Describing a band merely by the genre of music they play is usually reserved for creatively indifferent, mercilessly generic groups that are content to ride the wave of their style’s appeal instead of actually writing original tunes that hint at a little ingenuity.
While Rancho Cucamonga’s Astounding Roy Gorbisons can be accurately described as a psychobilly band, and employ all the standard practices, gimmicks and sounds that belong to the genre, music fans would be remiss to write them off as lacking panache. Don’t be fooled—the Gorbisons rock their psychobilly sound with passion and soul, and they do it extremely well.
Sticking closer to a classic rockabilly sound than bands in the Demented Are Go! vein, the Gorbisons create hard, danceable music. Their thumping bass lines and jangly, buzzing guitar sounds add a spooky ambiance to their music, and singer Roy Gorbison—as comfortable performing in a suit as he is in a pair of skivvies—employs his own unique brand of hypnotic howling, straddling a fine line between the anxious, frantic vocal stylings of the Gun Club’s Jeffery Lee Pierce and the Cramps’ Lux Interior.
The Gorbisons bring the energy, too, wavering between surf-rock-inspired 12-bar blues and foot-stomping punk-style anthems.
Their aesthetic makes them an obvious choice for a Halloween show: spooky makeup and a fascination with horror. But this band doesn’t coast on its stage gimmicks or adherence to a diehard genre. They’re all about solid musicianship and superb songwriting. (Click up their MySpace at www.myspace.com/thebloodyhollys).
Halloween Mayhem with The Astounding Roy Gorbisons, the Spooky, the Pink Destroyer, the Devil Bats, Glen or Glenda and the Coffin Surfers at the Showcase Theatre, 683 S. Main St., Corona. (951) 276-7770; www.showcasetheatre.com. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $10. Costumes encouraged!