Why does everyone hate Rockabilly?

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yedancer · #1 Post by **yedancer** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 2:36 pm

I'm just curious. It seems like a lot of the DJs on this board do not like Rockabilly music.

Drew · #2 Post by **Drew** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 4:11 pm

I like good music. And good rockabilly requires damn good musicianship.

I only hate it at a swing dance for the main reason that so many people think it's interchangeable with swing music because of its vintage and use of acoustic instruments.

Matthew · #3 Post by **Matthew** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 7:37 pm

I enjoy it for ECS, sometimes. Perhaps because my ECS friends can follow the beat more easily. The more lindy I learn, though, the more I find that nothing beats the old stuff, where the music and the dance were made for each other.

In the Tampa Bay area, most of the DJs (with the exception of Abdel and one or two others) shovel on the rockabilly. I think it's because most people here know only ECS and want a familiar beat. More people are getting into lindy, though, so the music may change. I certainly hope it does.

It's interesting, though, that most of the people here who know lindy are college-age, and they usually request hip-hop. Perhaps groove is taking over our scene. I certainly hope it doesn't.

falty411 · #4 Post by **falty411** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 12:09 am

Matthew wrote: The more lindy I learn, though, the more I find that nothing beats the old stuff, where the music and the dance were made for each other.

you are wise beyond your years my friend

AlekseyKosygin · #5 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 9:45 am

There's nothing wrong with rockabilly...there's something wrong with bad rockabilly...if you notice it's the really old good stuff (circa 56, 57) that is easier to dance to...

Wesley Willis R.I.P.

gatorgal · #6 Post by **gatorgal** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 10:38 am

I don't have a problem with rockabilly... but I will admit that I haven't listened to enough of it to know what's good and what's bad. I certainly don't mind dancing to it.

In the end, good music is good music, no matter the style or genre.

Tina

Roy · #7 Post by **Roy** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:12 pm

I don't mind drinking some beer and listenting to RAB. But I hate Lindy Hopping to it. The RAB I Hear has a back beat too it which gives it a bouncy feeling in a differnt section of the Rythm then swing. Hence in Lindy Hop when you are in the downward bounce of the dance, RAB is in the upward feeling in the music. Hence, you have to reverse your bounce in Lindy Hop if you want to match the music. And personally I don't like to do that.

Also, triple steps in Lindy Hop are there for a purpose. It matches up to the swinging feeling and triplets in Swing music. RAB does not have triplets nor does it have the delayed swing rythm hence once again to dance to RAB it does not make sense to do swing rythm triple steps in your footwork.

AlekseyKosygin · #8 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 5:48 pm

Roy wrote:I don't mind drinking some beer and listenting to RAB. But I hate Lindy Hopping to it. The RAB I Hear has a back beat too it which gives it a bouncy feeling in a differnt section of the Rythm then swing. Hence in Lindy Hop when you are in the downward bounce of the dance, RAB is in the upward feeling in the music. Hence, you have to reverse your bounce in Lindy Hop if you want to match the music. And personally I don't like to do that.

Also, triple steps in Lindy Hop are there for a purpose. It matches up to the swinging feeling and triplets in Swing music. RAB does not have triplets nor does it have the delayed swing rythm hence once again to dance to RAB it does not make sense to do swing rythm triple steps in your footwork.

Wow dude do you really analyze music that much before you dance to it? Are you like "sorry I can't dance to that, cuz I might have to reverse my bounce"...? I hope not because you are going to be sitting alot of songs out...

Not sure if you were aware of this but ALOT of swing music doesn't have that triplet feel you are talking about but it still swings...does this mean you should force out your triples and do something different? maybe...(no one ever said you have to do triples to do the lindy hop) does that mean you shouldn't partner dance to it? I hope not...that being said alot of rockabilly and early rock in general has a solid downbeat instead of the ol guitar pickin 1 and 3 which I know you are talking about...in any case it's all your personal preferance and that's cool...to me if the music moves me I'm going to try to maintain a connection with my partner use the rhythm of the music and have fun...

Bob the Builder · #9 Post by **Bob the Builder** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 7:30 pm

I'm just curious. It seems like a lot of the DJs on this board do not like Rockabilly music.

It just doesn't make me want to get up and dance. Thats all.

Bob

Roy · #10 Post by **Roy** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 7:44 pm

AlekseyKosygin wrote:
Wow dude do you really analyze music that much before you dance to it? Are you like "sorry I can't dance to that, cuz I might have to reverse my bounce"...? I hope not because you are going to be sitting alot of songs out......

No, I don't need to analyze it. You know if it does not feel right. You know if you are not matching up with the music after you have obtained a certain level. And that is why most Lindy hoppers don't dance to RAB. RAB is fine for ECS.

And I don't sit out much because all the places I go dancing there is not a single RAB song played. And, exchanges and events that I go to, don't play RAB either.

AlekseyKosygin · #11 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 9:10 pm

Roy wrote:
AlekseyKosygin wrote:
Wow dude do you really analyze music that much before you dance to it? Are you like "sorry I can't dance to that, cuz I might have to reverse my bounce"...? I hope not because you are going to be sitting alot of songs out......
No, I don't need to analyze it. You know if it does not feel right. You know if you are not matching up with the music after you have obtained a certain level. And that is why most Lindy hoppers don't dance to RAB. RAB is fine for ECS.

And I don't sit out much because all the places I go dancing there is not a single RAB song played. And, exchanges and events that I go to, don't play RAB either.

Ok well you didn't really delve into my point about different rhythms for swing music which is what you prefer to dance to right? All I was getting at is that if you like a very specific type of rhythm (triple step) then you are going to be sitting out for alot of songs...some songs make me want to lindy hop, balboa, or shag, it all depends on the rhythm and accents...that being said I don't think generalizations like "Rockabilly is only good for ECS" or whatever is really fair...it's just like me saying "Swing music is only good for Lindy Hop but not for Balboa" Rockabilly just like any other type of music has various types of rhythms and accenting as does Swing music depending on what the musician chooses to create...

Now if you just don't like the music...that's a whole different story...

Drew · #12 Post by **Drew** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 10:29 pm

Lindy Hop was created in response to swing music. If you don't have the music, you don't have the dance. If you have other music, you have another dance.

AlekseyKosygin · #13 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 10:44 pm

Drew wrote:Lindy Hop was created in response to swing music. If you don't have the music, you don't have the dance. If you have other music, you have another dance.

really? lindy hop came out of swing music? I thought elvis and jerry lee lewis invented that shit...

in any case I don't remember saying to do the "lindy hop" to rockabilly...I was talking about "dancing"...if someone only wants to do one type of dance to one type of music...well...that's fine too...that's where I start to get kind of lost and or frustrated when people begin to label types of dancing...and setting strict guidelines for them...I understand that it is extremely important to understand the historical origins of a particular dance however people have to stop making generalizations on what type of dance fits what type of music and just dance to the music...also keep in mind that you can always come up with your own dance to swing music...lindy hop isn't the only one created in response to swing music...just like you can come up with your own dance to rockabilly...the past doesn't end the current creation process even if the music happens to be 50 or so years old, dig?

djstarr · #14 Post by **djstarr** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 10:46 pm

on a somewhat related topic an early rock song was played the other evening (maybe Elvis? can't remember) - anyhow people started doing Charleston to it and it fit well. It made me realize in greater depth about how rock and rockabilly is a two-beat dance rather than four-beat that most lindy music is. And a lot of folks here like to balboa to rockabilly - may sound crazy, but try it out next time you hear some rockabilly at a dance.

As for whether I hate rockabilly or not? I don't like it as much as soul and motown, and if I'm going to veer off the lindy hop path once in a while when I DJ I'd rather play some Marvin Gaye or Aretha Franklin.

AlekseyKosygin · #15 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Oct 26, 2003 11:04 pm

hahaha...doing the balboa is great to all sorts of music...unfortunately I can only call it the balboa when I'm dancing it to swing music...all the other times I have to think up different names for it...here are a few...

When I Bal to the Smiths

Mozboa

Johnny Cash

Cashboa

Anything Latin

Frijolesboa

and finally to Hip Hop

BigPimpinboa

I really wish I could just could just call the dance Balboa but I happen to agree with Drew in that once a dance is created in reaction to a specific type of music that dance can no longer be done to another type of music even if that music has similiar musical characteristics in rhythm, melody and tempo or else it will be an entirely different type of dance...and well since Balboa came out of swing music it is somehow transformed into something entirely different when I dance it to another type of music...I gotta go now...need to think of more names before I get caught off guard by a dancer asking me what the frig I'm doing...