2002 Kicksville A Big Hitsville!!            Saturday August 17th saw a new rockabilly venue born in New York City - KICKSVILLE - thanks to the efforts of Gregg & Joanne VanVranken, Kevin Patey, and the head honcho of Rubric Records.            Its always feast or famine in the Big Apple for rockabilly shows and its great to have another place to go to have a swinging time with the best rockin' bands around! I wasn't sure how this night would go over or what the attendance would be, but by showtime the place was mobbed and everyone was in the mood for a good time!!            Held at the Old Office Lounge, downstairs at the Knitting Factory in NYC, this first show featured a pair of the finest East Coast rockabilly outfits, The Raging Teens and Rhythm Bound!!! RHYTHM BOUND is the best rockabilly band in New York and the entire rockabilly nation will learn this for themselves as they are one of the acts slated to play at VIVA LAS VEGAS 2003. Prepare to be knocked out!!! http://www.vivalasvegas.net/            Lead singer Rich Hopkins, Bassman Tom ("Da Bomb") Hopkins, Lead Guitarist Brian Hack and drummer Jeff Dilenna wowed the crowd with their boffo, as always, set of great originals and choice covers including an Elvis to commemorate the anniversary of his passing.            THE RAGING TEENS need absolutely no introduction, we're always tickled pink when they come to town as they such a great band. Frontman Kevin Patey and guitar goddess, Miss Amy, were joined by their old bass player, Matt Murphy, and on drums, Dana Stewart, of the Racketeers. I was kind of disappointed Dana didn't sing but hey, its the Teens we were there to see!!! Opening with "Snowbound," Kevin and company rocked the house with one killer tune after another. "Life Begins At 4 O'Clock," "Let's Go Rock & Roll," "Rock & Rock Party," "Raging Sea," "That's How I Like It" and many more, playing for over an hour and returning for a 3-song encore. Towards the end, Kicksville's hostess with the mostest, the rockabilly bombshell, Rocket J, joined the band for a pair of numbers, "Hoy Hoy," and "Bang Bang." Looking resplendent in her gold-lame outfit, Joanne/Rocket J shook the walls and had us dancing in the halls.            My personal congrats to the promoters of this event especially Gregg and Joanne, this is a greaaaaaat addition to the New York scene!!! The next shows at this venue will be September 14 with THE FLEA BOPS and September 28 (tentative) with the Raging Teen and R&B wildman, Barrence Whitfield!!! -Larry Shell © 2002 Larry Shell Back to the "Take Note" Main Page HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: CHECK ON THIS FINE PRINTING COMPANY: Promotional Products, Discount Labels, Post-it Notes, Rubber Stamps, etc.