Matty B & the Dirty Pickles

Matt Boland can't help it. He gets juiced up every time he returns to the Dirty Pickles, the band that plays classics from rock’s earliest royalty: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and more.

"I just have a soft spot for it," Boland said. "It's my favorite music, just not necessarily my favorite thing to write."

After he started the Dirty Pickles at age 17, they quickly built a following with their souped-up take on the 1950s and fresh, hotwired energy. Boland also wrote plenty of infectious originals in that style, but eventually grew tired of it. He put the Dirty Pickles on the back burner and moved on to more personal songwriting with the punk-influenced Broke Boland, which was politically charged, and the rootsy Potwhole.

After a few years away from the Pickles, Boland decided it was time for some balance, time for fun for fun's sake. That started with a theater-styled ’50s rock show he debuted during the winter at PACA.

"I think what it comes down to is, I love writing and playing that cooler, original music, but I've always liked fun and happy," Boland said. "I love seeing people just have fun and be happy and not take it too seriously. I guess I decided to do that '50s rock and roll show, and ever since then, I got the bug to make people have fun and dance."

In keeping with Tuesday’s theme of honoring departed artists, the Dirty Pickles - - with Digg It Dave on drums and Ben "Jammin'" Roemer on bass -- will concentrate on Holly, Cochran, Johnny Cash, Gene Vincent and more. This could be their rare show without Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Boland said whatever they play, no rehearsal is required; these songs are wired into the Dirty Pickles’ brains.

"It’s so cool," Boland said. "No matter what rendition it is of the Dirty Pickles, we don’t practice anymore. We all grew up playing together. They watch my feet for the changes. I yell out the key and we can hit all those '50s songs. It’s just a blast."

Published on GoErie.com