Punch Drunk Cabaret are making their first foray into Southern Alberta to close off Friday night at the South Country Fair, July 20.
Their bio on their website notes frontman/ guitarist Randy Bailer “stumbled upon the curious notion that the same people that love Johnny Cash also tend to like AC/DC.”
He noted that does not necessarily describe the band but upon further reflection, e-mailed “It describes Punch Drunk Cabaret’s audience.”
The trio combines elements of outlaw country, rockabilly and steam-punk swing.
“ We play outlaw country, rockabilly and steam-punk swing, but we don’t have a horn section. That definitely covers a lot of territory,” Bailer said.
The band’s influences are as diverse as their location.
“We say we’re from a fictitious town called Dustbowl, Alberta,” he said.
While he lives Wetaskwin, 12-string bass player Terry Sawbones Grant lives in Spruce Grove and drummer Reverend Robin Eklund lives in Camrose, so practicing together can be challenging.
“It takes some strategic planning. So each of us does a lot of woodshedding, so when we rehearse, it’s always a beautiful thing. It’s always a lot of fun when we do get together. It’s such a wicked experience,” he continued.
“If we’re playing regularly, there is a lot more rehearsing,” he said.
The band members are very experienced musicians. Drummer Robin Eklund is in a popular Edmonton based indie-rock band Rake, which has opened for the likes of Nickelback and the Tragically Hip.
They are looking forward to their South Country Fair debut.
“ In the summer there is nothing better than getting in your van or truck and playing abroad,” he said.
“ The pressure is higher to make an impact when you drive six hours to play a show,” he observed.
“ But there is such variety in our sound that has served us unbelievably well,” he said.
“It is very high energy and there is a lot of communication between us and the audience. We’re only 50 per cent of it, if the audience isn’t there, it just isn’t working. So we’re a very dance orientated band, though we aren’t a techno band,” he chuckled.
“ People want to move to our music. If there isn’t a dance floor, people tell us they are frustrated by it,” he said.
They have just released their self titled debut CD and a video for “Two Bottles of Beer,” which he feels captured their sound.
“I think we captured it. We kept it pretty real, we recorded it live off the floor, the three of us playing together,” he said. Northern Pikes member and engineer Ross Nykiforuk, who has also worked with the Sheepdogs, recorded this CD with Punch Drunk Cabaret.
“ He’s a great guy and really good at what he does,” he said.
“ Response to it has been very favourable. It comes really close to recreating the live experience, though no matter how much technology has improved, nothing has been developed to really capture a live show,” he said.
“Right now we just want to get the word out about the band and that we have a record out,” he said.
