It’s been a pretty good while since I last posted, but I am very glad to get back into the swing of things and proud to present to you Miss Erika Davies as our Featured Artist.

By now, most of you have heard her voice on the “Subaru commercial” and became hooked on that jingle. Well there is much, much more to Miss Erika Davies than just that one song. Miss Erika Davies was very kind to answer a few questions that were on my mind (and maybe on some of your minds as well). So here it is. Enjoy!

Jay, The Opening Set: First of all, Thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions for your fans and our readers. It’s appreciated. Tell us about how you first got started in the music world?

Miss Erika Davies: Well sure, thank you for taking the time to ask me questions.
My start in the music world… it began at open mic in 2003-2004 at a San Diego local coffee house, Lestat’s. Armed with my then jazz guitarist, Chris Baldwin, I began with one original song and the rest jazz standards.

It was right there that the sound guy told me of a local troubadour whom would love to have me sing duets and solos with him and so I went on a small tour of San Diego and a few Los Angeles gigs. I got my chops all polished up for about a year or so until I was ready to set out on my own.

Jay: Tell me if this is a fair assessment of your music. To me, it sounds like a mixture of Jazz, Traditional Folk, and maybe even a bit of Hawaiian type sounds to it at times. Couple that with your excellent vocals and it all blends extremely well. How would you describe your sound?

Erika: Oh, thank you. I think you have it right, except for the Hawaiian! Ha! I would describe my music as whimsical or as someone once told me, it is like ribbons trailing through the sky or a voice carried in the wind, bringing news of freshly baked, delicious cupcakes.

Jay: Wow. That’s a very interesting description but it fits your sounds quite well. Speaking of your sounds, you put out a CD entitled “Creecho Habecktoe – Old Ditties And New” Tell us a little bit about that and how did you come up with the title?

Erika: Creecho Habecktoe was the first account or diary if you will, of some of my own songs coupled with old time jazz gems. It was recorded in a friends home studio in 2008/2009. It is a very low-fi recording which lends to the intimate living room concert feel. The title was a nickname that my dad had for me when I was a little one.

Jay: I hear a lot of ukelele in several songs from that CD. Is that your preferred instrument or do you play other instruments as well?

Erika: My voice, I was taught is my main instrument. I was instructed by my first of two vocal instructors and 2 months of voice lessons, to hold my body upright and my chest outward yet in a relaxed manner. I was told that if my body goes crooked and if I lose control of my diaphragm then, that is like a trumpet or sax player trying to make beautiful sounds out of a bent instrument.

Voice is my passion.

I enjoy playing the uke for the purpose of getting the songs out that quickly pop into my head. Then I usually write the uke chords/melody/lyrics and play them for a guitarist and then he transposes them into guitar chords that he is familiar with and my song is born.

Jay: Let’s talk about “the song from the Subaru commercial”, “I Love You, I Do”. I’ll be honest, I first came across your music because of that commercial. It has a very nice vintage country, rockabilly sound to it which I love and it immediately caught my attention. How did that gig come about for you?

Erika: I love that song as well. The part you hear on the commercial was written before I got to a local San Diego studio (by Rafter Roberts) where I basically auditioned along side a few other local San Diego musicians. I sang on the country style track and it was recorded and submitted to Subaru. Of the many entrants, Subaru chose the version with my voice and Rafter Roberts guitar playing.

I then asked permission from Rafter to complete the song on my own, using my own guitarist. This full/new version written by Rafter Roberts and Miss Erika Davies, is the version you’ll hear on my new CD “Galaxy Lakes”.

Jay: Judging by the reaction across several social media sites, the song was a huge hit and opened many people’s ears to the rest of your music. Did you expect it to be such a hit? Did you think there would be such a demand for a full length version or did you already have a full length version planned regardless?

Erika: Yes, a much bigger reaction than I had ever thought! You know, I fell in love with the song and I wanted to finish it. I had it in my head all day and the day after I had recorded it! It wasn’t really planned, I wanted to include it on the album I had begun working on and people started asking for it kinda at the same time. So I thought, “OK, lets record it and put it on Galaxy Lakes. It was just supposed to be I guess.

But it is causing quite a stir and you know, I think that is a very good thing.

Jay: Sure is a good thing. Going back to the full length version of the song from your upcoming “Galaxy Lakes” CD, the first thing people will probably notice is that it is a bit different from the commercial version. What made you decide to change it up?

