St. Dallas & the Sinners

On March 11th I began looking for the damn near impossible. I was in search of a band performing a concert in my hometown of Joplin, Missouri that didn’t suck for my birthday party. The browsing of events and venues nearly forced me to splatter my brains across the wall with buckshot after hearing a plethora of sound alike hardcore bands and people trying to ride the dubstep fame train before it derails. At the verge of giving up and just drinking myself to death at home alone, my life was saved by a band that calls themselves Saint Dallas and The Sinners.

The show was on March 16th at a place called the Blackthorn Pizza & Pub. The drinks were cold and some people actually showed up to hang out with me! The place had good pizza and some pretty good beer called mothers. ANYWAYS, I was half in the bag when Saint Dallas and The Sinners began to play, but it didn’t stop them from staying stuck in my head after the show before my face spiraled into someone else’s floor.

The outfit comes from Springfield, Missouri and consists of Ryon Groff mangling his hand to pieces on a stand up bass, Chris Kinsley strumming out those rockabilly licks on guitar, Taylor Steele drumming out the rhythm of your alcohol poisoned heart, and last but not least Dallas Self, grandson of the rockabilly legend Ronnie Self wrapping his voice around all the chords and percussion up front. Their debut album Hail Mary drops May 5th, but that didn’t stop them from releasing four tracks early for everyone to hear.

“Old Style” alone resurrects the rockabilly genre from the dead, bringing it back harder and faster than it has ever been. It indeed has the old style, but they do it better than well. “Right Hand Sam” follows suit with a more traditional rockabilly sound, the signatory stand up bass slaps mixed with old school harmonica sounds. “Hat & Coat” takes a slower approach with deeper lyrics and a showcase of guitar. To me it’s like a more rugged second coming of Reverend Horton Heat’s Where in The Hell Did You Go With My Toothbrush. “Heartbreak Liquor” is the catchiest song you could never regret subjecting yourself to. It is impossible to listen to just once, I guarantee it. One listen and it will become the soundtrack to every single alcohol binge of your future. From what I’ve heard of the upcoming album this track is what I would call the “breakthrough” track. If this song found its way into the ears of the right people it would play in every television and movie bar scene imaginable.

A song has yet to disappoint and the album drops in less than a week. You can grab yourself a copy of Hail Mary in CD or vinyl from Zero Youth Records. Check out their video for “Old Style” and visit their ReverbNation link below to hear the other songs and share it all over. - ZYW Magazine

“Last Friday, the Outland Ballroom became an interactive museum exhibit showing kids what it’s like to be inside a rocket engine as it blasts through 45 minutes of fuel into the vast beyond. The group is inspired in part by Self’s grandfather, Ronnie Self, a Springfield-based rockabilly artist known for his 1957 tune, “Bop-A-Lena.” The Sinners embrace rockabilly and add thick layers of punk, metal and personal force. ” - Springfield Newsleader