by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Twenty-five years of Telecaster twang have made L.A.'s Danny B. Harvey something of a legend in new-generation rockabilly circles. Harvey played guitar in numerous '80s rockabilly bands-the Bopkats, the Rockats, Levi Dexter and the Ripchords, Swing Cats and Tall Lonesome Pines, just to name a few-and has lately also become quite successful with his soundtrack work. He's still hitting the stage, though, and feels that right now is a great time for rockabilly music. The Mirror talked to Harvey over the phone from his Southern California home.

Mirror: You've been played in all of these bands that are so highly regarded now. Does the legendary thing bug you or are you comfortable with it?

Danny B. Harvey: I guess it used to bug me but it's okay now. Even though a lot of the bands I played in weren't that successful financially, they have become really legendary in rockabilly and psychobilly circles. I've gotten to play with a lot of bands that people now are naming as influences, like the Polecats, 13 Cats and the Guana Bats, and it feels pretty good.

M: We're seeing a lot of punk bands using rockabilly elements, like Gretsch guitars and upright basses. Are you seeing a lot of evolution right now in rockabilly?

DBH: Oh yeah, and it's funny because I've never really played traditional-style rockabilly either. Back in the '80s, with bands like the Stray Cats, the Polecats and the Rockats, that music was always a lot poppier than a lot of traditional rockabilly. Towards the mid-'90s there was a return to real traditional style, but now there seems to be a really strong punk influence.

M: Are you influenced by punk and psychobilly?

DBH: Oh yeah, the first show I ever lined up for was the Clash on the London Calling tour. That was way before I got into Johnny Burnett and Gene Vincent, so I was into punk before I even really discovered rockabilly.

M: You also spent some time studying under jazz guitarist Joe Pass as well as studying composition, music theory and classical guitar while you were in high school. When did you get into rockabilly?

DBH: Just after that. I was in this band playing bass and the guitarist was Elvis's old rhythm guitarist John Wilkinson. When I was playing with Wilkinson, this Elvis impersonator wanted us to be his dream band and Wilkinson was like, "No way." I started to play with this Elvis guy and started getting into the Sun Records stuff. I really thought the Sun stuff was wild and then this Elvis impersonator started turning me on to Burnett and Vincent and I was hooked.

M: Rockabilly is certainly enjoying popularity on an underground level, but do you think it will break the mainstream again, like it did in the early '80s?

DBH: I hope so. In '96 it looked like it was just about to burst and then it just kept growing and growing. There are all of these new kids getting into rockabilly now and it just keeps gaining momentum. Right now it's really healthy, because it's at a point that it's just not a fad and it's proving it will stick around for a long time.

With Flesh at l'Escogriffe on Saturday, Oct. 18, 9pm, $6

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