Sound Advice: Cincinnati to Hear the Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets

Los Straitjackets will perform at Woodward Theater on Sept. 1. Photo: David Zellaby, Flickr

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Aug. 23 print edition.

You might not expect America’s last, great surf rock band to hail from landlocked Nashville, Tennessee, but then maybe you’ve never witnessed Los Straitjackets in their wild habitat: synchronized onstage in Mexican wrestling masks and matching suits wielding their salty blend of surf rock, twang and roots-rock. The veteran quartet has been bending expectations and entertaining audiences since the early ’90s, originating from their inimitable debut in 1995, The Utterly Fantastic and Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets. From the start, Los Straitjackets’ deadpan sense of humor, charismatic brio, and live spark fueled their rise as premier players of surf rock instrumentals, including both originals and classic covers.

Reminiscent of the famed The Ventures’ bold renditions of various pop tunes, but Los Straitjackets juice that archetype with more garage crunch, rockabilly and attitude in their material. For the last decade, they’ve collaborated with Nick Lowe as his backing band, which has proven to be an inspired arrangement for both acts as they lend their firepower to Lowe’s dynamic canon. Los Straitjackets released What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Los Straitjackets in 2017, an instrumental homage to Lowe’s witty pop songs, such as the title track and “Cruel to be Kind,” etc. As Eddie Angel, Straitjackets’ co-founding member and guitarist, explains to the Associated Press in 2018, “We had nothing to lose. Nick had his credibility on the line going onstage with four guys in wrestling masks. He really did take a chance on us. He wasn’t sure how his fans would react.”

Fresh off a tour with Lowe, Los Straitjackets play the Woodward Theater at 8 p.m. Sept. 1, with Jake La Botz Trio as the opener. Info: woodwardtheater.com.

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