteran sax player Jim Horn (largely known for his work with Duane Eddy). His blowsy lines are almost melting atop the icy guitar strums and echoing drum claps.

It's a song of woozy sex, witchcraft and drag races. What more could you ask for on Halloween?

UPDATE: Crikey that was quick. Apparently we don't love music as much as Warner Brothers love copyright protection and we now can't show the Kip Tyler video to you. We've replaced it with a Spotify link, hope you can still enjoy it.

Angry Songs About Food Vol.1 - Cranberry Blues

I present to you the first in what will be an ongoing series: Angry Songs About Food.

Today! A gentleman singing a song about cranberries and DAMMIT HE'S UPSET ABOUT THEM.

But let's be serious for a moment: In 1959 there was a deadly cranberry shortage. Cranberries from all over Oregon and Washington were covered in bad herbicide. Rats definitely died. People may have died. Thanksgiving exploded. Probably. Which of course lead to the creation of Cranberry Blues by Robert Williams and The Groovers!

The Train Kept A Rollin' - The Johnny Burnette Trio

'Train Kept A Rollin'' is a seething and steaming powerhouse of a rockabilly number cut by The Johnny Burnette Trio in 1956 and is one of the earliest recorded examples of distortion in rock music.

Lead guitarist Paul Burlison stumbled across the sound when he accidentally damaged his amplifier during a particularly raucous gig. By some reports the band were unsure of the rough buzzing tone, but reviews of the gig were all unanimously crazy about the 'new sound.' Burlison then proceeded to intentionally damage the rest of his amplifiers and use them to brilliant effect on the Trio's further tracks, starting with today's explosive Best Song Ever.

The song smashes you down like a runaway freight. Each snare smack shoots a puff of steam into the air as upright bass plunks and slams down tracks in front of the wildly out of control machine, the guitars and Burnette's howling vocals squealing with the force of wheels bursting into sparks and smithereens.

Sadly it would also prove to be the brightest moment for the Burnette Trio's far too short history. While guitars have gotten heavier, there's no denying the influence the song has had on popular music. It's telling that the number was the first song an early Led Zeppelin would play together.

Little Girl - John and Jackie

Today I'm going to throw some 50's sex in your face. You're welcome in advance.

John and Jackie were a one hit wonder duo lost to time who recorded 'Little Girl' in 1958. The song is catchy but straightforward rockabilly with thump-a-whacking bass, spindly guitars and (of course) call and response orgasms.

There isn't a lot more to tell. I don't know how this managed to get airplay back in the day. I like to think it's because John and Jackie were obviously that John and Jackie but, like any good conspiracy, all the evidence has disappeared.

Needless to say it's an easy forerunner to the auralgasms of Donna Summer, Robert Plant and more.

Insane - The Arkhams

Anything that has a cover featuring Cthulu driving a Cadillac automatically get's an incredible pass. It wouldn't matter if the music was a tower of shit on fire, I would still buy that album and I would still dance my ass off to it.

So it's a good thing then that The Arkhams are also a truly excellent band. Smashing apart the psychobilly genre tag with a standup bass turned jackhammer, the band are like rockabilly and surf and garage rock on steroids and speed. Their 2007 debut album The Road to Arkham is a fast and furious road trip through Hell, Love, and Your Slowly Shattering Mental State. Which brings me to today's Best Song Ever: Insane.

'Insane' is as rip roaring as a rock song gets. The drums sounds like a train derailing over and over again. The guitars shift between chiming spiderweb surf chords, thick arpeggios and crashing shrieks. Lead singer Matt 'The Knife' Goldpaugh whirls between shrieking for his mind and slamming an upright bass like only a future asylum inmate ever could.

It's the sound of Elder Gods, High School Sweethearts and Rock'n'roll racing at 100 miles per hour. Get it. Now.

Fujiyama Mama - Wanda Jackson

Wanda Jackson was one of the first majorly successful female rockabilly acts. With a unique voice that sounds like sandpaper set on fire, Wanda found consitent success in a myriad of genres and styles but remains most well known for her contributions to rock and roll.


Todays Best Song Ever is the sake fueled swagger of Fujiyama Mama (amusingly one of her first number ones in Japan). Come for the staggering amount of ways the song rhymes Japanese cultural references, stay because you can tell that if you don't Wanda Jackson will beat the hell out of you.

Woo Hoo - The Rock-A-Teens

Woo-Hoo is most famous for it's appearance in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 as performed by garagebilly band the 5.6.7.8's. Today we're looking at the song's original recording by The Rock-A-Teens from the late 1950's.

Though the song is credited to record label owner George Donald McGraw it was originally written by The Rock-A-Teens themselves. Shortly after Woo Hoo's release the Teens were hit with a lawsuit from Arthur Smith for plagiarism (reportedly the band didn't understand how or why) and reverted the credit to McGraw in order to avoid a costly legal entanglement. Sadly the song would prove to be the one major hit for The Rock-A-Teens, but due to the universality of the lyric it would be a hit heard around the world.

The track is largely instrumental, with riotous drums, sax and guitars blowing out microphones left right and center, creating a dense and sweaty whirl of rockabilly poses and jive shaking. On top of the chaos Vic Mizelle's gentle vocals billow across like a leaf caught in a tornado.

The song, recorded in 1959, is in many ways a love letter to the passing of rockabilly as the predominant form of rock and roll. Every key instrument, from the acoustic guitar to the drums, gets a solo while riffing on the genetic heritage of all rock music: the twelve bar blues. Mizelle presides over it all with his gentle 'Woo-Hoos,' like the ghost of rockabilly come back down to Earth for one final twist.