It's easy to see why, after witnessing Friday's impassioned performance at IOTA in Arlington, the Tarbox Ramblers get standing-room-only audiences at their home club in Boston. The four-year-old quartet, touring to support its self-titled debut disc on Rounder Records, started late (just before midnight) but revived the audience with the first song, which wasn't so much a performance as an explosion....... The band specializes in pre-World War II blues, hillbilly songs and fervid hymns, updated with rockabilly energy. Far from being a musical preservation act, The Ramblers put across a sound that is at once reminiscent of the past yet wholly original....... Their chemistry, akin to a force of nature, is undeniable. After hearing "Stewball," "The Cuckoo," "Jack of Diamonds" and "Honey in the Rock" played with such force, one wished their regular gigs were in the 703 area code. This is a band that demands to be seen again. |