Flat Duo Jets “Red Tango” 1996. Norton Records. Super-bummed to hear about the passing of Flat Duo Jets’ Dex Romweber this past weekend at age 57 (b. 1966, d. February 16, 2024). He’s considered the “godfather of the power duo” garage rock revival of the 90’s/early 2000’s and was a major influence on musicians like Jack White (the White Stripes performed the Jets’ “You Belong to Me” or “Apple Blossom Time” in their live shows and more recently-ish White’s Third Man Records released Dex Romweber Duo Live at Third Man, 2010) and The Black Keys. We saw the Flat Duo Jets perform – Dex on guitar/vocals and Chris “Crow” Smith on drums – at least twice in the 90’s, one was particular memorable: around ‘95 at an in-store at the original, smaller RushMor Records location in our Milwaukee neighborhood of Bay View. Dex and Crow wedged themselves in between record aisles, plugged into a lone amp, closed the cymbal case to use as a bass drum and let loose their version of rockabilly garage blues crazy. We were standing so close to Dex that it was really uncomfortable – I could have picked Dex’s nose without unbending my elbow. The other time was at The Rave (Milwaukee), I think December ’98 when they opened for Reverend Horton Heat and Royal Crown Revue (now called Amazing Crowns due to legal issues with RC Cola). My memory is super-murky from this show but fortunately Joe’s mind is a steel-trap so I’m quoting his recollection here: “These were comp tickets from WMSE because the Shellac show we originally won tickets to was a benefit show for animal rights or something and they wouldn’t let us in. Flat Duo Jets were not listed on the bill and we weren’t crazy about the Royal Crown Revue so we decided to take our time. Well, either we got the time wrong or the Rave was running late because as we were walking in I recognized Dex’s singing and I said ‘I think the Flat Duo Jets are playing.’ They were and luckily we caught most of their set. We talked to Crow after because I had recently found a second copy of their first album and I remembered he didn’t have one from last time I talked to him at the Rush Mor in store at the old location. He gave me his address, somewhere in Florida I think, and I sent him the record but I never got a reply.”

Red Tango was Flat Duo Jet’s 7th studio release. It’s garagey rockabilly overall, with some stomping instrumentals (opener “Tell Django“),  crooning, tear-in-my-beer ballads (“Don’t Ask Me Why“), roof-ripping psychobilly tracks (“Lonely Wolf“) and Latin-flavored numbers (the title track “Red Tango“). My top pick is “Baby Are You Hiding From Me” which has a killer beat and hook and leans slightly more to the garage end of rockabilly-garage.