“It’s partly because of that that we make the most of our time together,” Townson says. That’s resonated with Townson, and the rest of Los Straitjackets. I hired him to do a lot of projects in London.”īrockbank died of cancer in 2017. “I can still picture Neil jumping up and down, he just loved it,” Townson says. Lowe’s longtime producer and friend, Neil Brockbank, was watching Townson from the wings. Townson was the opener, playing solo as well. Lowe was playing a solo gig at the venue. “Part of the connection between Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets is we got started there,” Townson says. The Historic German House plays a role in this story. “He likes the mischief of that,” Townson says.

I want to join your band.’”Īnd leave the masks on. And he said, ‘No, no, don’t listen to the records, I want you to do what you do. “When he first asked us to tour with him, we listened to his old records, tried to figure out the parts. “Actually, this is the first tour we’ve done this year that Nick is not with us,” Townson says. Lowe was always the only one without the mask. Nick Lowe is a respected English rocker he’s written beauties like “Cruel to Be Kind” and “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding.” And for the past few years, Los Straitjackets has been touring with Lowe as the band’s singer. Los Straitjackets does make seasonal adjustments it’s likely Friday’s show will include the band’s version of the theme from “The Munsters.”īut as musicians, Los Straitjackets are no joke. “There’s a little bit of a Halloween aspect to it, except we wear masks all year ’round,” Townson says.

And they fit particularly well in late October. But the joke went over so well that Los Straitjackets never took them off. Those Mexican wrestling masks began as a one-off joke at a show years ago. Townson has been with the masked masters of twang instrumentals since 2010. Los Straitjackets, playing Friday at the Historic German House, 315 Gregory St. And they even use it as a wedding song.Īnd there’s the more immediate concern. The song, “My Love For Evermore,” Townson says, “is a standard in Europe, people have it tattooed on them. Or he’s jetting back and forth between here and London as a hired guitar, or to produce a record for a band like the Swiss rockabilly outfit Hillbilly Moon Explosion.

Playing guitar on tours with soul singer John Ellison and pop singer Eleni Mandell. He’s a co-founder of The Hi-Risers, the glorious garage-rock trio, a steady part of the Rochester scene since 1989. There are times when Greg Townson seems to be spread so thin, you can read these words right through him.

Los straitjackets torrent