Erika: Well, I had began to play it live and it became a part of my set at live shows and I was playing it with a different guitarist than the one who played on the commercial version. When you play songs live, if you let them grow and breathe, then they evolve. So I suppose this was the case with the album version. It just became a little bit more mine than before.

Jay: The song “Tumbleweed” is a song I’m looking forward to from the new CD. Very smooth and relaxing hook/chorus on it. Any other particular song you think we should be on the lookout for? Or do you have a favorite song that you just love performing?

Erika: Yes, I love “Tumbleweed” as well. I wrote this with my pal Chris Fulford-Brown. He brought me the composed music and I wrote some melody and lyrics.

I am very fond of and love performing “Deep Sea Dancer” and “Robot Girl” as well.

Jay: Any touring planned?

Erika: Touring comes soon! I’ve yet to plan it but it is in my future. My new website is in the works. It will be up and running soon at misserikadavies.com

Jay: What’s your ultimate goal in the music world?

Erika: I usually work hard and constantly tell the universe what I see myself doing and offers will come to me when I am ready. I just try and keep my eyes and heart and mind open, coupled with my intuition and young wisdom. Then I am sure to choose the right path at the right time for me.

Jay: Any other musical projects you have going on right now?

Erika: Not right now!

Jay: Where can people find all your latest news, shows, etc..?

Erika: myspace.com/erika and on Facebook under Miss Erika Davies and soon, misserikadavies.com

Jay: More importantly, where can they order your upcoming CD? And will it be available as a digital download on sites like Amazon, CDbaby, etc??

Erika: Right now it is available in my Etsy store.

The “I Love You, I Do” single is up on iTunes/Amazon etc. right now! “Galaxy Lakes” will be available on iTunes June 7th.

Jay: Thank you again for your time Erika. Any final words for your fans and our readers?

Erika: Well, thank you. I hope if you’re reading this that you are or become a fan and I am very thankful to have fans period.

There you have it. Now go out and support this great indie artist! Buy her music. You won’t be disappointed.

Photos by Roobie

Brando Von Badsville presented Rev It Up! at The Juke Joint in Anaheim, CA. An excellent show featuring the legendary rockabilly/psychobilly trio from the Rustbelt, the “Three Blue Teardrops” and also featuring Los Angeles, CA based psychobilly/rockabilly trio “Gamblers Mark“.

Also scheduled on the show but not pictured here: Los Duggans, Slash-O-Matic, and 3 Gun Standoff.

Be sure to check out the interview we did last year with Dave of the Three Blue Teardrops!

Enjoy the sights and sounds……

Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark
Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark
Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark
Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark	Gamblers Mark
Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops
Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops
Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops
Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops
Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops
Three Blue Teardrops	Three Blue Teardrops	Rev It Up!

Photos by Roobie

We were back for another shoot and good music at DiPiazza’s in Long Beach, CA. This night featured the rockabilly/psychobilly sounds of the “Faraway Boys“, a hot female grunge band “Spare Parts For Broken Parts“, and the blues tinged sounds of “The Rudy Boy Experiment“.

Enjoy the pics!

Faraway Boys	Faraway Boys	Faraway Boys
Faraway Boys	Faraway Boys	Faraway Boys
Faraway Boys	Spare Parts For Broken Hearts	Spare Parts For Broken Hearts
Spare Parts For Broken Hearts	Spare Parts For Broken Hearts	The Rudy Boy Experiment
The Rudy Boy Experiment	The Rudy Boy Experiment	The Rudy Boy Experiment

Photos by Roobie

Back at the Juke Joint in Anaheim, CA on a Saturday night for this Show Gallery featuring the high octane rockabilly sounds of The Hot Rod Trio and the country twang of The Palominos. We even managed to take a little video of The Hot Rod Trio. Enjoy!

On to the sights and sounds……..

Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio
Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio
Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio
Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio	Hot Rod Trio
The Hot Rod Trio	The Palominos	The Palominos
The Palominos	The Palominos	The Palominos
The Palominos	The Palominos	The Palominos
The Palominos	The Palominos	The Palominos

Photos by Roobie

With no work or school the next day, what better way to spend a Sunday night at a kick ass bar on the Redondo Beach Pier with a kick ass band performing? Los Angeles, CA based psycho-punk-rockabilly band “The Rocketz” tore it up at “Johnny’s Dive” and here’s the visuals……..

The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz
The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz
The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz
The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz
The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz
The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz
The Rocketz	The Rocketz	The Rocketz

One of the best rockabilly bands to ever come out of Hungary and currently playing in many parts of Europe is the Mystery Gang Rockabilly Trio. Their rockabilly roots and influences are clearly heard in their records while maintaining a very unique “jungle” sound. They were gracious enough to take some time out of their jam packed Spring tour schedule to answer some questions in a Q&A session for us and give a little insight as to what they are all about.

Enjoy!

Jay, The Opening Set.Com: First of all thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. I appreciate it. Introduce yourself and your band mates and what instruments you play?

Mystery Gang: We are also very thankful. We like your e-zine very much.

First of all we are not a cover band. We play just our own songs written by Tattooed Pete, and these songs are very popular in Europe.

The band members are:

Tattooed Pete – Lead Singer Guitars

Les Thunders – Double bass

Tony Swing – Drums

Jay: How did you guys form the band and how did you come up with the name “Mystery Gang”?

MG: As teenagers, we have been listening to rockabilly music, and wanted to be big famous rock’n’roll stars

At the beginning, we were fans and today we stick to the style. We got acquainted through the style as we were the visiting the same nightclub.

The song, Mystery Train -sure you know it - gave the idea to the name.

Jay: Who are some of your influences for your music?

MG: Ourselves but the dominant Black and White performers of the 40’s 50’s early 60’s. By now the Mystery Gang influence became more and more dominant. We’ve found our sound, our style. This style is genuine, and unaffected.

Jay: How is the rockabilly scene in Hungary? Is it pretty popular over there?

MG: The past 10 years we have done a lot to raise the popularity of this style higher and higher. We introduced it to teenagers, young people. So we and this style got a large circle of new and young fans. From the beginning we play for all the folks.

Jay: I see that you guys have some dates here in the USA in July, on the east coast, New York. Is this going to be your first time playing in the USA? Any chance that you guys will ever play on the west coast of the USA, like California? The rockabilly scene is very big over here.

MG: Our dream is fulfilled that we can play in such a great place, in great conditions, in New York. Although we would like to go to the west coast rockabilly scene.

Jay: On some of your new songs, you play the electric bass guitar instead of the traditional upright bass. What instrument do you prefer playing? Or does it just depend on what song you are playing?

MG: It depends which song we are playing. Some classic songs is unimaginable with doublebass, some with bass. For example, such a classic like “Come On Everybody” could not be played with doublebass, and the splendid Bill Black (Elvis Presley) had to use bassguitar from time to time.

Our style is on the late 50’s and early 60’s, and then both of them were used.

Jay: On your official website you have 2 full length albums available for FREE download, as well as some high quality videos. That is very unusual to see nowadays. What made you decide to give away your music for free?

MG: We got the idea from Paul McCartney If a band like ours doesn’t want to lock themselves in one country, one continent, then it has only this way to go on in 2010. The goal is important and not the way how we got there. We don’t want to be garage Elvis….we want the whole world.

Jay: All your songs on your albums are in English. Do you find the English language pretty easy when you sing your songs? Any plans for you guys to record any songs in your native language of Hungarian?

MG: Both singing, and writing the lyrics is easy for us in English because it comes from our style. Our music is for everybody and not only for Hungarians.

Jay: And speaking of recording songs, when will you guys record a new studio album?

MG: Of course, we are already working on it. We will be playing a few of the new songs in New York already. It’s gonna be a very hard, garage rockabilly album with a special Mystery Gang “urban jungle” sound.

Jay: I read a few months ago that your lead singer, Peter Egri, had a small part in a movie. Can you give us some more info on that movie and where can the people here in the USA watch it?

MG: I played a 50’s style gangster in a Hungarian production called “Made in Hungaria”. It was an excellent experience. I hope, there will be a second episode as well. They showed it in New York and reportedly the Japanese audience started to cry at the end

Jay: And last but not least, where can people find out more about your band, music, and tour dates?

MG: Myspace.com/mystery.gang

Jay: Any final words for your fans here in the USA, specifically in New York where you will be playing in July?

MG: See you there….

Again, a big thank you to the Mystery Gang! Check out their Myspace page and official website for more info and to get some FREE music!