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Spain

Smell of Kat

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Smell of Kat

Smell of Kat – Raw Beat

Vampirella Music – 10200009-7 [1997]

Nothing More But Shout – You’re Gonna Die / Evil Girl – Raw Beat

“Smell of Kat” is the name of an excellent song by Stringbeans, a Finish neo-rockabilly trio. This is also the name of an equally excellent quartet from Spain. Smell of Kat formed in 1994, and in 1996 the band recorded their first EP. The line-up consisted of Javi Caballero on vocals, David Mourello on double bass, Christobal Saez on drums, and Javi Uroz on guitar. All four songs are originals.
Their music falls somewhere in the blurry zone between fast Neo-Rockabilly and Psychobilly, a bit like the Blue Cats meet the Ricochets or something like that. The instruments are well played, and the tight rhythm section keeps a solid beat throughout. Superb production too.

The radioactive Kid

Loneshots (the)

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Loneshots (the) – self-titled ep

Loneshots

Sweet 50’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Promociones ‎– SFEP 001 [1995]
Don’t Take It Away – Stop, Look ‘n’ Listen – You’re Not The Best – Rockshot
After the split of Los Tornados, Anabel Moreno founded The Loneshots with some of the best rockabilly musicians on the Madrid scene, namely Diego Araoz on guitar, Carlos Lopez on double bass and Javier Sarmentero on drums. The Loneshots were the first Spanish band to play the Hemsby weekender. In 1995 they released this four-track Ep, their sole musical testimony on wax.
Three songs are originals, and the cover, Stop, Look ‘n’Listen, comes from the repertoire of Patsy Cline. Annabel is a terrific singer, and the band has an excellent traditional Rockabilly sound with jazzy and swingin’ tones that is mainly present on “Rockshot,” the instrumental that closes the ep.
After the band broke up, Miss Moreno went on to form Anabel and the Rock-a-bells while Diego Araoz and Javier Sarmentero played in the Milestones that released one album on El Toro.

Fred ”Virgil” Turgis

Kabooms (the)

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An interview with the Kabooms

by Olivier Mey
The best promotion and advertising that any band can have is the exposure given by their live shows. For this reason, there are some bands that even having barely released just an album, it may look like they have been touring for years on festivals. The Kabooms (Matt Olivera – voice and rhythm guitar, El Lega – lead guitar, Xavi Ruiz – upright bass and Berto Martínez – drums) is a band that could fit in this category.

Today we speak to Matt Olivera (singer, rhythm guitar) about the release of his second album “Right Track, wrong way”.


Kabooms
Like any second record, it is the first one in a band’s career to cause some expectations. Are these being fulfilled so far?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – This second album is a change in our sound as a band which I think is what we needed. I am convinced that this new work will please both the audience that is already following us and also anyone who didn’t know the band yet.

It’s been four years since the release of your first LP (Beginn ‘on My Knees RBR5807). Did you miss recording new songs?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – During all this time we have been working hard in the Kathrina Records studio to release new material with other bands of which we take part of, such as “Matt and the Peabody ducks”, “Legacaster”, etc … so we’ve never stopped working.

Continuing with the first LP, all of the 14 songs were own compositions. Will there be any cover in your second album?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Yes, this time we ventured into some versions that we have already been playing in our live shows and they work very well amongst our public.

The Kabooms - Right Track Wrong Way
The Kabooms – Right Track Wrong Way
You have changed label for the recording of “Right Track, Wrong way” (produced by Kathrina records). Is it for artistic reasons (members of the Kabooms have other projects in this label) or geographical reasons (both, the group and the label, are from Barcelona)?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Yes, exactly. We were very happy with our previous label, but the work we’ve done in Kathrina is a team collaboration, very close geographically and personally. It made sense to put together all the projects in one place. Besides, Kathrina works now in partnership with Sleazy Records on the edition and the distribution, meaning that the potential of both of them together adds so much value that we had no doubt of being in better hands than theirs.

