Party Time
CALM is staging its annual fund-raising party Saturday night, and the only thing approaching serenity will be the group’s acronym.
CALM (Child Abuse Listening & Mediation) is a private nonprofit agency in Santa Barbara that works to eliminate child abuse through prevention, assessment and treatment programs.
The Rockabilly Roundup, to be hosted by the Cadillac Angels at Santa Barbara’s Victoria Hall, is the agency’s most successful fund-raising effort--and the most rockin’.
Headlining this year’s wingding will be the Blasters out of Downey, who have been major players on the L.A. scene since the early ‘80s. The Blasters are known for such fine musical examples of Americana as “Marie Marie,” “Border Radio” and, of course, “American Music.” Also on the bill will be the slide guitar stylings of Little Jonny & the Giants, who could perhaps have more fans locally if he were Little Jonny & the Dodgers, but that’s another story.
The event has changed venues over the years, and the acts have changed, but the one constant is the Cadillac Angels, who have performed at every single Rockabilly Roundup. The band, formerly the Roadhouse Rockers before renaming themselves after a car they can’t afford, include Tony Balbinot on guitar, Micky Rae on bass and Jerome Taylor on drums.
Originally a retro rockabilly group, the Angels combine influences from the Beatles, Buddy Holly, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry and Link Wray into a concoction all their own. Although the Angels still tour incessantly, they have found time to release four CDs, four cassettes and a bunch of singles during their 14-year existence.
Balbinot recently discussed the latest.
So how’s the Cadillac biz?
Things are really great. We stayed really busy all last year. I know from August through December we traveled over 20,000 miles. We also had three accidents in three years--none of them our fault, but we want to stop doing that. The last one was in June of last year--a lady rear-ended us and our van flipped three times, but we played that night. We’ve almost been together for about 16 years, which is probably about long enough for us to qualify as up-and-coming artists. This is a funny business, but we just try to stay positive.
How has the Santa Barbara scene changed over the years?
We don’t play Santa Barbara as much as we used to. I like Deano’s Pizza--they appreciate our style, plus it’s an all-ages place, and a lot of our fans are too young to get into the bars. Downtown, there’s always been a sort of clique that we never really fit into. But when we play the Wildcat Lounge, our following is growing.
The Angels aren’t really a rockabilly band, are they?
The stuff we play is not real mainstream and it may not ever be. But after playing with Link Wray, who’s 70 years old and packing clubs, we’ll just keep doing what we do. We do mostly all originals now, maybe five hours’ worth. We used to do almost all covers, but these days, we only do a few. It just doesn’t feel right any more.
What’s it like being a working musician?
It’s a career. It’s a job. When we’re not on the road, we work 10 or 12 hours a day doing the business end, making calls, booking shows--all that stuff. We’d like to get a decent record deal, but we’re not waiting around for that to happen. There’s a lot of misconceptions about this, because being signed doesn’t mean you’ll have success. In fact, most bands that get signed have no success and actually end up in debt.
How do you survive on the road?
It’s best to stay in better motels. It’s worth the extra 15 or 20 bucks for your own self-esteem to stay in a better motel. Believe me, we’ve stayed in plenty of bad ones. You also need to eat right and exercise.
What’s the deal on the event this year?
It’s been 10 years now and this is the last year with that name. Next year, I’m going to change the name to the American Music Bash. The event has really grown, and we don’t have just rockabilly bands. That word makes it sound too exclusive. This year we have Little Jonny & the Giants, a band that has a lot of original material and a different twist on the blues than a lot of other bands. And Phil and Dave Alvin of the Blasters helped pave the way for a lot of other bands by making it cool to do music like this. Of all the cool kinds of music there are, the Blasters just sum it all up.
What inspired you to do this benefit?
Child abuse is such a huge problem, and CALM does so much with so little. I just read something really scary the other day--that child abuse is growing more quickly than the child population itself. Finally, I’d like to thank the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Assn., who have donated money the last five years, but none of them ever come to the show. But this year, I hear a bunch of them are coming to see the Blasters.
BE THERE
Tenth Annual Rockabilly Roundup with the Blasters, Little Jonny & the Giants and the Cadillac Angels, Saturday at Victoria Hall, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara, 8 p.m.; $12 advance or $15 at the door. 687-8496 or 965-2376.