The name alone was enough to lure me in: Cha-Cha's Cadillac in the Diablo Room of Bandito's Burrito Lounge.  The last time I had been in Bandito's it was still at the corner of Laurel and Cary, across from the drug store.  The one with the old-timey soda fountain.  There's something about those type of places that makes you feel good about the world.  They awake a sort of nostalgia for a better time.  Sitting in the Diablo room, with several large flat screens at my back, my only hope for this sort of nostalgia was a little man with an oversized guitar, who claimed that his band played good old fashioned rockabilly.  I had a good feeling from the interview.  Anyone who claims Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, and Johnny Cash as some of their main influences at least has good taste in music.  But could they play?

Any doubts I had about this were raucously swept aside as the band broke into a very rockin' rendition of Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues.'  The key to a good rockabilly band is energy, and Cha-Cha's Cadillac has plenty of it, possibly even more than enough.  You could tell that Randy, the drummer, was barely holding back from completely letting loose.  And the bands founder, Sean, plays guitar with a frantic energy reminiscent of the early punk scene.  While they embrace none of the horror and sci-fi themes of the genre, there is a distinctly psychobilly feel to this band.

While most of the songs played were covers of old rockabilly classics, three were originals.  These three, 'Red Rocket,' 'Crazy Mixed Up Kid,' and 'Switchblade Rumble,' all showcased Cha-Cha's incredible understanding of the rockabilly genre.  Despite the modern surroundings of the Diablo Room, I could easily have imagined that we were somewhere in the deep south of the 1950's, at a Sun Records show, and Carl Perkins was waiting backstage for his turn to lay down a mean boogie.  This imagery was quickly shattered, though, when they started in on an impressive cover of The Clash's 1979 version of 'Brand New Cadillac.'  The bands frantic energy really had a chance to shine through on this song, as they let out all the stops and did The Clash proud.  On the other end of the energy spectrum, their version of 'Sleep Walk,' the old Santo and Johnny Farina standard, was somewhat lacking.  There was an almost palpable tension in the air for this song as the band tried their best to slow things down.  It was by no means a bad rendition, but this number showed definitively that Cha-Cha's Cadillac thrives on the hard hitting, fast paced songs that populate most of their setlist.     

Cha-Cha's Cadillac is a band that will appeal to a wide range of music fans.  This is dyed in the wool good time music, mixing elements of the original rockabilly sound, the rockabilly revival, and the early punk scene.  Although I only got the sense of nostalgia that I was looking for during a couple of songs, I was nevertheless completely satisfied with this concert-going experience.  When I talked with the band before the concert, Sean mentioned to me that he is 'not trying to reinvent the wheel ...just bringing something back that was lost a little bit,' and he and the rest of Cha-Cha's Cadillac, Randy, Pat, and Jennifer, have done of masterful job of just that.  They have taken a genre that many are familiar with only through old vinyl and given it back the energy for which it was originally known.  I plan on seeing more of this band and I recommend that you do the same.

By Editing Department, Regional Editor and Author: Robin Marschak

Robin Marschak was born and raised in Richmond, but has only recently moved back after two years in California.  He loves all types of music from Jimmy Rodgers to Daft Punk to Tower of Power and all things in between.  He is currently a student at VCU and living in Oregon Hill.  Some of his favorite artists include Old Crow Medicine Show, Mark Campbell, and Steve Earl.  Other than listening to music and writing, Robin's hobbies include eating, sleeping, and an occasional guilt induced fit of exercise.  You can follow his adventures in local music on Twitter @robinmarschak, or hear some of the non-local music that he enjoys at either last.fm/user/beerdo231 or blip.fm/beerdo.

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