Hot Rods deliver sounds of the '50s

The days are long, the nights are warm and, once again, it’s time for a jolt of retro romance as St. Albert celebrates Rock’n August all week long.

What better way to blast into the past than eyeing those great vintage models from the 1950s and 1960s while turning up the volume to great classics like Travelin’ Man, Wake Up Little Suzie and Runaway.

Pulling all this retro glam into one big package is the Sensational Hot Rods, the headline act at the much-anticipated Friday night street dance on St. Anne Street.

Whether wearing a red flame tux or a gold lamĂ© suit, the Thunder Bay-based six-piece has been dubbed one of Canada’s best ’50s tribute bands. And the reason is simple.

“We don’t try to put our own spin on things,” says frontman Steve “Eljer” Clark.

“We try to be authentic. We try to emulate the singer. When we do Chubby Checker, we sound like Chubby Checker. When we do Elvis, we try to make it sound like back then.”

And it’s this true-to-life essence that opens a floodgate of memories for many baby boomers and gives the younger crowd a sense of the original rock ’n’ roll.

In trying to copy the great icons of musical history, some tribute bands have floundered badly. However, the Sensational Hot Rods have leapfrogged into the limelight performing with the Chiffons, the Temptations, Doctor Hook, Prism, Trooper and Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers.

In fact, just last September, the Hot Rods provided support for Bobby Curtola as he sang at the Arden Theatre for a Knights of Columbus benefit concert.

The band first launched in 2000 when Clark went to an audition for a legend show. “While I was there the agency kept getting calls for retro bands. So I went back to my band and said, ‘We’re gonna become a ’50s tribute band.’ And it’s been very fruitful.”

Clark adds that there’s a certain magic to the ’50s sound that has never been duplicated. “That’s when rock and roll began. It sparked everything and people grew up with it. People of every generation just love to tap their feet to the rhythm.”

The Hot Rods — composed of Tommy Horricks (sax), Moman Marchand (drums), Waylon Melanson (fiddle), Buffer Elliott (bass) and Frank Valenti (keyboard) — don’t just ricochet from song to song; they are entertainers.

“Waylon plays the fiddle standing on his head and Buffer plays his bass resting his body on the bass. It looks weird. And when we sing I Fought the Law, we sometimes have top gun fights,” Clark said.

Fun is at the root of what they do and who they are.

“I’ll be bringing the warm weather, so put on your dancing shoes and get ready to dance,” Clark said.