Some bands just like to do things a little differently.
For Eve Hell and the Razors, that meant putting out an album, then deciding maybe they should form a band.
However it worked out, it works.
Eve Hell and the Razors bring their rockabilly sound to Canmore’s Drake Inn, Feb. 19, then return on April Fool’s Day for a gig at Banff’s Rose & Crown.
Not surprisingly, Eve and Mike Hell met while studying music at Red Deer College 15 years ago. Also not surprising, the pair, now married with kids, have embraced the rockabilly sound Eve craved since she was a child and heard the Stray Cats.
On the surprising side, though, is that the pair put out their first album, Fire It Up in 2009, with a guest drummer, before officially becoming a band. Also surprising is the fact that Eve, who now fronts the band, had kept in the background, vocally, despite voice training, until the Razors caught fire.
These days, Eve Hell belts it out and wields a fiery custom orange and red upright bass produced by King Double Bass in the U.S. which Mike (guitar) bought her in 1995.
After getting Fire It Up out there, they shopped around for a permanent drummer and finally found a kindred spirit in Richie Ranchero (formerly of Huevos Rancheros).
Today, Eve Hell and the Razors are a small band with a big, blazing ‘50s sound – with out there tunes like “Zombie Love”, “Coffin Hunter”, “Voodoo Love” and “Fire It Up”. CKUA’s Luka Symons dubbed the band’s sound as rockabilly with a cutting edge.
“Yes, we did things differently,” said Eve. “We kinda had to get a product out there to get a band together. It took a lot of looking to find Richie, but he’s awesome.”
Musically, the band’s original songs are penned by Eve, who also provides melodies. Then the three-piece crafts them and adds some Hell fire.
Along with Ranchero (who has also played with Black Coffee Cowboys, Hurricane Felix and Loaded Dice), Eve and Mike recently released the 15-track When The Lights Go Out. The single “When The Lights Go Out” was written during the trio’s first rehearsal together.
Razors offerings are mostly originals, but they’ve also added a little Hell to covers by Johnny Cash, AC/DC and others.
These days, when babysitting opportunities allow, Eve Hell and the Razors try to get out there and get their high-energy live product on stage. They’ve pretty much stuck to Western Canada, but have also ventured south to Nevada’s Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender (being Vegas, it’s dubbed the biggest rockabilly party in the world) a couple of times.
They also played Junofest and are a possibly addition for Canadian Music Week.
