STACK #223 May 2023

FEATURE MUSIC

The main thing to be wary of is the damage to your wrists and elbows, from the hard stick on hard surface of the rims – prolonged use of this style can definitely result in bone spurs, a sprained wrist, and sore elbows. I feel these are occupational hazards, so get tough and plough through – if it’s the right sound for the right song, you gotta go for it! For new fans of The Barnestormers’ sound, which drummers should they go searching for? A few of the countless drummers that I’d suggest listening to, if you dig my style on The Barnestormers’ record and the rockabilly style in general, would be Dickie ”Be-Bop” Harrell, (Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps), D.J. Fontana (Elvis Presley), Charlie Connor (Little Richard), Jerry Allison (Buddy Holly), Jim Van Eaton (Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Sun Records house drummer), Freddie Below (Chuck Berry), Ringo Starr, Earl Palmer (Eddie Cochran), Charlie Watts, W.S. ”Fluke” Holland (Sun Records session drummer), and Willie ”Big Eyes” Smith (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf).

those great songs that's a lot of fun to sing. I like the Brenda Lee version a lot, but I wanted to approach it like Little Richard when I sang it, the way I pushed it. I wanted the microphone to distort. Which singers should brand new fans of The Barnestormers’ sound look in to? There are so many great rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll singers to listen to. When I say rock n’ roll, I tend to be talking Little Richard more than Guns N’ Roses – nothing wrong with them, but it’s more about that time period. It’s very hard to go past early Elvis records. He was one of the best. The way he sang in 1956 was out of this world. Then you have singers like Jerry Lee Lewis and Billy Lee Riley (it helps if you have three names). Buddy Holly was incredible. Little Richard, Johnny Burnette, Eddie Cochran. Listen to The Stray Cats – those guys introduced a whole new audience to rockabilly. It’s a long list. If you haven’t looked at rockabilly music before, you have a great journey in front of you. DRUMS: SLIM JIM PHANTOM On LonesomeTrain , we get to hear your rhythms go extra-clickety. Is there a ’healthy’ way to play on the rims, so you’re not ruining your sticks? Yes, on Lonesome Train I play on the rims of the snare drum. There are a few things to watch out for when you play this style. As you said, you can wear out sticks and shed a few splinters – a few divots in ther sticks can also occur. Luckily, I have an endorsement deal with Vic Firth sticks and get a few complimentary pairs. This style can also wreak havoc on the rims; warping and denting can occur, so a lighter touch is suggested.

BASS: KEVIN ’CAVEMAN’ SHIRLEY

When you’re going hammer and tongs on the bass such as in Crazy Crazy Lovin ’, we can hear the tick of the strings hitting the fingerboard with the force of your plucking. Do you think of this sound as part of the instrument’s sound, in a percussive sense? How much do you notice/control it? Oh, the tickety-tick is key to the sound of the bass! (Otherwise you’d just use a normal electric bass – that would be so much easier.) But the muted acoustic bass sound, and all that gorgeous fingerboard percussion, is the driving force of rockabilly, baby! If listeners want to investigate rockabilly style slap bass, which players should they take a look at? Thomas Lorioux! Boom! (Mic drop). VOCALS: JIMMY BARNES The repeated title phrase in Sweet Nothin’s sounds so good in your voice because the vowels it contains are particularly distinct to you. Do you look for songs to cover which are heavy on a particular word/vowel sound, because you know it’ll come out especially ’Barnesy’? Not really, there are sounds that sound good at the end of phrases, and some that some good in the middle, but more than anything it’s about the timing and the tone I go for. I’m sure there are some go-to ones, but it’s not a conscious choice. Most vowel sounds can be made to sound good. Sweet Nothin’s is just one of

The Barnestormers’ caricatures and album artwork were created by lowbrow pop artist and trashcomic icon Vince Ray.

The Barnestormers by The Barnestormers is out May 26 via Bloodlines.

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