Dash Rip Rock
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Taking their name from a love interest of Elly May's on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dash Rip Rock was formed as a three-piece rockabilly band in Baton Rouge, Louisiana during the summer of 1984. Over time the band has evolved into a rowdy live act popular at college-town bars and frat parties across the South. Today, the only remaining original member is singer/guitarist Bill Davis.
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[edit] History
Taking cues from the early-80s American roots rock revival embodied by such acts as Rank & File, The LeRoi Brothers, The Beat Farmers, The Stray Cats and Jason and The Scorchers, drummer F. Clarke Marty formed Dash Rip Rock with singer/guitarist Bill Davis and bassist Ned "Hoaky" Hickel in 1984. All three were veterans of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana post-punk / new wave scene, with Davis having gained some local notoriety in The Human Rayz and Hickel in Scooter and the Mopeds.
Originally, the band was heavily focused on country and rockabilly, with Martty playing a simple stand-up drum kit and band members sporting cowboy shirts and bolo ties. Early shows included lots of George Jones covers and the band's first single featured the country-leaning "Marsupial" and a fast rockabilly tune called "Shake That Girl".
Less than a year after forming the band, Martty was ousted by Davis and Hickel, who wanted to take Dash Rip Rock in more of a rock direction. Martty was replaced by manic drummer Fred LeBlanc (now the frontman for Cowboy Mouth) and the band began to build a strong following around their live shows at clubs near the LSU campus. Among the most notable were the band's frequent shows at The Chimes, and a recording of their December 28, 1985 show there was released as "Ned, Fred and Dickhead" for a reunion tour of the Davis/Hickel/LeBlanc lineup in 2001.
Dash Rip Rock released a self-titled debut album in 1986 that showcased the band's new uptempo, rockabilly-influenced style. Following the album's release, the band began touring heavily through the Southeastern United States and developed a strong regional following for their live shows, especially in college towns of the SEC. Fueled by whisky and egged on by the raucous college crowds, Dash Rip Rock evolved into more of a bar band over time, leaving the decent songwriting of Davis and LeBlanc as an afterthought.
In 1988 the band recorded its second album, Ace of Clubs, but LeBlanc left Dash Rip Rock for a solo career shortly thereafter. LeBlanc's solo career fizzled, but he would later achieve some level of success with Cowboy Mouth, a name taken by LeBlanc from the title of a Sam Shepherd play. The eponymous line of dialogue was earlier referenced in the song "Johnny Ace" from Ace of Clubs ("working hard on dying / and always trying / to be a rock-n-roll Jesus / with a cowboy mouth.")
After LeBlanc's departure, the band moved even more into bar-band territory and focused less and less on studio recordings. Dash Rip Rock's most successful studio release was, in fact, "Let's Go Smoke Some Pot", a parody of "Let's Go to the Hop" that had become a staple of the band's live shows.
In 1999, Hickel left the band and moved to South Florida where he now owns a marine surveying company. Bill Davis moved to Nashville not long after to work on his songwriting but kept the band together with a succession of bass players and drummers. The band still tours the Southern United States and in 2005 released a retrospective CD on the Alternative Tentacles label.
[edit] Members of Dash Rip Rock
- Bill Davis - Singer / Guitarist
- Brian Broussard - Bass Guitar
- Leon Touzet - Drums
[edit] Former Members
- Ned "Hoaky" Hickel - Bass (original member)
- F. Clarke Martty - Drums (original member)
- Fred LeBlanc - Drums
- Chris "Lucky Dog" Luckette - Drums
- Kyle Melancon - Drums
- Andy Songy - Bass
- Kenny Ames - Bass
- Jody Smith - Drums
[edit] Discography
- Recyclone (2005)
- Sonic Boom (2003)
- Paydirt (1998)
- Get You Some of Me (1995)
- Tiger Town (1993)
- Boiled Alive (1991)
- Not of This World (1990)
- Ace of Clubs (1989)
- Dash Rip Rock (1987)
