UPTOWN MAGAZINE, Thursday, MARCH 13, 2003 BARB STEWART THE PAST'S A GAS No one could accuse the Rowdymen's rhythm guitarist/vocalist Jason Allen of turning his back on the past or the city where he lives. He and the rest of the local quartet- Robert Zaporzan (bass/vocals), Dwayne Dueck (lead guitar/vocals) and Ken McMahon (drums), are long steeped in the rockabilly tradition, so much so that their first album, the live Rowdy Duty, was a virtual love letter to the style, composed completely of covers of classic rockabilly tracks. With the band's brand new second effort, Rubberneckin', the Rowdymen have taken a step forward, but not out of line with, the tradition they love. This time, they offer nine band originals to stand strong alongside the four cover songs with which they pay homage to the days of rockabilly gone by. Yes, there's a Roy Orbison tune, but two of the covers were written by Winnipeggers. These choices were deliberate: Allen and the band actively sought out local material , "I'll Apologize," a composition by Gene Pyrz and the now-defunct band Combo Combo, and "She's a Square" by Ray St. Germain. "I've always supported Winnipeg players, especially guys not a lot of people have heard of, who over the years have just kind of disappeared for one reason or another," explains Allen. "Like that song of Gene's; I didn't want that song to die. I remembered it from going to see Combo Combo in the '80s." As for the St. Germain cover, Allen discovered it on the Canadian rockabilly compilation Shakin' Up the North, and the band decided , it would be a great cover, which led to St. Germain actually joining them in the recording studio. "We finished recording it and I really liked the way it turned out," recalls Allen. "It had a really good feel to it, so I said... 'You know, I'm just going to call [St. Germain] up and see if he'll come down.' So I just phoned him up and he seemed kind of flattered and he came down the next day and he was great - his voice sounds great! It was 44 years since he recorded the song and he remembered the words..." The desire to seek out local rockabilly classics to inject with new life speaks volumes about the Rowdymen, whose keen respect for the past so effortlessly meshes with their present talent. Allen may not be able to pinpoint why his love for rockabilly has endured, but the Rowdy men's respect for and inspiration from the form will never go out of style. ' "I still can't figure it out," says Allen of his fascination. "I think it's because it's so pure; it's the purest form of rock 'n' roll there is. I was just in Sun Studios ,we played in Memphis a few weeks ago ,and just standing' in that room was just amazing. It was the greatest feel ing , I can't even explain it. We paid 10 bucks to get in and I would've paid a hundred." The Rowdymen release Rubberneckin' on Friday, March 14, at the West End Cultural Centre at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance at Into the Music and the WECC, $10 at the door. BARB STEWART UPTOWN MAGAZINE

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