I know I’ve said no more shows till Vegas…

But let me tell ya, I’ve been goin’ through rockabilly withdrawls! It’s always good to see those familiar faces and kick back a drink or 5.

But with news like this, I think it’s time for a relapse!

Tanoa posted this up from Raul Castro of the Hi-Rhythm Hustlers, up on his Facebook. And let me tell ya, I wasn’t the only one shocked with this news. So come out to one of the last Bay Area shows and support this rockin’ band. You won’t be at all disappointed with the energy they put into their show. They’ll definitely get your toes tappin’ and you’ll have yourself a ball. I guarantee it!

The Hi-Rhythm Hustlers say Thank You and Goodnight!

Dear friends,

It is with a joyful heart that I announce the final chorus for The Hi-Rhythm Hustlers. It’s been an amazing journey these past 3 years and I just wanted to share some thoughts with you.

First and foremost, I wanted to thank the core band; Mike Walz (Bass), Jay Laude (Drums) & Mitch Polzak (Guitar) for the opportunity to explore this calling. May we always be friends and brothers!

Second, a show of gratitude for our good pal Tanoa Stewart. He’s been with us from the beginning and booked some great shows for the band. Thank you!

I also wish to appreciate each and every one of you that came to support our live shows and bought our CD: Across The Dial. We hope that you enjoy dancing to it for years to come.

Along the way we’ve had some very talented friends join the line up or just jump is to sub at a how. I’d like to acknowledge Steve Merritt (Guitar), Pierre Laik (Guitar), Noam Eisen (Piano), Adam Borden (Trumpet), Randy Johnson (Bari Sax), Vance Ehlers (Bass), and Jeff Moon (Bass.) Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and musical contributions. We couldn’t have done it without you!

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be in a band, singing and playing sax onstage. Well I got up the courage after 38 years and gave it a try. It’s been a terrific learning experience and I’m glad that you all were around to watch me realize a dream.

It’s clear now, just how much time and energy is required to lead a band. In doing that I’ve become aware of my need to re-direct my focus back to my Bodywork business and exploring my next adventure, whatever that may be. I’ve spoken individually with each band member and we are all in accord with this decision. Who knows, perhaps we may play again in the future. We’re not ruling it all out.

In the meantime we have a few remaining shows in the Bay Area and would love for you to come help see us off.

Friday, April 8th at The Uptown in Oakland. After a killer performance at New Years Eve, we were invited to headline a night with two amazing support acts; Texas Steve & the Tornadoes y Los Shimmy Shakers.

Thursday, April 28th it’s The Boom Boom Bop w/ Hot Swing Revival Band; Lost Dog Found at The Boom Boom Room.

Saturday, May 7th it’s the 30th Annual May Madness Festival, San Rafael. Awesome!

Our FINAL show will be aboard The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California for the 8th Annual Ink & Iron Festival – June 10 thru 12. I can’t think of a better way to part than by sharing the stage with some of my musical heroes: The Paladins, The Sonics, The Buzzcocks, The Skatalites, The Polecats, Fishbone, etc. On top of that are the A-Town bands representing The Bay Area: Kit & The Branded Men, The B-Stars, Quarter Mile Combo, Big B & His Snake oil Saviors and JP & The Rhythm Chasers. This is one show you won’t want to miss!

Anyhow friends, I have rambled on long enough. Ultimately I would like for everyone to know that we’ve had a great time with this band and we hope to see you a few more times before we go.

Thank you, goodnight!
Raul Castro
The Hi-Rhythm Hustlers

A Couple More Upcoming Events

And these are some that you don’t wanna miss out on…

Two real solid, rockin’ bands. A huge dance floor for everyone to swing. Trust me, this is gonna be blast.

If you haven’t listened to Marti Brom yet, you are missing out. She’s got one hell of a voice, so you can bet that she puts on a great show.

She also will be performing at HopMonk. If you cats haven’t been to HopMonk yet, you’re missing out. They got some crazy beers there! And I’ll tell ya, they’ll get you drunk! I most likely won’t be able to make it out to this one, but for those who do, get a Pliney The Elder for the Rebel Rouser! Trust me on this one guys. That’s one badass beer. Especially from HopMonk.
And ladies, if you got a sweet tooth, you can bet they can satisfy all your needs. They have this cake called Chocolate Decadence and you can bet that there’s chocolate. And I don’t mean just chocolate, I mean a fuckin mountain of chocolate. Ridiculous. You’ll need to take a picture of it, so your friends will believe you that it really is that-big.

Oh yeah, get the garlic fries, they’re pretty bad ass as well!

Upcoming Event

You guys are gonna have to excuse me. I hardly ever check my emails via computer, so when I get news like this, I tend to forget about them for a while. MY FAULT!

Both of these bands put on a great show both on and off the stage. This is the place to be if you want to learn some new moves, touch up on your technique, or dance with amazing people. It’s usually packed as it is, but it’s always good to see new faces.

I’ll expecting some songs from a few certain people, as it is the day after. If you catch my drift. Maybe some Boney Maroney or some Oh Boy. Ya know… Some of that.

So come on out and have yourself a ball.

