In 1980, somewhere near the twin towns of Champaign
and Urbana, Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets emerged as a musical entity.
Between then and now the peculiarly named band has taken its well-crafted,
delightfully goofy show from the Rose Bowl to Soldier Field and to
countless festivals, nightclubs, homecomings, jamborees, and shindigs in
between. Original music? Who needs it when you’re
dealing with many of the greatest songs ever written in the history of
Western civilization. Combining a 500-plus song list covering many classics
of early rock & roll with a zany stage show featuring what one critic
(the bass player’s Uncle Ernie) termed “antics,” Captain
Rat and the Blind Rivets assault the crowd with fervid versions of
“Louie, Louie” and “Wooly Bully” while armed with
props, gags, costumes, and the best trick of all, expert musicianship.
Sound like a promo clip from the band’s Web site? Nope, it’s
true: These guys are a regular blast, and their onstage shenanigans are
legendary. The jokes end, however, when it comes to the music; these fellas
can really play, sing, and, dare I say it, dance. It’s been a while
since they’ve blessed Springfield with an appearance, so do yourself
a favor and stop by Buster’s (1120 Sangamon Ave., 217-522-0552), 8:30
p.m.-12:30 a.m. Saturday, June 24.
Songwriter and Riverton native Lyman Ellerman,
who’s now based in Nashville, Tenn., also returns to the area on June
24, with a new band and a new CD in tow. Ragged Jack, Ellerman’s
latest group, includes central-Illinois native and longtime Ellerman cohort
Jerry Turley as bassist, plus two fine players from eastern Tennessee. Take
a listen at Turasky’s (Old Route 36, Dawson, 217-364-5451) as
Ellerman and company present Hillbilly
Mentality, the latest collection of
Ellerman-penned Southern-rock songs. The title track provides enough guitar
crunch and good-old-boy philosophy to please fans of Hank Williams Jr.,
Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Cross Canadian Ragweed. The rest of the record follows
suit. We’ll end with a reminder to support your local
arts organization by attending the Washington Street Jazz & Blues
Festival, held this year on Saturday, June 24, in downtown Springfield. The
proceeds of this great event, showcasing local and not-so-local jazz and
blues musicians, are doled out to our area music organizations and
supporters of the arts.
This article appears in Jun 22-28, 2006.
