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This is one rockin’ little unit, and the proof is no further away than your CD player, into which you should pop the new album, “Live in the Leopard Lounge @ KEXP.” Hit play and you’ll hear an accomplished gem packed with full-throttle Americana: great singing, a killer rhythm section and the superbly tasteful and concise Mo on lead guitar – all live, with no overdubs. John Foyston, The Oregonian
If you haven’t kept up with the Dusty 45’s, they’re bigger and badder than ever, as they just welcomed Mo and Boots of Seattle most beloved twangers the Souvenirs into the fold. With a ferocious new live set titled “Live at the Leopard Lounge”, the Dusty 45’s are primed to set the world aflame.” Joe Ehrbar, Seattle PI
Seattle quintet the Dusty 45’s don’t just dance around while fusing jazz, twangy country, roots rock and jump blues – they set shit on fire. “You’ll also admire a bunch of white boys with the balls to throw in some tejano style, with Mariachi horns framing ‘Two Beers in Texas’. Arrissa Owen/OC Weekly
“No bullshit quasi-swing here: The Dusty 45s arc weld elements of traditional Americana and roots music with a style and attitude all their own” Michael Henningsen, Albuquerque Weekly Alibi
“… This jumpin’ five-piece infuses energy, humor, and delight into its nostalgic hybrid sound.” The Seattle Weekly
“Fast paced and action packed, the Dusty 45′s have deservedly earned a
reputation as one of the most popular rock/country/swing hybrids in
town.” The Seattle Times
“The Dusty 45′s music balances gracefully on the edge of many dichotomies; between wildness and fine tuned control, between swing and rockabilly, Dixieland and punk rock, between magnetic pompous charisma and quiet introspection… Enthusiasm and energy comes across powerfully in their live show and has earned them a large base of loyal fans.” Grindstone Magazine
“Harnessing enough energy to possibly cause a rolling blackout…The Dusty 45′s take rockabilly out of the garage and bounce it off the walls…” Salt Lake City Weekly
“….rousing horns, sizzling original numbers, and genuine talent…” SLAMM San Deigo
“[The Dusty 45's] are a bold troupe, treading the lonely terrain where genre disappears and originality dwells” John Nova Lomax, Houston Press
DUSTY 45s Devil Takes His Turn (Roslyn Recordings)
Recent Press
J. Poet – - Phoenix New Times
The Dustys specialize in the archaic sounds of the ’50s and ’60s, with emphasis on the dance-happy backbeat that used to be the hallmark of the hit single, bouncing from rockabilly to jumpin’ jive, barrelhouse blues, hard-core honky-tonk and other roots-heavy forms. Lead vocalist Billy Joe Huels has a larger-than-life and slightly out-of-control baritone that combines the authentic drawl of Johnny Cash with the mania of The Cramps’ Lux Interior. Lead guitarist Jerry Battista supplies an encyclopedia of twangy licks that add a rush of cool electric sparks to every track, with Micah Hulscher’s piano providing the push that sends the music into overdrive. Hits include “Play the Game,” a Latin-flavored polka with a dramatic Elvis-style vocal, and a bluesy, extended take on “St. James Infirmary.” The low-key production brings to mind the Sun Records echo chamber and adds to the music’s blue-collar charm.
Gene Stout — SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
One of Seattle’s most entertaining live bands adds a God-fearing gospel sound to an effervescent blend of swing, rockabilly, honky tonk, jump blues, country and western and mariachi on its new album, featuring a dozen originals and one cover tune. The title song is a tongue-in-cheek morality tale about the darker side of life. The album closes with a rambunctious version of Lieber and Stoller’s “Saved,” about a guy who used to “smoke and drink and dance the hoochie-coo” before turning in his devil horns. In between, is an intriguing blend of rockers and ballads punctuated by singer-guitarist Billy Joe Huels’ south-of-the-border trumpet playing. Grade B.
James Orme — Slug Magazine
Dusty 45s = Elvis + Cab Calloway + Mickey Gilly + Ray Charles
Although I never really liked the term Americana, it fits the Dusty 45s perfectly. The 45s touch on all points of American music, from rhythm and blues (“New Romance”) to New Orleans jazz (“St. James Infirmary”) to straight-up Memphis rock n’ roll (“My Heart Bleeds”) to good old gospel (“Saved”) and honky-tonk (“Leave you in the End”). Billy Joe Huels’ trumpet sets this record on fire, and Micah Hulscher’s piano and organ-playing gives it its fluent charm and character. The artwork depicting scantily clad devil and angel girls makes me hope to be saved by either side. Anyone who claims to be into roots music will love this record.
Salt Lake Tribune –Sam Vicchrilli, Bryer Wharton and Dan Nailen
The Dusty 45s’ latest record is an upbeat romp of gospel-inspired country tunes that will make even the sons and daughters of Utah pioneers feel they were born and raised in
the Bible Belt. “The Devil Takes His Turn” features honky-tonk guitar work, toe-tapping horns and plucky piano led by the rootsy vocals of Billy Joe Huels. Try not to bounce to the rhythm as Huels crows “religion is your spell/ throw away your passions/ or you’ll go
straight to hell.
Rachel Heisler — Albuquerque Alibi
Something special happens when bands fuse two seemingly nonrelated styles of music. Not only does it create a new direction in which music can head, but it also makes you stop and realize that some people are still thinking outside the box, and that’s kind of comforting.
Dusty 45s are one such band, creating “loungacana” by blending lounge and Americana. The silky, slick curves of laid-back lounge have taken away the sharp edges from traditional honky-tonk, leaving behind a feathering of upbeat yet softened roots—at least some of the time. At other times, Dusty 45s wear their rockabilly-jump blues-country hats with pride. They give you the best of both worlds: The hard and the soft, the nice and the mean, the black and the white, God and the devil.
And it’s the devil who takes center stage in the band’s new CD, Devil Takes His Turn. Singer/guitarist/trumpet player Billy Joe Huels couldn’t get more swanky on the semi-romantic song “New Romance” if he tried. Honestly, his vocals are so purdy they’d make Elvis proud. Then there’s the sophisticated surf of the instrumental “Blistering Sky,” and, at the spectrum’s other end, the CD’s title track, which takes off where Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon’s Prairie Home Invasion left off.
Jason Thompson — Popmatters.com
If nothing else, I’d like to at least commend the Dusty 45s for not pluralizing the last half of their name with an apostrophe. Nothing bugs me more than when people abuse the apostrophe like that. But that’s another tale entirely. What we have here is a strange little group that mixes up fat Elvis-style Vegas horns, Carl Perkins guitar riffage, and country twang. Yeah, OK, it’s not the most original thing to come down the line these days (well, except for those horns; they’re snappy), but these kinds of bands tend to do really well on the indie circuit with their idolization of roots music and cheeky genre twisting. So be it. Dusty 45s do their thing with much panache and who can fault them for that? I’m sure their live show’s a real kicker, too. The title track here pretty much sums it all up, but you’ll probably also want to hear “St. James Infirmary” which drops the country in favor of a more Cab Calloway-type bluesy sound, “Vino”, which heads straight to your nearest Italian neighborhood, and “Blistering Sky”, which is as good Tex-Mex rockabilly as you’re likely to find. All right, these guys are definitely more than a one trick pony and this album is plenty of fun. Enjoy.
Editor – Download.com
Jump blues mates with rockabilly to create the nuclear jackalope sound of the Dusty 45′s. The operatic showmanship of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and the top-fuel rock ‘n’ roll of the Reverend Horton Heat are just two of the musical touchstones this Seattle outfit holds dear. If there’s a saloon in hell, the Dusty 45′s will always have a place to play.