Settle in for a night of reliable rock 'n' roll with two Roustabout! regulars and two fab femmes at the turntables.
Roustabout!, State College's solution to an anemic original scene, hosts local and national acts every Wednesday night at The Darkhorse Tavern, 128 E. College Ave. Tonight's performers include Washington, D.C.-based The ShakeDowns, local favorites The Bullet Parade and DJs Jenn Partyka and Keri Burchfield.
While Roustabout! has been kicking it for several years, the concert series' recent weekly schedule continues to generate steam for the formerly sporadic event.
Though the Brit-pop format is consistent, the vibe is anything but banal, said J. Navarro, vocalist and guitarist for The ShakeDowns.
"I would classify Roustabout! as a gigantic, exciting party," Navarro said. "People don't move into D.C. They go to shows to look good, so it's basically a big fashion show, but Roustabout! has always been more about getting down and having a party, and that's where we're coming from. Our shows generally consist of the four of us being too big for whatever stage we're on, playing really loudly and jumping around."
Jeff Van Fossan, Roustabout! organizer and lead singer of The Bullet Parade, said The ShakeDowns are the most requested repeat act, arising from an energetic stage presence that balances intense ferocity with blithe exuberance.
From 3 to 4 p.m. today, The ShakeDowns will chat up DJs at WKPS-FM (90.7), an event jointly presented by Indie 500 and State Your Face radio programs. The band will not perform live but will play tracks from its latest album, said Dave Walk (senior-telecommunications), Indie 500 staff head.
While The ShakeDowns provide the punk-fueled power, The Bullet Parade lays down the nuanced "lo-fi psychedelic space rock," in guitarist and trombonist Charles Ramsey's words.
"Inevitably, the music we play is influenced by the music we listen to," said Ramsey, who catalogues The Bullet Parade's influences as everything from Brit-poppers the Kinks to glam rockers T. Rex. "We play mostly originals and the covers we do play are songs we like. We don't care so much if they're popular of if they're what a bar crowd wants to hear."
Before, between and after bands hit the Roustabout! stage, local DJs spin eclectic collections of tunes. Jenn Partyka (senior-English), who made her DJ debut at a recent Roustabout!, said she likes to mix up '60s British rock, '70s American punk and new wave synth pop to see what transpires.
Partyka, herself a guitarist and keyboardist who records her own original music, said DJ-ing is a definite art form that requires vast knowledge of musical genres as well as the ability to create an unobtrusive but electrifying flow.
"Jeff always liked my musical tastes and one night before a show he asked me to DJ a Roustabout!," Partyka said. "He said the only things I had to bring were CDs and records and he had the rest of the stuff there for me. He thanked me for coming, but I just kept on thanking him for letting me do it because it was really fun."
