Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys have been keeping the flame alive for a very long time — not as a novelty act, not as cosplay, but as genuine practitioners of a tradition they clearly love. Robert Williams, who performs as Big Sandy, has been working the rockabilly and honky-tonk circuit since the late 1980s, building a following among listeners who know the difference between the real thing and a bar band wearing saddle shoes.
What he brings to the stage is the whole package: the voice (warm, laconic, with just enough grit), the band (the Fly-Rite Boys have earned their name), and a catalog that borrows from western swing, classic country, early R&B, and rockabilly without getting lost in any single era. He’s equally at home covering the classics and writing material that sounds like it was recorded sometime between 1948 and 1959.
Abilene Bar & Lounge on Monroe Avenue in Rochester is one of the better small-room music venues in Upstate New York — a listening room with a real commitment to Americana, roots, and folk acts. Big Sandy has played rooms like this his entire career, and this kind of intimate setting rewards a set from someone as deep in the craft as he is.
Tickets aren’t yet on sale — check Abilene’s calendar directly closer to September for availability. This one is worth marking now.