by Izzy Grinspan
Israel’s first rockabilly band, the Mollycoddles, have set up their website to look like the dashboard of an old-time jalopy. They promise their fans “happy pastime, good humor and immediate weight loss,” and they sing through thick Hebrew accents. It’s generally pretty cute, although the level of authenticity becomes a little weird on their Confederate-flag-festooned mock drivers’ licenses. It makes me want to write a Cultural Studies thesis interrogating the expression of American political issues in international rock and roll—but then again, really, what doesn’t?
Equally fascinating is www.hillybilly.ru, the website of the Russian (though not Jewish) band the Neva River Rockets. Check out their list of rockabilly bands worldwide.