Pictured here are Frantic Frank, Hot Rod Mike (who replaced Pistol Pete on bass) and Too Tall Paul along with Joe and our friend, Matt, at that off-SxSW show in March ‘94. SxSW was a whole different game back then – we just drove down Route 66 from Milwaukee, WI with not much of a plan, other than to stop in Dallas for a couple of days and then head to Austin for the showcase and stay with my friend, Carrie. (We knew the Flattops would be playing as we had seen them play The Unicorn in Milwaukee in February; we knew the guys fairly well as they stayed at our friends’ house when they performed in Milwaukee.) We didn’t need tickets for anything and could basically just wander in and out of venues (except for the very big deal that year which was an invite-only keynote showcase performance by Johnny Cash – we didn’t get to go to that).  Also playing at this SxSW show that night were High Noon and Herman the German, and a guest appearance by Rosie Flores (seen here boogieing down to the Flattops).

I don’t listen to much rockabilly anymore: I still enjoy it in small doses but its formulaic structure does get very repetitive after a short bit. That said, I’m still very fond of a few tracks from Hi Fi Honey including “Feelin’ Cheap,” the brush-drummed bluesy “Dressed Up,” “Go Man Go” and “Slippin’ In.” The best tracks on the album are the ones where Ronnie Dawson steps in for the vocals: “Crazy Mixed Up World,” “Buzzard Luck” and “It Should’ve Been Me.” The CD reissue comes with a few bonus tracks – live versions of “Juke Joints Jumpin’,” “Baby Come Back” and “Feelin’ Cheap” recorded for WMAX plus a cover of Gene Vincent’s “Teenage Partner.”

The post The Frantic Flattops “Hi-Fi Honey (Revisited)” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

We saw High Noon play at an off-site venue during South By Southwest in Austin in March of ‘94, not too long after they recorded this EP. Amazing show: the Frantic Flattops and Herman the German opened. (Still looking for something by Herman the German on vinyl or cd – all we have is a 2nd or 3rd gen tape recording from the early 90′s).

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In March 1994 Joe, our friend Matt and I drove to Austin, Texas for South By Southwest, back when a music lover could just go without plan or tickets, walk in and enjoy the shows. Now it is a star-studded, music industry staple but in ‘94 the biggest buzz was the (surprise?) performance of Johnny Cash at one of the SxSW venues.

This album (in its recorded cassette form) went on heavy rotation during the 20+ hour drive from Milwaukee to Texas as we meandered on and off of old Route 66. Our vague plan was to see Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio once we got to SxSW, crashing at my good friend Carrie’s place along with a motley of crazy roommates and stray pets. Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Trio played at La Zona Rosa, along with Dave and Phil Alvin. That show was the first of many over the years and I’ve had the opportunity to chat with Big Sandy (née Robert Williams) and he is as sweet as his voice.

“Hold Me” is my favorite track on this album and “Draggen-It Boogie” is a close second, for its delightful humor about his girl’s inability to dance. And on the vinyl’s run-off groove is etched “keep draggen it” on Side 1 and “I’m glad I found Big Sandy” on Side 2.  Me too, production dude, me too.

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