The Rhythm Rockers are a rockabilly trio from Fredericksburg that, like other musical acts across the world, have felt the sting of the pandemic.
Unable to play to live crowds for fear of spreading the coronavirus, the band has started playing for audiences again by live-streaming their performances on Facebook.
Potomac Local News had an interview with band members Jay Padgett and Chris Bishop to further discuss how the band has been affected by the pandemic and how they’ve adapted to the situation.
The Rhythm Rockers will live broadcast their next show on May 16 through Facebook.
What attracted you to the Rockabilly genre?
Jay Padgett: I’ve always been into rockabilly music. My dad was playing rockabilly music when it first came out in the 1950s, so it just kinda trickled downhill, and I’ve loved it ever since.
Chris Bishop: I like it because it’s really easy to play on the guitar. It’s three chords. It’s real music, it’s real. There’s nothing synthesized, you know. What you play is what you hear.
What was your first reaction to the coronavirus pandemic? How did the pandemic change things for the band?
CB: I didn’t know it was going to be quite what it is, and I wish it hadn’t been quite what it is. But at the end of the day, I’m all about being safe. I don’t want anyone to get sick or die, but I sure do miss playing music. I’ve never had my livelihood taken away in essentially one or two days. I played a lot of music prior to this, and I haven’t played at all aside from a couple of live streams. It’s probably for the best. As much as it may seem selfish to be upset about it, I miss doing hoodrat stuff with my friends.
JP: We lost a lot of shows because of this, I’d probably say 12 to 13, if not more.
CB: You lose a lot of momentum, and that’s a big deal for a local band. You build up a lot of momentum, and you get your name out there. You get fans, you get people that know you, people that like you. They come back, and then everything’s gone for I don’t know how long it’s gonna be, maybe a couple of months… So, we have to rebuild and restart that momentum.
JP: Yeah, it’s like starting all over again. We don’t get together and play as much as we did before. Once a month is what we’ve been doing, and it’s the only time we’ve been together.
What inspired you to do the live stream performances?
JP: [The performances are] just to keep us out there so people know what we’re doing and trying to keep the whole rockabilly thing alive. The thing is that the rockabilly world is not that big, it’s really not, and people forget about it and almost quit, so we’re trying to keep it out there as much as we can.
CB: Also it’s about the only creative outlet we have right now.
Once the crowds can go back to seeing live shows what if any changes do you foresee occurring to the live performances?
JP: I’m hoping that everywhere is packed regardless of whenever we play. I hope the room is packed because people haven’t been able to get out in a while. So, it’s almost a great opportunity to get back out and play live. People are going to be itching to get out and play and come out and see people play. It could be a blessing at the end of all this because people are just going to be swarming the bars and listening to live music again.
CB: I’m hoping that’s the case. I think it will be because people are itching to get out and they want to go.
