Hillbilly Voodoo Dolls
Rhythm Disease
Self released

by Al Kunz

Everybody knows rockabilly is dead. It flared up -- then flamed out in the late '50s. Okay, there was that little rockabilly revival in the '80s lead by England's Stray Cats. The L.A. band X even mixed a little rockabilly into their punk. But then rockabilly died, didn't it? Au contraire, mi amigo. To paraphrase Danny & the Juniors, "Rockabilly is here to stay."

Fans of roots-based music know that even when it's not being played on the radio, music in their favorite style is still being made. Just as bluegrass artists were continuing to practice their art before the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou-fueled revival, rockabilly artists have soldiered on. Rockabilly Filly Rosie Flores' Speed of Sound disc from mid-2001 included several rockabilly cuts. Furthering the rockabilly tradition are The Hillbilly Voodoo Dolls with Rhythm Disease, their follow-up to 1999's Hubba, Hubba.

The Dolls start with the hillbilly influenced rhythms of rockabilly, then incorporate a taste of Louisianan musical forms -- Blues, Zydeco, and New Orleans R&B -- hence the "Voodoo Dolls" portion of their moniker. Guest Matt Farrell lends the required boogie-woogie piano on "Red Hot Boogie Woogie." If you're looking for deep lyrics and social commentary, they can be found on this disc. But mostly it's good-time party music, done well. Just push play and start dancing.

The Hillbilly Voodoo Dolls are all veterans of the Minneapolis-St. Paul music scene. Keyboardist Tom Couselle was a founding member of You and Who's Army, while Tony Kamana has drummed for one of the Twin Cities favorite rock bands, G.B. Leighton. Bassist Paul Manske played in several local bands and toured as a supporting player for Antone records artists Miss Lavelle White and Lazy Lester. He also worked with former Antone act and Minneapolis native Teddy Morgan. Manske shares songwriting duties with guitarist Paul Bergen, who has recorded as a solo act and as a member of several bands. Most notable are Molly & the Heymakers, a regional alt-country favorite, and the punk/psychobilly Revelators that was lead by renowned songwriter and current frontman of the Okemeh Prophets, Kevin Bowe.

Heading up the Mississippi to Memphis, the Voodoo Dolls incorporate understated Stax-organ riffs into a bouncy-shuffling rhythm on "Don't Want You." Paul Bergen's clever approach to rhyme and lyrical rhythm ties everything into a tight little package. If you don't like this one, your kids may be right -- you are getting too old.

Don't want to justify
Don't wanta feel
Don't want to testify
Don't wanta reveal

And she don't
Wanta find somebody new
Then but most of all she
Don't want you

While in the area, the Dolls cross the river to West Memphis, AR where things turn serious. In May of 1993 three eight-year-old boys didn't come home from school. Their mutilated bodies were found the next day near a creek running through the Robin Hood Hills section of West Memphis. Rumors that this was a sacrifice performed by a "satanic cult" caused what has been termed "satanic panic," which led to extreme public pressure to make an arrest. The arrest and conviction of three young men for the murders could have been the end of the story. But the apparent bumbling of the investigation by local law enforcement, questionable evidence, and the feeling that the arrests were more the results of a successful witch hunt than a hunt for justice have turned this into a cause celebre. The story of this case and the three young men, dubbed the "West Memphis Three," is recounted in Paul Manske's song of the same name.

Besides ten original songs this disc includes two well-chosen covers, "Light's Out," which was co-written by Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John) and Roscoe Gordon's "No More Doggin'." Memphis-born Gordon was known for his singular piano shuffle style, which came to be known as "Roscoe's Rhythm." The basic elements of this rhythm are generally acknowledged as the forerunner to the Jamaican musical genre called ska.

"Sometimes You Don't Know Me at All" is about the difference between knowing about someone and really knowing them. As with the previously discussed "She Don't Want You," Paul Bergen shows his talent for finding a song in those all-too-common life experiences everyone can relate to.

You know I drink coffee at midnight
You know I like sleepin' in late
And you still don't know me at all

You know I like love in the morning
And you know I like listenin' to the rain
And you still don't know me at all

Sometimes like the back of your hand
You're the only one who understands
Sometimes you don't know me at all

If Pete Frame, known for his series of "Rock Family Trees," were to create one of his charts showing the best Americana artists from the Twin Cities, the name Andy Dee would figure prominently, with a rat's nest of lines connecting him to bands all over the page. A former member of Molly & the Heymakers and current Okemeh Prophet, Andy's credits include work with G.B Leighton and teen blues prodigy Shannon Curfman. On this project, he assisted Paul Bergen with production and chipped in on multiple instruments. While not officially a member of the band, he was listed as a full-fledged band member in the Rhythm Disease credits and teamed up with Paul Bergen to write "Bam (Dickeman's Theme)," the disc's final song.

If you need an antidote for too many country ballads, if you need a break from a constant diet of singer-songwriter fare, don't be afraid to catch the Rhythm Disease from the Hillbilly Voodoo Dolls. But be warned, it could be contagious.

*To order Rhythm Disease, visit www.hillbillyvoodoodolls.com and click on recordings. While there you can listen to clips from, or even order, Hubba, Hubba, their debut album. For those who can't decide, the web site promises clips from Rhythm Disease will be coming soon. For more information on the West Memphis Three visit www.wm3.org

Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net

 
Read Rockzilla's Guestbook
Sign Rockzilla's Guestbook