Big John Bates!!

There are a mere few people I know whose musical tastes I trust without question.
1- my friend Ian. One of my oldest and closest friends who is also a brilliant musician in his own right.
2- my friend Jeremy. When he sends me an mp3 via MSN messenger, I download it and put it on my mp3 player without question.
These are my no-questions-asked authorities on all things music.
But when my friend Marcus told me there was a rockabilly show Monday night at Zaphods that was not to be missed, I took him up on it. He is now the newest member of my a-list.

I agreed to check out this rockabilly show with Jeremy after an 8-hour shift tonight. Zaphods is an intimate venue for shows, so I expected a small crowd (Monday night, after all) and some good tunes. Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dolls are comprised of John himself on guitar and vocals, Scaroline on double-bass, and an exemplary drummer whose name currently escapes me (my deepest apologies). They tour with the Voodoo Dolls, a burlesque floor show that took me from impressed to astounded in minutes. Their routines were replete with full-on narratives of badass chicks rocking out, retro-style. Curvacious women with real tits, flashing glimpses up their skirts and swinging flaming pasties from their nipples. This did nothing to detract from the awesome music, which was consistently high in energy and authentic rockabilly beats and basslines.

I really cannot say enough about the show tonight. Download their albums if you will, or buy them if you're so fiscally secure and inclined... but I have to insist that if they come to your town (and they very well might; hailing all the way from Vancouver, they played Belleville last week. Belleville.) SEE THEM LIVE. I would have gladly shelled out twice the hard-earned dough I spent for the orgy of the senses I was treated to tonight.