STACK #223 May 2023

MUSIC FEATURE

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Despite the fact their crepe soles were planted across three continents, rockabilly allstars THE BARNESTORMERS managed to slay the tyranny of distance with the power of finger-poppin’ grooves! (And some deft production work...) We put a couple of questions each to this band of bros, comprising UK music legend and boogie-boogie specialist Jools Holland ; Gretch-slingin’ frontman of The Living End, Chris Cheney ; stand-up sticksman for NYC’s seminal Stray Cats, Slim Jim Phantom ; double bassman and producer to the superstars Kevin ”Caveman” Shirley ; and on the mic, the thundering pipes of our boy Jimmy Barnes . Words Zoë Radas

PIANO: JOOLS HOLLAND

producer Kevin Shirley came into his own, and managed, somehow, to pull it all together. At my end, in London, I was delighted to be able to deploy my 1949 Wurlitzer spinet piano, which is identical to the one originally used in Sun Studios. This responds well to both taking a hammering and more light-fingered work. I don’t think my my technique’s any different for rockabilly, but I think my styling might be more influenced by Jerry Lee and Floyd. For brand new fans of The Barnestormers’ sound, which pianists should they investigate to learn about the style? Further to the above, the genius singer songwriter Charlie Rich has a lovely touch. Much of the rockabilly style comes from western swing, so someone like Moon Mullican is worth checking out. As is Merill E. Moore, whose boogie woogie piano coupled with lap steel guitar created a unique and magical sound. I have to say also, at the back of my mind while I’ve been making this record, has been my dear old friend, Fats Domino.

remain loyal to the original guitar part? It was important for me on this record to find the right balance of referencing the original parts that are identifiable, and also bringing my own touch to them. No one needs another straight-up covers record. You gotta bring something new to it, or why bother? This music is the foundation of The Living End, so I’m kind of accustomed to taking an old idea and then injecting something fresh into it. I’m really proud of how this record turned out. Everyone brought the goods. Which guitarists should brand new fans of The Barnestormers explore? Here are the essentials. Cliff Gallup, who played on all Gene Vincent classics. A man who effortlessly played fast, flashy bebop lines intertwined with jazzy octave runs. Race with the Devil and Be-Bop-a-Lula are still two of the all-time best guitar solos ever performed. Paul Burlison, from Johnny Burnette’s rock’n’roll trio. Train Kept A-Rollin’ and Lonesome Train still sound fresh and punchy. Danny Gatton, the Tele master and one of the greatest all-time players. Huge influence on me, as he really could do it all. He would run through an encyclopaedia of licks in one single solo. Fire and skill. Brian Setzer, who blended country, rock’n’roll, blues, and jazz into his own style. One of the best and coolest ever.

When playing in rockabilly style, do you tend to thrash the keys more because the piano doesn’t have its own amp (and probably wouldn’t be mic’d up in a bar room situation)?To put it another way: does the live tradition of how rockabilly piano is played mean the technique is necessarily very different to (and maybe even less ’precise’ than) other styles? Thank you for this interesting technical question. Rockabilly, like the blues, was in there at the birth of rock ’n’ roll and amplified music. It was at a time when the piano went from being one of the loudest instruments on stage, to the least audible. The piano players of the day not only had this challenge, but also the places where the gigs were being played and the music was being recorded had inconsistent, and sometimes useless, pianos. It was a challenge that was met wonderfully by people like Floyd Cramer and Jerry Lee Lewis. My understanding is that when records were cut at this time, the musicians were all playing quite quietly. The challenges of making The Barnestormers record and playing rockabilly today have been different. The two enormous hurdles that we had to get over were the global pandemic and the fact that members of the group were all on different continents. This is where genius

GUITAR: CHRIS CHENEY

When you’re playing a rock ’n’ roll classic like the cuts on this new album, how do you know which pockets are yours to play around in with improvisation, and where to

48 MAY 2023

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