Saturday, Nov. 26: The Dusty 45s

The Royal Lounge

By Rev. Adam McKinney on November 22, 2011

The moment you tour as the great Wanda Jackson's backing band, as the Dusty 45s recently did, I'd say all bets are off. That's a lifetime of argument-ending, "Oh yeah, well, we were Wanda Jackson's backing band," moments. As a band in their own right, the Dusty 45s produce mostly faithful approximations of classic country, blues rock and honky-tonk, with a kind of rollicking flair that helps iron out any initial hesitance one may have regarding sincerity or credentials (and hey, pal, they were Wanda fucking Jackon's backing band). Lead singer Billy Joe Huels' voice has a very pleasant quality about it, something reminiscent of the crooning vocalists who dabbled in Latin-flavored pop in the early '60s (think "Take a Letter Maria"). It's a potent combination. 

[The Royal Lounge, 7 p.m., $10, 311 Capitol Way, Olympia, 360.705.0760]