“I don’t know if I can pull this off,” says Jeffrey Evans on his live album I’ve Lived a Rich Life. “I don’t know if my maturity will let me.” What the onetime Gibson Brother and driving force behind trash-rock heroes ’68 Comeback is doubting is his ability to play a rockabilly lick the way he likes to have it played. “And speaking of rockabilly music, I did invent the slap guitar,” he continues. “You’ve heard of the slap bass? Well, I invented the slap guitar.” He then proceeds to demonstrate his considerable prowess at slap guitar, running through bits of “Boomerang” while confessing a secret love for Gene Vincent and a burning desire to record at Sun Studio. “That’s how rockabilly goes,” he concludes. “It’s about raging hormones.” Beyond that final comment, I’m not entirely sure what is left to be said on the subject of rockabilly that doesn’t just seem redundant. Nevertheless, the ever-witty Monsieur Jeffrey Evans will be talking rockabilly (and playing it too) at the Center for Southern Folklore during a lunchtime show Thursday, August 15th. Evans will also be playing with locals The Cool Jerks and a couple of Wisconsin-based garage-rock bands, The Strong Come Ons and The Mystery Girls, at the Hi-Tone CafÇ Friday, August 16th.
And speaking of that swinging hillbilly sound, some pretty un-rockabilly bands (The Subteens, Lucero, and The Maroons, to be precise) will be joining forces for an evening dubbed Mama Liked the Roses: A Midtown Tribute To Elvis at the Lounge Thursday, August 15th. The tribute will be hosted by none other than Elvili Parsley, the female East Indian Elvis impersonator who is really Suzy Hendrix, the sax blower from Viva L’American Death Ray Music.
— Chris Davis
Elvis fans looking for a true taste of Memphis music history this week might as well settle in at the Lounge Friday, August 16th, when Elvis’ original lead guitarist and one of the most important sidemen in all of American music, Scotty Moore, will play, with former Stray Cat Lee Rocker along for the ride. A couple of the city’s other venerable sidemen, The Memphis Horns — Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love, who contributed to so many great Stax sides, among countless other recordings — will play the club Saturday, August 17th. Can’t go wrong with either of those shows.
Then again, if you’re visiting from out of town and want to experience the kind of local treat that folks back home probably don’t know about, one local act you need to see is barrelhouse piano player and torch singer extraordinaire Di Anne Price, who can be found this week at the Blue Monkey Friday, August 16th, and at Huey’s Downtown Sunday, August 18th. — Chris Herrington