Billy Adams & the New Rock-A-Teers
South by Southwest, Austin, USA - 23. mars 2003
South by Southwest, Austin, USA - 23. mars 2003
 Billy Adams opptrer 14. mars på the Continental Club under South by Southwest festivalen. |
As showtime drew near at the Continental, fans and industry professionals began filtering in to the club on South Congress Avenue, which has been an Austin landmark since it first opened it's doors, in 1957. By the time Stuart Colman took the mic to introduce the dapper don of rockabilly, it was shaping up to be a full house of Billy Adams fans. Kicking off with the band on a rhythm-infused "Mystery Train," Adams quickly took command of the stage, and when the song was over, he reached into his own rockabilly grab bag and presented the song "That's My Baby" to an approving crowd, before capping the triple-threat of tunes with his now-classic Dot Records release, "You Heard Me Knocking." After the song ended, it was easy to tell that Adams was with an appreciative crowd - mixed with the loud applause, several fans in the club were chanting, "Billy, Billy," as their way of showing respect to the man-of-the-hour. Adams took this opportunity to welcome the fans, flashing his big, wide grin. He then invited them to join him in his latest musical fancy to take wings, "Roots 2 Rockabilly and Beyond," which is Adams' own personal musical odyssey, beginning with his earliest influences, progressing through highlights of his early rockabilly career, and finally, to the exciting new music that he is creating today.
Adams then went straight to the "tap-root" with a solo rendition of Jimmie Rodgers' "T For Texas," which brought a cheer from the home state crowd, and without a pause, he was re-joined by Bobby Smith on upright bass, and guitarist, Dave Moore (this time on mandolin), for a snappy version of the Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower," which ended with drummer, Clif Doyal, spurring the excited crowd to clap along - which they did with gusto. Then, with an acoustic intro worthy of his R&B peers, Adams and the band kicked into a unique take on Jimmy Reed's, "Baby, What You Want Me To Do," that chugged along with a raw Texas-style shuffle, getting the attention of even the most jaded "industry-types" in attendance. Continuing this "history-lesson-in-song," Adams put the crowning touch on the "roots" segment by highlighting his assembled band on individual solos, with the song, "Mama Don't Allow." However, when it came to his turn, Adams put his acoustic guitar down, and told the crowd that "when me and my brother Charles were kids, we couldn't afford no store-bought instruments," and then he held up a shiny round disk, and banged out his solo by rapping his knuckles on what he called "the world's first amplified lard bucket lid." With that, the crowd went wild! Then, it was a quick snapshot of "That's Alright Mama," before Adams performed his signature song from the golden-age of rockabilly, "Rock, Pretty Mama."
Switching guitars to move into the "Beyond" part of the show, it became clear that Adams songwriting talent far exceeds his rockabilly pedigree, as he pulled out the first of three new compositions that demonstrate the depth of his creativity. Leading the band with a swampy-sounding groove, Adams delivered the autobiographical, "Queen of the Three Room Shack," which brought bursts of applause from the crowd between every verse. Next came the drum-heavy, rhythm and blues flavored, "She's My Woman," before he and the New Rock-A-Teers closed the allotted 40 minute showcase set with an enthusiastic full-band rock 'n' roll shouter, entitled, "Hey, Little Connie." As the song ended, the crowd gave their loud approval, while Adams waved to them as he left the stage. With no time for an encore before the next scheduled act, Billy Adams left the happy crowd cheering and wanting more. Now, that's rock 'n' roll!
Clif Doyal - manager for Billy Adams