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Tag: Rockabilly Music

Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18-Friday

(Note: See my Viva Trip on Wednesday & Thursday & Saturday & Sunday)

It’s Friday! Vintage Hairstyle day and the Men’s Vintage Swimsuit contest at the pool (my fav).

My friend Liisa was such a doll and offered as a gift to myself and a mutual friend to have our hair done by the magical and amazing Teresa of “Beauty by Teresa Song“.  So I zipped done to their room with Champagne and Orange Juice in hand and prepared for some pampering and girl talk.

Champagne and Orange Juice VIVA 18 Rockabilly Weekender
Breakfast of Champions

I have never had my hair done all fancy by anyone at Viva, I usually tackle this process by myself and hope for the best. I by no means am a Vintage Hair Style wizard, but Teresa..was. She took my mess of hair and turned it into this…

Vintage Rockabilly Hairstyle Viva 18
Ready for my close up! Man I look different with no glasses.

Kidding! This is what she did…

Vintage Rockabilly Hairstyle Viva 18
Not sure if this is possible to do by regular folk like me
Vintage Rockabilly Hairstyle Viva 18 - Victory Rolls
Victory Rolls

Voila! The Finished Product. Teresa you are amazing and I 100% recommend her to anyone looking to get their hair done next year. She works fast, was professional and really nice.

Vintage Rockabilly Hairstyle Viva 18 - Victory Rolls
1940s Meets Rockabilly

Okay I’m done, it’s my friends turn now.

Vintage Hairstyles Viva 18 Rockabilly Weekender
Meow!

Above turns into the below..like Magic.

Vintage Hairstyles Viva 18 Rockabilly Weekender

Drea’s turn.

Vintage Hairstyles Viva 18 Rockabilly Weekender
Drea was trying to go for the same look as me. hehehe

So pretty, mini victory roll and curls.

Vintage Hairstyles Viva 18 Rockabilly Weekender.

We are 3 happy ladies, full of champagne and orange juice and lots of girly time. Thanks again Liisa!

Vintage Hairstyles Viva 18 Rockabilly Weekender

Now we are all done up…time for the Pool and the Men’s Vintage Swimsuit contest especially now that sun was out and it was finally hot.

VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 Tiki Pool Party Friday 2015

There was even a live band-The Sabres to set the tone for the afternoon.

The Sabres VIVA Pool Party Rockabilly Weekender 2015
The Sabres

Pool Time is Friend Time!

VIVA 18 Pool Party Style Rockabilly style and vintage swimsuits
Hanging out with Friends at the Pool in my 1960s Vintage “Ceeb of Miami” swimsuit from Cabaret vintage
VIVA Rockabilly18 Pool Party Style
Cool Glasses Ladies

Time for the Men’s Swimsuit Contest! Here were some of my favorites:

Men's Vintage Swimsuit Contest VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
Men's Vintage Swimsuit Contest VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
I really liked this swimsuit and matching shirt.

Our host (man with the microphone) plays Carl Perkins in the Million Dollar Quartet in Vegas.

Men's Vintage Swimsuit Contest VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
Men's Vintage Swimsuit Contest VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
Men's Vintage Swimsuit Contest VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
It’s a Jungle Out There!

What a great contest, the men really had wonderful vintage swimsuits and it was a fun afternoon. But all good warm and sunny day’s have to come to an end and so we packed it up and got ready for the evening ahead.

My Friday Night Outfit. 1940s Vintage Seersucker dress from “The Best Vintage Clothing” online store.

1940s Seersucker vintage dress

First band of the night and now one of my favorite singers, “Kay Marie“. Her sound channeled the spirit of Americana trailblazers with powerful and passionate vocals, and had this old school vintage feel that I just loved. I danced almost to every one of her songs and it was fantastic to see the room so packed for her show.

Kay Marie VIVARockabilly Weekender 18 2015
Kay Marie in the Bienville Room

After Kay Marie it was time for one of the big shows in the Ballroom that I was really really looking forward to… Bobby Brooks Wilson, the son of Jackie Wilson. If you have time click on his name and read about his story about how he found out he was Jackie Wilsons son, it is pretty incredible.

Bobby Brooks Wilson  at Viva Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
Bobby Brooks Wilson

Speaking of incredible…his show was incredible! I thought I was listening and watching Jackie himself. Such an amazing talent and a ridiculously good show. A highlight was when one of the past singers of the Platters came on stage to sing “Only You”. Check out my video to experience what I experienced that night.

