GARTER BELTS AND GASOLINE FESTIVAL – 27 & 28 March 2009
Author: Lisa Lamb
This is a rockabilly rod and custom show celebrating the 1950s, with many things still held close to many people’s hearts, even after half a century. A time of innocence, cool hairstyles and sexy dresses. This is also the era of rock n roll, when modern culture discovered the joy of teenagers and open rebellion. No wonder people love it!
At this show you will find plenty of hot rods, drag cars, vintage bikes and low riders. Plus lots of pretty pin up girls, burlesque dancers, pin stripers, kustom kulture artists and of course last, but certainly not least some fine rockabilly bands including Corn Liquor playing their fine mix of hillbilly boys and rockabilly blues, its music that makes you want to get and dance, and stay dancing.
Opening with the Johnny Cash classic Folsom Prison Blues, these are one of the best live acts going, managed by that wild and crazy, hard drinking, good old boy Simmo. Corn liquor are a quartet of guitar pickin’, bass slappin’, skin smackin’ slack jawed yokels from the deep south of Brisneyland, Their music will have your feet doing a crazy mexican voodoo dance as the spirits take hold. Listen at your own peril. This is dangerous mojo.
The show also featured The Sugar Shakers with the exceptional vocals of Emma Louise from The Gamble Sisters, with keys, horn and bass, performing originals and covers of swing blues, jazz and rockabilly numbers with a sultry and sophisticated style all their own. Emma has been performing with her sister since childhood and has a voice to swoon over.
Plus those Bar Burlesque regulars The Ten Fours, guaranteed to put cracks in the walls of most regular venues, with their hard haulin’, gear jammin’, Detroit diesel powered ear candy. Not too mention the Burlesque Girls, The Tiki Teasers – La Viola Vixen & BB Le Bluff who ran the Voodoo Dolls Burlesque Workshops and their special guests new comer Boylesque star Adam & Miss Kitty Conquest as the Rock-a-Hula Rockabilly.
Hosted by Paul & Amanda Biagini from American Republic, this is the second year of festivities and its getting bigger and better all the time. The show is held at the Bearded Dragon Boutique Hotel in Tamborine Village, at the foot of Mt Tamborine, just look for the custom cars and listen for the funky rhythm!