Rockabilly Fest

On Saturday, the Machine Shop in Flint will see time spin rapidly backwards. The ‘50s teddy suits, leopard print jackets and thick-soled shoes will be out in force, as will the sideburns and quaffed hair. That night is the Rockabilly Fest, and Eddie Cochran will be looking down on Flint with a big grin on his face.

On the bill are Badsville, Cat Canyon & the Captivators and Cash O’Riley & the Downright Daddies, and all of the bands are aiming to bring the glorious white trash, rebellious hot rod and jailbird spirit of rockabilly to a winter’s evening in Flint. MMX spoke with Jordan Lyn of Badsville and Cat Canyon of Cat Canyon & the Captivators to find out what we can expect that night, other than to wake up with “love” and “hate” tattooed on our knuckles…

Give me a brief history of your band…
Jordan Lyn: Badsville is from Flint and the surrounding areas. We got together about late 2008 and since then we’ve just been looking for places to play music. We figured that there aren’t too many bands playing rockabilly in the area and we wanted to put our own spin on it. We’re all in our mid ‘20s.

Cat Canyon: Cat Canyon and the Captivators started about two years ago. It’s a three-piece – upright bass, drums and guitar. We do originals and covers in the rockabilly and swing-blues vein. We’re based in Howell. We just released a six-song EP called I’m Suspicious. The average age of the band is about 35. I lived in Chicago for a while and recently returned. I also work as a solo musician, doing kids music, jazz and sing-alongs for seniors.  

Describe what rockabilly means in 2011…
JL: I’m not sure. To me its rock ’n’ roll and blues, and it’s like the original punk rock. Simple music and easy to listen to.

CC: Rebellion. When I was growing up, it was a cool music because it was very rebellious. It was all about rebellion to the originators. That’s not a bad thing. It can be, but it’s not always.

Is there a rockabilly scene in Metro Detroit, Flint and Ann Arbor?
JL: In Flint and Saginaw, it’s very sparse. I know it’s a little bigger in Detroit, with psychobilly bands like the Koffin Kats, but we haven’t had the chance to hit that scene yet.

CC: I would say that, truthfully, rockabilly has always been more popular overseas. Back in the ‘80s, when the Stray Cats were big, it was much better here, but I don’t know that the scene is huge. There’s a very select group of people that really dig the music. I do think the songs on our EP have crossover appeal. So it’s not huge here by any means, but there is a healthy underground scene.

What do you have planned for the Rockabilly Fest?
JL: We’ll just get up there and play as hard as we can.

CC: We’ll be doing mostly originals. We’ve got a 45 minute set. We’ll play songs from the EP alongside some obscure rockabilly songs.

What do you know about the event and the other bands?
JL: I believe they’ve been doing it for a while. They do shows like this every now and again. We met Cash O’Riley recently and that’s a great band. I haven’t had a chance to meet Cat Canyon yet or see them live but I’m looking forward to that immensely.

CC: This is the first time I’ve played this place. My bass player has played the Machine Shop before and he’s a Cash O’Riley fan. I understand he’s incredible. A great performer with a good following.

What would you say to a rock fan that is unfamiliar with rockabilly but curious about the event?
JL: Well, you’ve just got to get out and give it a go. If you like catchy music, this is the place to go.

CC: You’ll see a hi-energy show. Check it out. Expand the horizons of what you know, because you’ll definitely dig it.