After my mind was blown for an hour and half, I still had tons of energy to zip off and support a favorite band of mine (and the Toronto Rockabilly Scene), Jittery Jack. Jittery Jack’s band always puts 120% into their shows and once again this was another good one.

Jittery Jack at Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
Jittery Jack

Only one person is having fun here..can you guess who (and it’s NOT Bill from the Hellbent Rockers lol)? Cheer up Drea..the night is not over yet, it’s time to hit up the Ballroom!

Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18, 2015

I ended my Friday night checking out the final performance EVER of the band “The Chop Tops“. The band coined the phrase “Revved-Up Rockabilly” to describe their wild, upbeat blend of rockabilly, psychobilly, old punk, teddy boy, and surf music genres (source) and have been playing together since 1995. This final show was going to be nothing but amazing and filled with surprises at every turn. And it was!

The Chop Tops at VIVA Rockabilly Weekender 18 2015
The Chop Tops

One of those surprises was bringing up Mario Valens the brother of La Bamba singer Ritchie Valens. That was a real highlight of the evening for me.

Mario Valens brother of La Bamba singer Ritchie Valens. at VIVA Rockabilly Weekend 18 2015
Mario Valens

Here is Mario singing with the Chop Tops a tune you might all know….

And that friends was Friday of VIVA 18. Stay tuned for Car Show and Dion (The Wanderer) day aka Saturday.

Those who went to VIVA….How was your Friday Night?

Further Reading:

Liz 🙂

Toronto’s “Rockin” Rockabilly Scene

Updated: June 2023

If you have never visited Toronto then you might not be aware that we have an AMAZING music scene. It is 100% true that you can come and visit our city on ANY Night and find first class live music to listen too. As a Lindy Hopper I’m so spoiled on the live swing music I can dance to almost every night (especially in the summer time). As a Rockabilly fan I’m also equally lucky to have several amazing bands right on my door step and currently a regular monthly rockabilly night as well!

Jive Dancing 1950s

For my blog post today I want to shed the light on some of the amazing Rockabilly Music right here in Toronto and surrounding cities (some are ones I know well and some are ones I don’t but they are all amazing).

(Note: I’m sure I missed some bands and I do apologize)

Toronto Rockabilly Music Scene

Rockabilly Bands Still Active in Toronto (June 2023 update)

Ichi-Bons

Ichi-Bons are the reckless rock ‘n’ roll revival. Inspired by obscure surf, garage and rockabilly 45’s, they combine the sounds of a raunchy vinyl DJ with a cranked rock ‘n’ roll band. From boppin’ garage to frantic rockabilly, from instrumental surf to desperate rock ‘n’ roll, Ichi-Bons are a stack of quarters on your favourite jukebox.Born at the rockin’ Black Dice Cafe in Toronto, Ichi-Bons are Mamoru on guitar, Hideki on bass, and Paddy on drums. Formed over a love of 1950’s and 60’s records, clothing, and slang, they celebrate the real gone gems of rock ‘n’ roll.

Check out some of their demos over at Bandcamp..HERE.

Toronto Rockabilly Band-Ichi-Bons

Shook Boys

The Shook Boys are a savage Canadian rock n roll band.  They play wild and frantic rock n roll music, first release late 2020 (Source: Wild Records).

The Swingin’ Blackjacks

The Swingin’ Blackjacks was the first Rockabilly band I had ever seen live in Toronto and they quickly became a favorite of mine. With their sound being a blend of Rockabilly and Jumpin Blues you can easily dance the night away to them…and I have! Matt and the band always put on a top-notch show and you can usually catch them playing somewhere in the city, several times a month.

The Kat Kings

The Kat Kings have this great Bluesy/Rockabilly (Bluesabilly?? lol) sound that is just so sweet to listen too and dance too. They are another hardworking band that perform all over the city and beyond. One of my favorite performances was a couple of years back at the Elvis Tribute night at Hughs Room. Kevin the lead singer was just so perfect to lead this tribute night and I think Elvis would have been proud.

Bad Fortunes

The rockabilly/roots 4-piece features Heartbreak Mark (The Greasemarks) on vocals/rhythm guitar, Johnny Gallagher (The Millwinders/Tennessee Voodoo Coupe) on guitar/vocals, Steve Good (Tennesee Voodoo Coupe/The Greasemarks) on doghouse bass, and Donny DeKouchay (The Razorbacks/Tennessee Voodoo Coupe) providing the backbeat. Bad Fortunes are hyped to hit the stage and deliver their own brand of top-rockin’ mayhem!

