Three Bad Jacks set Santa Ana on fire with a flame-filled psychobilly/rockabilly night

Three Bad Jacks get the crowd going in Santa Ana at the Galaxy (photo by Kim Kattari)

Elvis was hanging out with his fans when I got there. Not THE Elvis, the man from Memphis, of course, nor Bubba from the True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series (if you’re a fan, you know which character I mean), but Elvis Suissa, guitarist and singer of rockabilly/psychobilly band Three Bad Jacks. He’s seriously committed to meeting his fans before and after the show.

This new Elvis does remind me a little bit of The King. In the 1950s, kids swooned and fainted over Elvis; today teenage girls stare up into Elvis Suissa’s puppy dog eyes as he sings his most requested love song, “It’s Forever.”

The similarities don’t stop there. I received a range of responses when I asked people why they liked Three Bad Jacks so much and these quotes remind me of what fans used to say about the previous Elvis. Briyana and her friend Jessica liked “how the cute love songs sound like old school rockabilly;” Marina, Isabel and Jasmine told me that Elvis is a “total crowd-pleaser” and “his voice can do so many different things;” and Caesar Rodriguez (who has been a fan of Three Bad Jacks for 15 years, since he was 8 years old) and friends Eustacia and Brandy think the “band is awesome” partly because “the lyrics are so good, with so many different meanings.” Then there were all the girls who told me they love Three Bad Jacks because, well, “Elvis is hot.” So, I guess the two Elvises really do have quite a lot in common.

Demonstrating the draw of Three Bad Jacks, the classy Galaxy Theatre was packed with over 600 fans of all ages on November 6, 2009, their last Orange County show of the year. And at $15 a pop, tickets weren’t exactly cheap.

Elvis with fans Jessica (15) and Briyana (18)

The show started out with The Daisy Pushers from Costa Mesa. The singer Shadoe shook and gyrated in contorted seizure fits as bassist Bootlegs laid down dirty-sounding riffs that seemed more appropriate for a sultry burlesque show than a 9 pm spot at a rockabilly gig. The music was mostly dark and moody, and vaguely reminded me of a circus freak show – in a good way. They were definitely not what I expected from the opening band for Three Bad Jacks, but I think the crowd was pleasantly surprised given the applause after their more psychobilly-sounding song “Lady Luck” and the sudden development of a wrecking pit during their last song.

On the other hand, The Copy Cats from Orange County/Los Angeles are exactly the type of band Three Bad Jacks fans might expect to see. Right off the bat, lead singer Crybaby Josh was up front about their set list: “Tonight you’re going to hear a lot of songs by dead guys.” Sure enough, the band ran through straight-up cover versions of songs by Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Gene Vincent, and of course, Elvis Presley. There were some songs by not-dead artists too - Jerry Lee Lewis (Josh introduced “Great Balls of Fire” as the first song written about V.D.), Fats Domino, and Stray Cats. The highlight was certainly the intense, lively, fist-throwing, devotional wrecking pit that whirled around during the band’s rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” An honest tribute to the true King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Unlike Beethoven, I don’t think Berry would roll over in his grave. I think he’d love it.

Fans Caesar Rodriguez and Eustacia Daly had a great time.

As soon as Three Bad Jacks took the stage, it became clear that Elvis was thrilled to be back in southern California. He reminisced out loud about the trajectory of their career, having started out playing so many “drug-infested dives.” Now here they are, playing in front of hundreds of fans, although not as the original line-up. Elvis was proud to introduce the extremely talented new drummer, Kyle, and bassist Dave, who was part of Elvis’ first psychobilly band from the 80’s - Terror Train. They dedicated “Remember the Nights” to late drummer Andy Demize Martinez, getting the crowd to sing along with the back-up vocals: “Tonight, tonight, oo-ee-oo-e-o.”

After a few slower songs, Three Bad Jacks were ripping through the set quickly as if they’d been playing together for years. Elvis asked the crowd if they were “ready to get f*ckin’ crazy” for one of the band’s most popular songs, “Crazy in the Head.” Clearly they were and security swarmed the pit area, much to the dismay and chagrin of the enthusiastic fans. Keeping up the intensity, Three Bad Jacks ran through “Scars” (Elvis’ tribute to his King of Rock and Roll - Johnny Cash) and “Brand New Cadillac,” playing faster and faster as the fans demanded a quicker tempo.

Taking requests from the audience, Elvis took down the intensity a notch, playing a unique, tender, solo version of “I Believe,” making tons of women go weak in the knees:

“I believe in the words you say,
I believe in the things you do,
I believe if the love is strong,
I believe your love’s so true.”

Of course, the night can’t be over without some fire, though, right? Launching full-force into “Hellbound Train” (the song that earned Three Bad Jacks many new fans when it was featured on Season 2, Episode 5 of True Blood), Elvis squirted lighter fluid onto the upright and ride, while Dave and Kyle kept playing full-speed.

The girls were in for one more treat that night when they were all invited onto the stage for the encores - appropriately and fittingly, covers of “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Full of energy and attitude, Three Bad Jacks put on a great show. They’ll play anything the audience requests and they make sure to spend plenty of time with their fans before and after the show. As the crowd filed out of the theatre, I talked to people who had a wonderful time, although there were some complaints about the over-zealousness of the security bouncers who kept a tight leash on the wrecking pit. Nevertheless, if you haven’t seen Three Bad Jacks, make sure to catch their next show when they come back to the stage in California after working on their next album.

If you disagree with me that Chuck Berry is the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, leave a comment and tell me who you think deserves this honor. Or share your Three Bad Jacks experiences.

Fans at the Three Bad Jacks show: Left - Marina, Isabel and Jasmine; Right - Jose, Jose, and Roger, who weren't big fans of the wrecking pit security. All photos by Kim Kattari.