2009 Hootenanny – at Oak Canyon Ranch – Irvine, CA – July 4, 2009

From the time we arrived at The Oak Canyon Ranch, I knew I was going to love the venue! Off in the hills, a little hide out, complete with shade trees and a pond. I knew this day would be a lot hotter than the Warped Tour from the weekend before and the weather wasn’t the only difference. The whole feel was different! You got the feeling of a large craft fair coupled with hotrods, music, beer, and colorful people. Everywhere I looked was pompadours and pinup curls! I thought about getting all dolled up but knew I would be hating life by the end of the day. So I stuck to my Punk roots and rocked some holy jeans a wife beater, some chucks, and topped it off with a black bandana to keep my hair outta my face. While I was glad to be comfortable, I was glad to see that other girls were dressed up in the classic pin up style. They were easy on the eyes and made the scenery that much more beautiful!

3 Bad Jacks took the stage, and it’s no wonder these guys have a great following. Their set is always full of energy. They covered Ace of Spades, I love that song, and not just anyone could do it justice, but I gotta say these guys perform it well! Lemmy would be proud.

Lee Rocker was up next, this guys has been playing music for so long, I have a lot of respect for him and love catching a show where he’s playing. After snapping a few pics, I made my way to the beer line. It was getting hot, and I knew I needed a cold beer and the salvation of the shade trees.

After a short break, we checked out some of the booths, there was everything from kissing booths with pin up honey’s, to sugar skull art, to barbers ready to cut your hair or give you a shave.

I decided to see what act was on the 2nd stage and was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face from last weekend, Steve Soto from the Adolescents was singing a sweet melody and playing his guitar with a band called Rockers in the Round. It reminded me of the Punk presence that underlies in the rock-a-billy scene.

Nekromantix were hitting the main stage, with their token hot girl drummer, coffin base, and tall pompadours they are fun to watch even if your not listening to the music, which by the way is great too!  They put on a vibrant psycho-billy set, but now it was time to change up the pace…..Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was on and so was the dancing! Tristan from 3 Bad Jacks and Lana Lei ,Mrs.Hootenanny 2009, were on stage swing dancing. And where the pit would have been last weekend, people were swinging their partners all over the circle. It was so fun to watch, especially for someone with two left feet! Big Bad Voodoo Daddy sounded great live and it amazed me how all those horns could be playing differently and all in sync at the same time.

The sun was blazing by this time, but no one seemed to really care. Aggression wasn’t high and everywhere I looked people were enjoying themselves on this 4th of July. Looking around I got a strong sense of patriotism, The Pinup Angels were there in support of our troops. And lets face it, what is more American then Hot Rods, Beer, and Rock N Roll! This was the perfect event for this holiday.

I took to main stage to see an act that I have been wanting to check out live. The Horrorpops! Front lady, Patricia Day, is a bombshell! Her vocals and bass line coupled with Kim Nekroman’s leads and Niedermeier’s talent on the drums make for unique and delightfully dark style. I loved it!!

The day was coming to an end and it was time to hear the preaching of the almighty Reverend Horton Heat. A country look with a Punk rock attitude. ..Jim Heath has set the bar for punkabilly and psychobilly bands everywhere. Their stellar live performances have earned The Reverend Horton Heat a large cult like following that brings people from all cultures and walks of life together.

I have listened to the c.d.’s tons of times, but never had a chance to catch a show. I didn’t know what to expect, but they lived up to their reputation! I left Orange County with a sense of satisfaction knowing that I experienced the best rockabilly show the scene has to offer!

 

-J. Moncrief-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
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