This week was another adventure for the books. I consider myself a rockabilly girl at heart, so I was thrilled to spend Saturday night with one of the greatest rockabilly bands touring the states these days, Three Bad Jacks.
These guys are touring veterans, so they know how the game is played. Lead guitarist and front man Elvis Suissa joined bassist Ruben Ibarra and fill-in veteran drummer John Palmer for a set of hard, fast, rootsy rock n’ roll at Firehouse 13 in Providence, RI. This restored firehouse is used to hosting local punk shows, but for one night only played host to a band I’ve been waiting 4 years to see live.
I was surprised when I showed up at 8pm that my friend Bryan and I appeared to be the only guests. For about an hour the band went through their sound check, and we got a little private concert. Attendance picked up around 9:30, with the crowd still totaling only about 15 guests—far fewer, I imagine, than the band is used to playing for. I call myself lucky for getting to be a guest at this “intimate concert.”
The band doled out a few rockabilly faves: “That’s Alright Mama,” and their classic and heart-melting tune “It’s Forever,” which Elvis dedicated to his wife, about whom he wrote the song. But, throughout their set they explored several other genres which eloquently showcased their versatility within the realm of rock n’ roll. The song “Scars,” off their album “Crazy in the Head,” revved up their set with its rolling Johnny Cash rhythm. And let me just say, these guys aren’t afraid to be loud and fast. Lead singer Elvis got the (small) crowd pumped with the Ramones inspired “Thrill Me” and transitioned flawlessly into a badass cover of “The Ace of Spades.”
Three Bad Jacks is a band with spirit and heart, and one—if you can’t already tell—that I’m quite fond of. Seeing them live only made me love them more. Elvis has been touring with the band for over 15 years now, while bassist Ruben Ibarra was signed to his first recording contract right out of high school. Elvis introduces Ruben on stage as “the fastest bassist in the world,” and I don’t doubt it for a second! I found myself completely in awe of his upright bass prowess, and after the show Ruben told me that Matt Freeman, the notoriously high-speed bass player of the band Rancid, has admitted that Ruben is an even faster bassist than him. As a group Three Bad Jacks has mastered the art of entertainment, typically including a fire show in each of their performances (they decided not to do a fire show at Firehouse 13, in respect to the victims of Providence’s Station Night Club Fire). On top of all that, they are great to their fans. Venues typically want nothing more than to get their bands in and out in a timely fashion, but Elvis stuck around as long as possible, taking pictures and talking to fans. The whole group was also kind enough to treat my friend and me to pizza in downtown Providence after the show, where I had the pleasure of hearing some great stories about their individual histories as musicians, and conducting a little interview with Elvis Suissa (see below).
The show closed out for the night with the song Elvis calls “the best [he’s] ever written.” It’s a touching fingerstyle ballad called “Noah and Jacob’s Song,” dedicated to his two young sons. Elvis’s oldest son was diagnosed with autism, and he travels home frequently to spend time with him. The song is personal and touching, and a joy to see Elvis perform live, solo with his acoustic guitar.
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After the show I finally got to have a few words with Elvis, who despite the miniscule crowd and despite being so far from home, seemed to be having a great time. He loves playing all over the country, naming Boston, Providence, Texas, and the Midwest as some of his favorite hotspots. Plus, he loves playing L.A.—understandably as “it’s home.” The guys don’t consider themselves a west coast band, and in fact, their fan base seems pretty uniform all over the country. Though they’ve been touring for so many years, Elvis suggests that he may be growing fonder of being in the studio than of touring. “I love being in the studio,” he says. “It used to be 50/50, but now it’s maybe 60/40.” Three Bad Jacks’ new album “Pictures and Memories From Home” was released in June, and Elvis’s favorite track off the album is the one he wrote for his children, “Noah and Jacob’s Song.”
Check out the song, with a personal message from Elvis Suissa here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvKW4-tcg30
If you have been touched by Elvis’s song and his story, please consider donating to Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization dedicated to funding reasearch into causes and treatments for autism. http://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give
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