The Slow Drags

About: Loud guitar, crazy drums and an emphasis on improvisation make for an amazing live show.

Click on the link above to see some of their videos on their facebook page.

Hell Bent Rockers

The Hell Bent Rockers are an awesome band from just outside of Toronto in the city of Hamilton. There sound is high-energy mix of classic rock & roll and authentic 50’s rockabilly. Just the kind of Rockabilly I personally love and have enjoyed every time I have seen them perform.

Ginger St. James

I have only seen Ginger play once and it was awhile ago but I plan to change this very soon because she is an outstanding vocalist and great performer. To sum up her style there is a great quote on her website that says: “Raunchy, sassy, bluesy, rockin’ with a good-sized dash of jazz AND country, this is a total delight to the ears of any connoisseur of great music. – Tara Jennings


Toronto Rockabilly Bands no longer together (but you should still checkout online)

Millwinders (No longer together-2019 update)

I love the Millwinders and have blogged about them before when they played at VIVA this past year. They have this great traditional rockabilly sound that is just fantastic. If you ever get to see them live they are loads of fun (and they are all super nice!) and if you like vintage style then Sarah (the only lady in the band) is your gal. Her vintage style is drool worthy AND she is a Toronto Vintage Society member too.

The Royal Crowns (currently not together-July 2022 update)

Once again another favorite band of mine with an outstanding rockabilly sound that will keep the party going all night long. I try not to miss these guys when they are playing as they don’t play a ton of shows and they really are a must see band. Their sound touches on many genres of music-rockabilly, rock and roll, hillbilly jazz, surf, and rhythm and blues to name just a few. Also 2 of the members “Teddy Fury” and “Danny Bartley” have deep musical roots stretching back to the early ’80s, playing in key bands such as The Bop Cats and Shotgun Shack. So this band has a strong Rockabilly background.

Tennessee Voodoo Coupe

NOTE: The lead singer of the band, the talented and amazing ‘Big Rude Jake’ sadly died from a cancer June 2022.

I think I’m going to become a broken record here in a minute…another favorite band! SEE how lucky Toronto is?? I’m only on band # 4 and I have already gushed so much. Anyways TVC is a band I have danced to and seen live too many times to count. They even performed at VIVA LAST Year and they were so good! TVC is headed up by the very talented and charismatic “Big Rude Jake” who has had a long and successful career in Rockabilly, Jazz, Swing etc. and it shows in his music. This band is always putting on a good show.

Video Note: The dancers in the “dark” in this video are friends in the scene.

Alistair Christl (Update: Moved Out of Canada as of Dec 2015)

Self described as the “Reigning Canadian champion of “Hillbilly Bop” – a style that combines the best of Honky tonk, Country Swing, Roots Rockabilly, Jazz and Blues Alistair is another show stopper. I have seen him play the Rockabilly Brunch at the Dominion on Queen many times (as well as many other events) and he always impresses every time. He is super fun to dance too as well.

Greasemarks (now the SHOOK BOYS-see above)

The Greasemarks according to their website describe themselves as Leaving a trail of stained pillows, broken hearts and busted amps in their wake.The Greasemarks have been doin’ 50’s rockabilly loud, nasty & right since 2007″. I have seen this band a few times and have to say this statement is true 🙂

The Diamond Drapes (unsure if they are still together-July 2022 update)

Another great band from Hamilton, the Diamond Drapes are a well dressed band with a classic Rockabilly sound. I only recently saw this band perform about a year ago and I was kicking myself for not seeing them sooner, they are so good! I stayed on the dance floor all night long.

Ronnie Hayward (passed away in 2022)

Ronnie has been playing his rockabilly brand of hobo country for years now. Prior to forming his own trio in 1989, he had already played and written songs on several albums and had been a member of Jimmy Roy’s 5 Star Hillbillies, Herald Nix, The Nervous Fellas, The Bughouse Five and countless other rockabilly and roots-based bands. He has released eleven albums of his own, nine of which are on European labels (Source).


Extra Music Note: Toronto has also a number of Psychobilly Bands that have a real following as well and are very good if that is your favourite style. Bands like (Note: unsure if any of these bands are together still-July 2022 update):

The Howling Bullets

Christian D and the Hangovers

Buzz Deluxe

Evil Elvis


For regular updates on when these bands will be playing, follow:

Elvis Presley 1950s

Do you have a favorite band? And it does not have to be in Toronto. I always love hearing about other bands in other cities (that is why I love VIVA for the chance to see new bands). Do Share!

Liz 🙂