The Porch Ghouls “It may be simple, but it ain’t easy,” said El Dorado Del Ray of the trash-blues band the Porch Ghouls at a recent show at the Hi-Tone Cafe. Del Rey (aka Mick Walker) was specifically talking about his new drummer, Lady Baltimore (Lori Grienapp), but he may as well have been talking about his group, a band that plays stripped-down seemingly basic music that nevertheless takes a lot of skill and conviction to play as well as they do. Del Rey formed the Porch Ghouls after moving to Memphis from Gainesville, Florida, in January. The musical vision Del Ray brought with him was focused on ruckus, a slang term from the ’20s and early ’30s for a type of stripped-down jug-band-style blues. But the music as interpreted by the Porch Ghouls is more of an amalgam. Traditional and modern blues styles mix with soul, rock-and-roll and some of the loose manic energy of punk. “I try not to say that we’re blues because I’m a 30-year-old middle-class white male,” says Del Ray. The result of all these influences is a group that mixes white and black, blues and rock in a way that Memphis has always done to unique effect, whether it be Elvis or more-recent, less-celebrated bands. “These guys are massaging my Oblivians muscle,” said one Hi-Tone observer, referring to the beloved but now-defunct trash blues band. But where that group stayed pretty loyal to its punk roots, the Porch Ghouls sounds almost like traditionalists. The old microphone Del Rey sings (screams?) through goes a long way toward establishing the feel, giving the vocals a thin, tinny sound reminiscent of an old 78 being played on a mono record player. The material is a combination of obscure old covers and originals in the same goofy, down home style. The sole exception being a spirited cover of “Take Me to the River.” To give his ghouls form, Del Ray has enlisted Slim Electro, better known as former Grifter Scott Taylor, whose tasteful and skillful guitar gives the group the solid musical anchor it needs. Meanwhile, Randy Valentine (né Sam Tibbs) contributes firey, if underutilized, harmonica playing. He may not be able to hit as many notes as some of the soulles virtuosos who pass for mouth harp players, but he has more feeling than most. The only weak link in the ensemble is the most colorful live. Lady Baltimore was playing her first gig with the band this night. Like her predecessor, Lord Baltimore, she plays a beat-up suitcase with a tambourine on top, the whole apparatus tied to her chair to keep it from slipping away. Unfortunately, her drumming wasn’t up to snuff. Sloppy drumming, especially in this context, is okay, but Baltimore’s drumming was full of hiccups that brought the music crashing down like a ValuJet. But all is forgiven when she puts the microphone to her mouth and belts out a Little Richard tune like a barrelhouse mama. — Mark Jordan The Flyer regularly reviews local bands on demand. To schedule your group’s Moment of Truth call Mark Jordan at 575-9441 or e-mail him at jordan@memphisflyer.com.