Uncle Leon and the Alibis
have played everywhere from outlaw biker gatherings to a premiere party for Walk the Line, but they do their best work in the unlikely dive bars of Brooklyn, New York, cranking out a special, booze-fueled brand of noise that they call "garage country".
Infused with the twangy, bare-bones rumble of Sun Records, inspired by the renegade spirit of Waylon, Willie, and Merle, and topped off with the kind of fermented-honey baritone that most folks thought died with Johnny Cash, Uncle Leon and the Alibis seem bound and determined to knock current “country” music off its slick high horse, and kick its ass all the way back to the gritty honky-tonk roads it grew up on.
But don’t let the retro roots fool you: For every classic-sounding country shuffle, there’s a Cramps-style freak fest, or a fuzzy, punked-out Stones cover waiting to happen. And for every heartfelt love ballad, there’s a beer song, or a monster truck song, or the infamous country-fried cover of “Baby Got Back".
In the past few years, the band has achieved a certain notoriety among the numerous female Roller Derby leagues of the world, thanks to their accidental hit single, “Roller Derby Saved My Soul”. At last count, Uncle Leon has received fan mail from over 300 roller derby leagues in every state in America, as well as 9 foreign countries. In 2007 the band went on a self-booked 10-city tour, based almost entirely on roller derby appearances.
Since their start in 2004, Uncle Leon and the Alibis have put out two self-produced full-length CDs, Drunk and Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Uncle Leon also recorded a limited-edition vinyl single “The Bartender"for Glasgow, Scotland’s Metropolicana Records.
Most recently, Uncle Leon and the Albis have just released a brand new song, "Rollin' with a Rollergirl", and will going on another roller derby-centric American tour in June 2010. For a complete list of tour dates and venues, check out the Events page.
THE BAND:
Uncle Leon - Singing and crappy guitar
Neil Magnuson - Bass and backup singing
Charlie "Chedda" Aceto - Good guitar
Dave Varriale - Drums*
* Note: At this time, Dave Varriale is featured only on the track "Rollin' with a Rollergirl".