Since its conception, the Kabooms has been a quartet, although with changes of musicians. Should we expect some collaborations in this new work or is the base going to remain the same?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – The base is the same and hopefully the current formation is the final, and this is a personal wish because I am very happy with my current bandmates. I think they are the perfect team to form the band. For some live shows we have added a saxophone to some already known songs and versions. The musician is Spencer Evoy (MFC Chicken and the Torontos) which gives extra quality to the show and in the future we have some studio surprises, but I don’t want to spoil any event. Everything will come at the right time.

One of your great qualities and best asset is your live performance, amongst other things; your energy and your complicity with Lega (lead guitar). Does the fact of sharing several projects in common help on this?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Lega and I are almost Siamese. Sometimes we joke (we always joke with everything in fact) that we see each other more than our own families. During a trip to the USA we ended up lifting weights together in the patio of our host, who had a makeshift gym and we said that it was what we needed to be cellmates. I think that the fact that we know each other so much and we have this friendly relationship, marks a pleasant working environment. We have a great time playing, traveling and composing together and I think these things are transferred to our shows and to the public as well.

Regarding the projects with Lega, we find “Walk the Line (Johnny Cash tribute)”. Is Johnny Cash a reference for you?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Yes, I think that as a composer and lyricist, Johnny Cash is one of the most important figures in the 20th century. One of the factors that we took into account when we formed the Cash tribute band was to do it with the utmost respect and solemnity possible, because we are all admirers of the his music and legacy.

You’ve played in many concerts and festivals since the formation of The Kabooms. Have you noticed an evolution of the scene or the public over the years?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Well, we are obviously not getting any younger. At a worldwide level, I have seen young people approaching the 50’s scene and feel wrapped and comfortable in it, listening to the music they like, knowing and participating in the scene until becoming a vital part of it. That’s great. But in Spain, this is not happening. There doesn’t seem to be a generational relay and although we have a large scene, there are no new people that can maintain it in the future. This worries me because I believe that this music and this lifestyle has a lot to offer and I am sure that many people who don’t know this exists, would enjoy our bands and festivals a lot, but if feels like young people don’t want to leave the flock.

A special concert?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Several actually. During the last Rockin Race Jamboree (2019) for example, we played some songs from the new album with two electric guitars (it had been years since the last time I played an electric in a concert) and saxophone. We saw that the new sound worked very well within the public and it was amazing! One concert which I keep special memories of it is from a festival in Calafell called Riverside car show. It was in 2015 and that same week I had lost a very close loved one and had one of the worst weeks in my life… Before playing that weekend I took a deep breath and said to myself “this is going for you”. We performed a great concert (at least for me) and it became a liberating experience. Sometimes you notice an energy that flows between the band and the audience. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it’s an incomparable feeling.

One last Word?

Matt Olivera / the Kabooms – Just one?
I hope that people like our new album “Right track, Wrong way” as much as we enjoyed recording it and that they don’t miss our live shows. I can guarantee that we always put 100% in each of them, they will have a good time, and they’ll be able to get a copy of our last record home!

The Texabilly Rockets

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The Texabilly Rockets - 20 years rollin’ down the track

The Texabilly Rockets - 20 years rollin’ down the track
The Texabilly Rockets – 20 years rollin’ down the track

