I first saw Dash Rip Rock with my friend Kevin when the band opened for The Beat Farmers at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio, July 1986. My adrenline surges and smile widens thinking about that show.
Dash Rip Rock, Mojo's Mayhem 2016 at the Continental Club. (Mike Barzacchini Photo)
It was amazing when Kevin and I had the chance to see the band again at SXSW 2016. I spoke briefly with Bill Davis after DRR's Saxon Pub showcase. He not only remembered the Canal Street show, but told us that after the concert, Dash Rip Rock and the Farmers went bowling at a local lane. That would have been something to witness.
DRR's Bill Davis with the Butter-Spray Slide (Mike Barzacchini Photo)
Bill Davis' Gator Guitar (Mike Barzacchini Photo)
Long live Dash Rip Rock. Long Live Rock and Roll. Which is kind of saying the same thing.
More photos on my SXSW 2016 Dash Rip Rock Gallery on Flickr.
The Beat Farmers almost ruined me for live music. Two dynamite shows at The Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio, July 1986 and September 1987, were the two most bombastic, wildly enjoyable live music experiences of my life. I could have stopped going to shows right then and lived off the memories of those two performances the rest of my life.
The Beat Farmers' music propelled me through mid- and late-1980s road trips, all-night listening parties and summer BBQs. The band mixed country western and rockabilly sensibilities with chunky, raw power chords. Imagine Buck Owens playing with ACDC. And they had a wild card like no other band before or since -- drummer, singer and raconteur Country Dick Montana.
I loved the originals like "Bigger Stones," "Never Going Back," "Riverside" and "Selfish Heart." And the Farmers had the best taste in covers, from Bruce Springsteen's "Reason to Believe" to Neil Young's "Powderfinger" and Country Dick's rowdy rendition of Johnny Cash's "Big River."
The Beat Farmers - Big River
Sadly, The story of The Beat Farmers ended with Country Dick Montana's untimely death on stage in 1995. But the band's legacy and my memories of two amazing nights at The Canal Street live on.
It's Friday. They are The Beat Farmers. Turn it up.
