Be Here Now: Elvis Birthday Bash

Mark Gamsjager and Johnny Rabb?
Together onstage?

That can mean only one thing – it’s January, and time once again for the annual Elvis Birthday Bash.

Yes, the King is gone, but he’s not forgotten – certainly not by these guys. Elvis Presley would have celebrated his 75th birthday today, and his music remains as timeless as ever. In tribute, the Elvis Birthday Bash Band is once again hitting the road for a string of performances designed to delight every Elvis fan, young and old alike.

The all-star combo is anchored by Mark Gamsjager and the Lustre Kings and rounded out by special guest Johnny Rabb, with additional guests scheduled for select dates.

The band is revving up for a trio of local Nippertown performances. On Saturday night (January 9), they’ll serve it up concert-style at The Linda in Albany. On Sunday (January 10), they’ll squeeze into the intimate confines of the Ale House in Troy. And after rolling through NYC and Long Island, the all-star combo returns to town to wrap up the tour with one final blowout at Daisy Baker’s in Troy on Saturday, January 16.

The Lustre Kings – who have also accompanied Wanda Jackson, Bill Kirchen and Robert Gordon – are among the nation’s premiere roots rock acts, with a regular touring schedule that takes them from NYC to Austin, from Seattle to New Orleans. Critically-hailed guitarist Deke Dickerson says “Like a fine wine, the Lustre Kings just get better with each passing year.”

Johnny Rabb might have been Elvis if the King hadn’t beaten him to the punch. Rabb’s onstage intensity is undeniable, and he always gives 120 percent whether wailing with the Jailhouse Rockers in a Nippertown bar or shaking his tail-feather onstage in Europe with the wild ‘n’ woolly Neanderthals.