The Texabilly Rockets – 20 years rollin’ down the track

Part –CD 638.009
Flying High and Hit the Sky – I’m Runnin’ – Wild Nights – Better Lonely – La Chica Stroll – 56 Days – Cry and Shame – Let’s Bop! – Gotta Love You Baby – I Found My Place – Your Heart in My Garbage Can – Honey Let’s Go – Hot Rod Race 13 – Bop Cat Bop
The Texabilly Rockers formed in 1993, in Lisbon, Portugal. They later changed their name to the Texabilly Rockets and they now celebrate their 20th anniversary. All songs are penned by the band with some “oldies” dating from the the “Rockers” day (Honey Let’s Go) and each member contributed to the songwriting.
The core of the album is made of sizzling hot rockabilly ranging from the most traditional (Cry and Shame; Honey Let’s Roll) to the wildest. In between, they’re clever enough to vary the moods with a bit of country and hillbilly bop (Better Lonely, 56 days), a stroller with sax (La Chica Stroll), some boogie blues like Hot Rod Race 13 or Let’s Bop, the latter, with a harp, sharing a similar feel to Red Hot’n’Blue’s Sure Like The Look In Your Eyes. Also featuring a harp is Bop Cat Bop an acoustic new version of a song previously released on their fourth album of the same name.
Good album.
www.facebook.com/TexabillyRocketsofficial

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Velvet Candles (the)

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The Velvet Candles - The Story Of Our Love
The Velvet Candles – The Story Of Our Love

The Velvet Candles – The Story Of Our Love

ElToro Records
The Story Of Our Love / Love Bells / Da Doo / That’s How I Feel / The Image Of A Girl / Forget About Me / Robot Stomp / Why Denise Grew Up / Lonely Days Lonely Nights / Take A Chance On Love / My Spare Time / Footsteps / Runaround Baby / There’s A Girl.

The Velvet Candles come from Spain and are Mamen Salvador, Agusti Burriel and Eduardo Peregrin. Backed by a solid band they play late 50’s/early 60’s white/italo doo-wop.
Since my doo- wop knowledge is mostly made of compilation I won’t go much into details telling you that this song sounds like this or this other one reminds of (write hear the name of the artist you want). I can only trust my ears and they tell me that this album is pleasant, very well sung and very well orchestrated (some songs with strings arrangements).
Next to covers from the catalog of the Safaris, the Fabulaires, Dante & the Evergreens you’ll find some solid originals like Robot Stomp and one song written for them by the great Mario Cobo. The cd is very varied: the three of them singing lead, the songs go from the fully orchestrated “The Story Of Our Love” to the accapella of “Why Denise Grew” also including a song in Spanish.
Fans of the genre can buy it with confidence.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Mr Whiz – I Wanna Go

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mrwhiz2_small El Toro
I Wanna Go – High Class Weddin’ – Leave That Junk Alone – Dark Swamp – City Lights – Million Dollar Gang – Otro Corazón – When I Left El Paso – When Love Calls On You – I Wanna Be A Millionaire – All My Life Is Gone
This good surprise comes from Spain as the slight accent of Klaus Villarrel (singer and double bass player) reveals. This trio (guitar, light drums mostly played with brushes and double bass) plays an excellent brand of roots music they call hillbilly swing and it suits them well. They mix influences from Hank Williams (All My Life Is Gone) to Johnny Burnette (Million Dollar Gang is a wild rocker in the vein of Train Kept A Rollin’) and Charlie Feathers. In between you find City Light, a bluegrass influenced number with two parts harmonies and “When I Left El Paso” that reminds of the great Marty Robbins with lyrics (by the way the lyrics are included) like “But at night bad luck came to my life / When a fight started my knife had to shine / the blood in my hand and his body on the flor / the sheriff’s son is dead and my soul went down” . You’ll also find some Johnny Cash with the cover of “Leave that junk alone” and his trademark boom-chica-boom rhythm is featured on “When Love Calls On You“. The name of the band comes from guitar virtuoso Jerry Reed, and guitar player José Casarejos does justice to this name especially on the swingin’ hot number “I Wanna Be A Millionaire“. Another highlight is “Dark Swamp”, a haunting number not that far from neo-rockabilly, with lyrics close to “Endless Sleep“or even “Johnny Remember Me“. With only eleven songs (9 self penned tunes), Mr Whiz offers a tight album with no filler and are another proof of the good heath of the Spanish scene.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis