Austin Sound

If local thrift stores selling old pearl snaps along side vintage instruments wasn’t enough to convince you that Austin might be a town that values a “revival” spirit, the Jungle Rockers might be the kick in the 40-year-old Levis you need. In fact, the new EP by the Jungle Rockers, which follows in the footsteps of last year’s eponymous debut, would be more at home on the shelves of one of a hundred “vintage” stores, or perhaps even your dad’s record collection, than next to most new music today. While venturing into the same territory as thousands of garage bands across America, the Jungle Rockers recreate a bygone era with striking success; but whether or not mere revival of the classics is cause for celebration hinges on a simple question you should probably ask yourself: Am I looking for one hell of a rockin’ good time?

Relocating to Austin from Cleveland, the Jungle Rockers are a natural fit for Austin’s vintage appeal, and few bands have matched the Continental Club’s rockabilly ethos so well. And while they have quickly and popularly enmeshed themselves within the local scene, it’s also tempting to see the roots of their Ohio hometown both in their Midwest blue-collar drive and as the city’s home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their unrepentant melding of rock’s most foundational sounds. The group’s debut, self-titled EP proudly wears its influences on it’s sleeve, and it’s impossible not to talk about the Jungle Rockers without dropping their very conscious debts to Bo Diddley or Chuck Berry licks. But with the energy that the quartet injects back into the sound, their songs are more of a true homage and embracing of that period than a derivative rehashing.