Concert review: Transistor Tramps steal spotlight at Fort Worth gig

"When I was a kid I wanted to be Crystal Gayle. I wanted to grow my hair really long and sing songs like Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. Then I heard Siouxsie, and it was all over. I had a mohawk, shaved off my long pretty hair, and the sweet little girl next door was no more."

-- Elle Hurley, Transistor Tramps

The Crystal Gayle Fan Club's loss is definitely our gain. On March 20, the Fort Worth bad girl took the stage at the Moon, fronting the Transistor Tramps in their first Funkytown show with their new rhythm section. The band has been together for two years, and according to Hurley, it prefers to play Fort Worth rather than a certain city to the east.

"Fort Worth has been so much more receptive to our music than Dallas. Dallas has kind of snubbed us, while Fort Worth has really embraced it."

The new lineup includes Hurley on vocals, husband Richard Hurley on guitar, David Sebrind on synth, Brian Shaw on drums and Jamie Myers on bass and vocals.

The performance was part of a Fort Worth Music Co-Op show at the Moon, and even with snow on the ground, there was a decent crowd. (You get the sense that when the end of the world comes, the Moon crowd will still be there, drinking beer and listening to good music.)

The Tramps weren't the headliner, but they played like they were. The vocals from Hurley were forceful but not overdone; she knows how to own the stage.

Perhaps most notable: With its new lineup in place, the Transistor Tramps have become an all-originals acts.

"We've tossed the idea of doing covers around," says Hurley. "Everybody comes up with a really cool song that we all like. But in practical application, would it work? Not really. I want to do Cheap Trick, but does our band really sound like a band that would do Cheap Trick?"

The music that the Transistor Tramps do put out combines post-punk and '70s New Wave with a harder edge. Keyboard player Sebrind brings to bear an impressive battery of synths and original sounds.

"That's all original stuff," Hurley says. "He doesn't sample anybody, and he doesn't use any presets. We're very into the organic electronic side of it as opposed to 'I can go get a copy of Reason 2, and I've got a band.'"

The proof is right there on the stage: Synth programming has become a dying art in recent years; I can't think of a keyboard player I've seen who put so much effort into his sounds.

While the sound during the set was perfect, the lighting left me flat. The entire stage was lit up green. What little you could see of the band made it look like it was from Mars. With the new multicolor LED spotlights now in common use, a lot of sound guys get pressed into lighting duty, and they tend to overuse all those bright colors. (It's sort of like reverb -- if you notice it, it's too much.)

Still, the Tramps' performance was a welcome deviation and a positive addition to the musical melting pot for which Fort Worth has become known. The band is in the process of finishing up a new CD with Jim King at Sonic Dropper Studio in Oak Cliff. It will play the Grotto on April 10. On May 30, it's set to open for New Wave legends Sigue Sigue Sputnik at Trees in Dallas. For more info: www.transistortramps.com