Fittingly, since they’re often confused for being named after the defibrillator, a device used to jump-start a heart, the New York-based band The Defibulators live for injecting energy into the country revival genre.
The Brooklyn-based septet’s sound rambles, unshackled, between traditional twang, swing, rockabilly guitar riffs and high-energy punkgrass.
That free-form style may give promoters migraines, but the trade-off is allowing each piece to dictate the right approach rather than resorting to shoehorning, said vocalist/plectrum instrumentalist Bug Jennings.
“It all felt limiting if we tried to just play one of those genres,” Jennings said. “As we started writing original songs, they ended up coming out as a bit of this and a bit of that, pieces of everything we like.”
Despite their far-reaching sound, The Defibulators’ roots are in a mutual appreciation of vintage honky-tonk and western swing music among co-founders Jennings, vocalist Erin Bru and guitarist Roadblock.
In the past, some people have assumed that a New York mailing address automatically disqualifies The Defibulators from legitimacy as an authentic country band, but Jennings said that’s an unnecessarily narrow-minded opinion.
“What rubs us the wrong way is when people think we’re not taking it seriously or making fun of country music, making a joke of it,” he said. “That’s not the case. It’s just what we love.”
Thursday, The Defibulators will stop in Chattanooga to take the stage at JJ’s on the return arc of a trip to Austin’s South by Southwest music festival.
Assuming their tour bus, a vintage 1977 Dodge ambulance complete with working sirens and lights, survives the trip, audiences will be faced with a show overflowing with energy, Jennings said.
“If I’m not covered with sweat by the end of the show, I feel like we haven’t put on a good show, haven’t done our jobs,” he said. “It’s out of control, like a freight train we’re trying to keep on the tracks.”
RELATED LINKS
http://www.myspace.com/thedefibulators
http://www.thedefibulators.com
IF YOU GO
* What: The Defibulators, Front Porch Regulars and Brian McGee and the Hollow Speed.
* When: 6 p.m. Thursday. (A 10 p.m. show will follow, featuring Black Cobra, Night of the Wolf and Sick Weapons.)
* Where: JJ’s Bohemia, 231 M.L. King Blvd.
* Admission: Free. (10 p.m. show has a $7 cover.)
* Phone: 266-1400.
* Venue Web site: www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia.
* Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.com.
LINEUP
Erin Bru – vocals/percussion
Bug Jennings – vocals/guitar/banjo
Roadblock – lead guitar
Metalbelly – washboards/harps
Justin Smitty -fiddle
Freddy Epps – upright bass
Riddleberger – drums
DID YOU KNOW?
* The Defibulators acquired their tour van, a 1977 Dodge ambulance, through an eBay auction from a seller in Illinois.
* The core members of The Defibulators met while working together at a barbecue restaurant in New York City.
* At one time, the band sported a nine-member lineup, including trombone and accordion players.