The Paladins and Big Sandy & His Flyrite Boys
A case can be made that the Paladins is greatest band ever to come out of San Diego. If by greatest, you mean most dedicated to a musical cause (in their case, raucous rockabilly), longest-lived (despite taking the occasional unscheduled hiatus), and most likely to blow the roof off of any place lucky enough to host them, which on December 28 will be the Casbah. It should be noted that Casbah owner Tim Mays recognized future greatness in the Paladins way back in 1982, when he became their first manager. After racking up nearly a dozen releases, the group is still fronted by founding duo Dave Gonzales (guitar) and Thomas Yearsley (bass).
Earlier this year, the Paladins picked up a Lifetime Achievement trophy at the San Diego Music Awards, and they’ll be joined at the Casbah by Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductees Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, who’ve toured with the Paladins several times in the past. This bill includes the Tighten Ups, a local bluesy funk-n-soul band who at first glance might seem an odd addition to such a western rockabilly show. However, their recent CD, Tighten It Up, features a live performance engineered by Paladins bassist-singer Thomas Yearsley at his local Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio.