ThreeTuneTuesday - Getting a Taste for Rockabilly with Hillbilly Moon Explosion

There is something about the sound of 50's music. I have discussed this here and here, but now I'm noticing, my feeling for it may not be that much out of the ordinary. After all, there is a whole scene called Rockabilly that takes this very essence to a higher level... And I never even knew! - I mean, I have heard the expression, and always imagined some Hillbilly Rock... or not much at all, as it turns out.

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Because this genre takes the coolest, weirdest, most iconic parts of the 1950's, and just runs with it! Early Rock 'n Roll, powerful Blues, skanky styles, mixed into this retro re-dream of an era gone by but not let go of. And that is worth checking out, for certain.

Hillbilly Moon Explosion

Oh, and what an explosion it is! While the hillbillies I used to hang out with were more into bluegrass, this band - ironically from Switzerland - cultivates a very interesting idea of a hillbilly, feeling convincingly American, and authentically 1950's. The song that immediately caught my attention fits the ideal pattern of a dreamy 50's song about the moon, complete in its cheesy melancholic fashion. The lyrics, however, are anything but romantic, quite on the contrary.

The next piece is of a more raunchy nature. It introduces the vocals of Sparky from Demented Are Go, another band of the psychobilly subgenre. Just listen to his voice! Gravelly is an understatement. Also, what kind of crazy saxophones are those??? All in all, this song somehow reminds me of ska music, which is not surprising, since the band is known to combine the styles of rock and roll, jump blues, swing, country, roots rock, and surf music. (Now I really feel like listening to more of them!)

So which song should I pick for the third (and LAST) one to make it a #ThreeTuneTuesday? I was thinking to go for Clarksdale Boogie, an amazing blues - or is this what they call a jump blues? The other one I was considering is Johnny Are You Gay? a classic 50's style high-school bubble-gum pop-rock-n-roll... except for their mention of the unspeakable! (Though this just shows how contemporary they are.) But in the end I opted for a song that sort of combines everything a bit: surf-ska-chilled-out-50's-groove, or whatever: Perfida. Oh, and the video... kinda adds a bit to itself.

As you may have guessed, I barely knew anything about Rockabilly, even though it had been there in front of me all along. So if you can and want to guide me along on my newly found musical quest, I would highly appreciate any suggestions of cool music of this style. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my post, and hopefully discovered something for yourself here. If you liked it, why not check out some more of my eclectic music in my Monday Music collection?