Album Notes

Graceland Mafia has been unofficially tagged “Orange County’s Undisputed Kings of Non-Rockabilly.” Still undisputed, they seem to be driven with enough energy to power anything from a hot rod to a fleet of 18-wheelers. Tight rhythms, rapid-fire guitar and a guttural front man reminiscent of Elvis combine for a fuel that burns full-throttle, from the draw of the curtain to the final bow. They write simple songs about simple things; love, life, surfing alien truckers, unsuccessful blackout drinking, and the roads that lead from small towns to big cities. They share them all on their brand-new independent release, “Blacktop.”

The four OC natives have played the House of Blues, Coach House and Galaxy Theatre with the likes of Reverend Horton Heat, Dick Dale, The Blasters, Dramarama, Horrorpops, Billy Zoom, and Lee Rocker, to name a few.

Here's what one reviewer had to say:

This is the second time I have seen Graceland Mafia and I have to say this seemed like a much more fitting venue for them than the previous place. Melvis and the band take the stage, a la The King, to the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The band has undergone some wardrobe changes since I last saw them. Jimbo (guitar) and Jon (bass) now sport ties on stage and Melvis has added a cape.

Luckily, though, there were no changes to their high-energy performance. Zambo "The Hitman" drives the band with outstanding drumming and is joined in the very solid rhythm section by Jon. Jimbo is excellent on guitar, and Melvis, well, he's The King.

The Graceland Mafia opened with "Burnin Love" and really set the tone. These guys play with a lot of energy and they sounded great, even better than the previous show I witnessed. The Mafia plowed through a fairly quick set, which included "Demon Lover," "Mr. Injustice" and a couple new songs. Frankie from Frankie's Broken Toy joined Melvis for "All U Got" and the closer, "Stepping Stone."

Is Elvis alive? To be honest, I don't know. But Melvis is alive and well as The King of the Graceland Mafia. Another thing I know for sure is that I would not have minded at all if these guys got to play a few more songs.

Read the OC Register Feature article:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/music/albumreviews/article_1291289.php

And another:

http://gracelandmafia.com/article.pdf