A buddy of mine lent me these guys’ CD I Want to See You Bellydanced it has been at the top of my hit parade for the past coupleof weeks. They take just about every cliched rockabilly and surf riff and combine a good measure of pseudoRussian-klitsch and some damned funny lyrics for a result that is infectious to my ears.
No, not music for the ages. But good summer fun!
Too bad I missed them - looks like they came through town a couple of weeks ago.
I am a Rocketman
Be-bop-a-lula…
I saw them in San Francisco at the Cafe Du Nord a couple of months ago. They were entertaining but not the most compelling band I’ve ever seen. Part of the problem is the layout of the Du Nord, it has great raised dinner seating on the sides, but then opens up to a wider room so that it’s difficult to get a good look at the stage. At least it’s easy to get a beer. They had a cool CCCP U-haul trailer out in the parking lot. I actually chatted with them a bit, but I’m a lousy conversationalist when confronted with celebrity. I always think of them as the band with the huge triangular guitar, but looking at Wiki, I see that it’s a bass balalaika. They aren’t really that big are they?
I count myself as a fan, if only because they are a local band (sort of) that I have been going to see since I was 15. There is a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in their music for me.
There music is fun, their shows are a blast, their albums are uneven, but they have written some of my all time favorite songs.
Well, at least as big as Goober and the Peas, another band my buddy turned me onto! (He does the hard work clubbing, so I don’t have to!) 
I had never heard of TRE before. Just thought that album was a lot of fun, wondered how many folks had heard of them, and thought I might turn 1 or 2 folks onto them.
I saw them in Salt Lake City about a year & a half ago. They were a lot of fun, they connected with the audience and encouraged participation.
I bought the same CD and sing along with it in the car, like we used to do with the Violent Femmes.
I saw them maybe 8 years ago in Cleveland at a place called Wilbert’s. I forget the circumstances but I think the situation was that I saw them by accident.
I’ll always remember what a fun time that show was and I loved their schtick…but I didn’t buy a CD. They’re just a fun happy memory now.
It’s not exactly the same music, but another of my favorite bands that has a similar flavor and hands down the BEST live show I have ever seen is Gogol Bordello. More punk than the TRE, but also a bit more Eastern European in their sound.
Good stuff.
Aren’t they fun? We saw them playing on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, unexpectedly. Still got the bumper sticker on my drafting table, now I’ve got to dig up the CD again.
I became a fan of theirs when they did the soundtrack to Six String Samurai.
I’ve seen them twice – once in the late '90s and once earlier this year, with only two of the same members. Most recently, they had a pretty hot petite blonde girl who played keyboards, saxophone, and accordion with them, dancing around on stage in a tiny shiny minidress. Not all of their songs are great, but they are an amazing, high-energy live band (and some really snappy dressers).
The Six String Samurai soundtrack is excellent, especially the opening Red Elvises track, “Love Pipe,” where our hero Buddy shows his potential as a fighter against throngs of opponents.