¡LA BAMBA!

Recap: The Harvest Moon Hop 11/21/2010

Last night was The Harvest Moon Hop. Slim Jenkins, The B Stars, and The Hi Rhythm Hustlers were playing some good music for everyone to swing to. And as I’ve said before, The Hi Rhythm Hustlers put on a great show, and last night they did not disappoint.

We missed The B Stars perform, and most of Slim Jenkins, but the stuff that we caught was enjoyable. Their Western get ups made my friend want one of the shirts. Which for me, will always remind me of:

We we’re quickly greeted by Christina, from the night before. She is definitely a doll, and it was really nice of her to come up and chat with my lady for a bit, and invite us to sit with their table.
Not long after, my lady recognized someone who works at a nearby Sephora. And of course, they kicked it off, as well and we sat with Lisa and Victoria. No offense to Christina, but they had an empty table!

The night was great, a whole bunch of people swingin’ and jivin’. But as Christina pointed out, was that the crowd was rather ‘old.’ Which it was. The crowd seemed to be more so the people who take swing dancing classes, and come out to practice their moves and experiment, rather than the usual rockabilly crowd. Which wasn’t a bad thing. Except an old lady fell over pretty damn hard. I heard the thud from across the room!

The only drawback at Verdi Club, is that the beer is all the same price. I’m a beer guy, and I’d rather drink a beer over a mixed drink. The beer is not exactly the cheapest. For $5 for beer like Anchor Steam and Fat Tire, it’s not too bad. But then when you charge the same price for Corona, it kind of puts a damper on that. I mean, I’ll enjoy a Corona, but seeing it priced the same as Anchor Steam, makes it seem as if I’m paying too much for it. Especially since they’re priced the same as a Jack and Coke or a Whiskey Sour. Maybe I’m too used to drinking PBR. Oh well. It’s still a good venue.

My highlight of the night was getting a compliment from Lisa, saying I had perfect hair. As we were leaving, Tanoa recognized us from the night before and came introduce himself. He too, complimented my hair from seeing it the night before. And I’m sure he has seen plenty of pomps, so of course it was a big compliment. Unfortunately, I had to be up early the next day, so we couldn’t stop and have a drink with him. But there will be a next time.

It was another great night, brought to you by A-Town Agency.

Hope to be catchin’ ya’ll at some of these events, sometime.

Hi-Rhythm Hustlers

Since they were great at the Zombie Prom. I plan on catching them again, this Saturday back at The Verdi Club.

They’ll be playing along with Slim Jenkins and The B Stars, for the Harvest Moon Bop.

Recap: Zombie Prom 10/29/2010

I’ve never been one to dress up for Halloween. Last year was the first time I dressed up in about… 10 or so years. And this year, was no dfferent! Sorry, I’m not into dressing up in a zombie Harold and Kumar or anything of the like. My lady and my friend didn’t dress up either, so it was ok. But as soon as we walked up to the venue, we knew something was out of place…

And that was us. There was absolutely, no other person who wasn’t dressed up. We were the only 3 in our regular clothes, without any zombie make up, prosthetic scars or anything. There was this guy, who clearly owned and regularly wore the tie-dye shirt he was wearing. But he had zombie make up on, so technically, he was also dressed up!
The night started off slow, but quickly picked up, and the dance floor was packed with zombies swingin’ and jive’n about. Surprisingly, no one was doubled up in costumes. Except for this chick dressed up as Snow White and this dude dressed up as Snow White as well. But which one had the “sexy” Snow White costume? Luckily, it was the girl.

I didn’t take too many pics, as I was more concerned watching people swing, than creepin around with my camera in hand. Pretty much, my pics were from my seat.

A few people on the dancefloor, as the Hi-Rhythm Hustlers were doing a soundcheck. Check out the zombie Silk Spectre to the right.

The zombies were out to dance!

Here’s “Johnny!” He was definitely, “The Wild One,” out… What? I mean, he was seriously, standing alone for the majority of the night. SOCIALIZE! Plus, his “costume” wasn’t correct. It wasn’t a perfecto jacket! His cuffed 501s were only about an inch, and sat on the top of the instep, rather than midway up the boot. So yeah, the effort was there, but if anyone who has seen The Wild One, knows that the clothes are worng! But good effort!

The Hi-Rhythm Hustlers put nice twists into their songs. Which was pretty awesome. The put on a great performance, and it was awesome to hear their Halloween themed songs.

Needless to say… This was one of the more wild outfits out there! But he was a dancing machine, and danced with anyone and everyone!

He sure had a way with the ladies.

Shitty picture, but this is the one and only Stompy Jones! It was great to finally catch them live. They definitely put on a great performance. My lady definitely wants to check out their other gigs around the city. So hopefully I’ll have a better picture of them, in the future!

Overall, it was a great 2nd annual Zombie Prom. It was a ball to see everyone dressed up and dancing the night away. I’m sure the 3rd annual Zombie Prom will be even better. I was kind of surprised that there weren’t many pompadours out there! I think there were 4 total.
We will be for sure in attendance next year, and maybe I’ll actually dress up for once. We’ll have to wait and see.