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WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2003
BARTLEY KIVES

THESE WINNIPEGGERS PLAY ROCKABILLY, AND THEY KEEP IT PURE

In the middle of an Osborne Village caffeine parlour, two guys with pom- padours and leather jackets are sitting down to a cup of coffee. "Are those the Farrell Brothers?" asks the java-slinger at the counter, referring to the Selkirk-born rockabilly musicians. Close, but no cigar. Jason AlIen and Rob Zaporzan play in The Rowdymen, the other purist rockabilly band that calls Winnipeg home.
"There are 200 or 300 rockabilly bands across North America. Most of them are doing psychobilly," explains singer-guitarist AlIen, 34, dismissing the punkish rockabilly hybrid favoured by The Reverend Horton Heat and The Cramps.
"The reason is, you don't have to be as good a player. Of all the rockabilly bands, there are about 30 who keep it pure."
Formed six years ago by a quartet of veteran rock and blues musicians, The Rowdymen base their sound on the early, country-influenced rock that came out of legendary Sun Studios in the 1950s. But they aren't exactly orthodox: Bassist Zaporzan plays an electric bass, not a stand-up, while broader roots music influences can be heard throughout their original material.
Rubberneckin', their brand-new CD, does a great job of paying tribute to the classic rockabilly sound without getting too bogged down in cheesy '50s lyrics about drive-ins and drag races.
The band also has a genuine interest in sounding like a band from Winnipeg, not Memphis. Two of the four covers on the new disc originally were penned by Manitoba acts: I'll Apologize belongs to Gene Pyrz of Combo Combo fame, while She's A Square was written by country legend Ray St. Germain.
"He agreed to be on the track," beams AlIen. "He came down to the studio and sang his ass off."
Slated to go on sale tonight at a CD release party at the West End Cultural Centre, Rubberneckin' is actually The Rowdymen's second kick at the recording cat. An earlier disc, 2001's Rowdy Duty, was devoid of original material.
Since then, the band replaced original guitarist Rob Pachol with Dwayne Dueck, best known as a member of Winnipeg blues band The Shuffleheads. Drummer Dean Desrocher also left the band and was replaced by Ken McMahon of Rockin' Highliners fame.
AlIen and Zaporzan, meanwhile, have been playing together since 1994, when they were among the rotating cast of hired guns in Winnipeg rock band Chocolate Bunnies From Hell. One night on the way to a gig, AlIen slapped a Joe Ely tape in the car stereo. Zaporzan started singing along. "He knew all the words! I couldn't believe it - I didn't know anyone who knew Joe Ely," AlIen recalls.
Three years later, they formed The Rowdymen. By 2002, they had enough steady work to quit their day jobs.
"We're not making a lot of money. But when we go out west, we do very well," AlIen says. "To be honest, we knew this kind of music was very marketable. Rockabilly doesn't offend anybody.
"We even played Georgie's (in St. James) one night. We thought we'd get bottles thrown at us, but by the end of the third set, they were having a great time."
Tonight's crowd should be even friendlier. Tickets to the show, which also features The Farrell Bros., are $7 in advance or $10 at the door.

BARTLEY KIVES
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS