The swinging rockabilly tunes of Matt Amor lit up SOhO last Wednesday, May 13. Amor and his band have a very cool style of blues, folk, rockabilly, and a dash of pumped up psychobilly. The four-piece band consists of Amor on vocals and acoustic guitar, Barney Tower on electric, Jeff Reffredo on upright bass, and Steve Hoke on drums. The band’s style places a heavy influence on guitar licks, a slapping drum snare, and the solid beat of the upright bass, which creates a very danceable and fun atmosphere.

Amor kicked the set off with “Shut Down,” which has a classic Johnny Cash rockabilly tone; the song emphasizes the twang of intricate guitar work and the warmth of Armor’s vocals. Amor then transitioned into “Greenlight Eyes” to pump up the crowd with another upbeat song full of bluesy guitar riffs and heavy chords. Half way into the set the mood changed into Amor’s signature relaxing-on-the-porch country vibe with his slower songs like “Red Cloud,” and “Alright.”

Most of the audience was seated at candle tables inside SOhO as testament to the easy listening of Armor’s music, but that didn’t stop some people from dancing their hearts out. Armor and the band picked things up again toward the end of the set by adding that rockin’ psychobilly vibe of Armor’s former band Blazing Hayley back into the mix and had the whole crowd swinging and swaying. The show’s apparent success revealed itself as several patrons wandered away from the stage with big grins and punch-drunk lusting looks in their eyes.

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