the Paladins & The Incredible Diamonds

Known in the hill-billiest of towns in the North state to the greasiest truck stops along I-5 is Chico’s own The Incredible Diamonds, fronted by the sassiest, juke-joint-jiving son-of-a-gun this side of the Sac River, singer/guitarist Matt Hogan. Matt and his boys—drummer Clint Bear, bassist Bryan Schepps (and bassist 12-pak who traded off with Shepps at various points throughout the night)—brought some friends of theirs along as well; them being San Diego’s The Paladins. Together these good ole boys tore it up with their vintage rock-n-roll sound.

The Incredible Diamonds have been local favorites for over a decade and I have yet to see them disappoint a crowd. Singing straight from the gut, Hogan’s voice could be felt in your own gut as he sang "Hah hah hah hah hah hahhhhh!" a line from the ‘20s classic "Mule Skinner," a song so old that it is now public domain. It wasn’t long before the crowd started jumping to The Incredible Diamond standards like "Nervous Breakdown," a few Richie Valens tunes and a slick little ditty recently released on the Chico City Limits II CD titled "Mean Miss Kitty (From Hamilton City)."

Hogan was in prime form, sporting a dapper blue suit, stylish bifocals and an aggressive attitude geared towards getting the most out of the crowd. He was up to his old tricks, playing guitar behind his neck, jaunting through the crowd with reckless abandon and taking his trademark tour of the La Salle’s bar (and I don’t mean at ground level). He shredded throughout. All the while, Bear and Schepps patiently delivered a first class rhythm foundation anchoring Hogan’s assault from the stage.

And what was the purpose of all this showmanship and professionalism?

It was solely for the purpose of lighting up the crowd for The Incredible Diamonds favorite band, The Paladins, another brilliant 3-piece outfit that purveys the pulsation’s of the days of yore.

Picking up right where Hogan and company left off, The Paladins’ singer/guitarist Dave Gonzales, drummer Brian Fahey and bassist Joey Leon, revved their instruments into a thumping, grinding frenzy; Leon spun his stand-up bass, Fahey slammed his skins and Gonzales stroked his vintage Guild hollow-bodied guitar with rabid ferocity.

Representing The Paladins Auto Body and Hot Rod Tune Shop, The Paladins really live the part of the old-school rock-n-rollers: They drive classic cars, like to slick back their hair and kick out early blues, soul and rockabilly standards, as well as many originals from either of their previous five CD’s. They also played material from their upcoming sixth CD, titled Slippin’ In, to be released in April.

With such an impressive catalog, The Paladins were able to rock two full, energetic sets. Several songs had a distinctive Stevie Ray Vaughn sound, while others had a swinging feel reminiscent of fellow old schoolers Brian Setzer and his old band The Stray Cats. I heard the uptempo "Let’s Buzz," "Slow Down," one of the first rockabilly songs ever to come out of the famed Sun Studios in Nashville, Tenn., and the changing tempos of the night’s last number "Big Mary." I remembered this song from the last time that The Paladins came to town a year and a half ago. On this night, the song’s slow, heavy melody gave way to an awesome segment where Hogan leapt on stage, and he and Gonzales proceeded to trade licks. The jam culminated in a dazzling display of spontaneous bravado in which Hogan strummed Gonzales’ guitar with his right hand while still holding the rhythm chord on his own guitar with his left hand. Meanwhile, Gonzales strummed Hogan’s guitar with his right hand while soloing with his left hand on his own guitar. It was similar to what Stevie and Jimmie Vaughn did on their Family Style CD where they both played the same double-necked Fender Stratocaster at the same time. Rare moments like this are what makes it all worth while for fans and players alike.

"This is may favorite band," insisted an exuberant Hogan after the show. "When they played ‘Big Mary’ they do a direct musical quote from Otis Rush’s ‘All Your Love,’ one of the greatest blues songs ever. I mean, man!"

With an endorsement like that, what more needs to be said?

– Bret Lueder

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