(MB4) The Two Timin’ Three, then Four… then Three Once More

The Two Timin’ Three/Four: Retro Hipsters of Rockabilly Revival 

When I saw The Two Timin’ Four featured on America’s Most Wanted, I remember thinking their name was an uncanny rip-off of The Two Timin’ Three, which, excepting The Skip Rats, was my favorite Rockabilly band.  It didn’t take long for me to realize they were actually one and the same; but I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that their lead singer, Eric Laufer, had been brutally mowed down in a hit-and-run accident in September of 2008.

You really need to check out this band because the two albums they released, Dark Before the Dawn, and Payin’ The Price, are amazing legacies of a talented musician whose life was cut far too short.

Before The Two Timin’ Three incorporated a drummer into the band – officially becoming The Two Timin’ Four – they released an album entitled Payin’ The Price.  The best song, by far, on this album is “Gone Ape Man,” and exceptional cover of the 1950’s original by Lew Williams.  Laufer’s vocals are perfectly smooth as he navigates the complex vocal inflections so distinctive to the genre; his vocals resemble the deep and full abrasive qualities of the early Elvis Presley.  The precision of his lyrical articulation adds to the uptempo backbeat of the tune, creating a swinging vibe of jumping and jivin’ – a subtle nuance distinguishing it from the “country rock” genre.

In their sophomore release, Dark Before The Dawn (DBTD), the band adds surprisingly modern twists to a genre many consider to be fixed in the 1950s; this album is an entirely unique product of, and contribution to, the Rockabilly Revival movement.  A truly eclectic compilation, the last song of the album – “Black Cloud” –  incorporates many more instruments than the drums, guitar, and upright bass characteristic to Rockabilly.  The first forty-seconds of the song are composed of a harpsichord-string fusion that is frankly unprecedented within the genre.

With the release of DBTD,  the band toured all across Europe, opening for none other than Jerry Lee Lewis.  But on September 4th, 2008, as Eric was riding his motorcycle back home to Austin after playing a gig in San Antonio, he was struck by a speeding SUV, his body discovered a mile away from his mangled bike.  To this day, his suspected murderer, Jose Luis Dorantes, has not been found or brought to justice.  And as The Two Timin’ Four became The Two Timin’ Three once more, the title of their first album assumes an eerily tragic new meaning; for Eric Laufer paid the ultimate price for playing his incredible, extraordinary music.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=71394&refresh=1

I cannot find any YouTube videos of the songs discussed above, and although both of their albums are available to sample or purchase on iTunes, the following are links to some of their other great performances: