Deadsplinter Up! All Night: Shake the Shack

7/5/20 Loveshaq 25

A little over 2 years ago Seattle lost an iconic radio show that had been running for over 30 years. It was called Shake the Shack and every Friday brought KEXP listeners the best of Rockabilly, Boogie Rhythm and Blues, Old Style Country, Surf and whatever Leon Berman (the Proctologist of Rock & Roll) thought was necessary to kick of the weekend in style.  Leon retired in 2016 but his “cousin Mike” continued the show until its demise in 2018, nobody could really replace Leon.  In 1986 Leon was recruited by then KCMU, which was later changed to KEXP (thanks to a buttload of money given to them by Paul Allen), to host a weekly Rockabilly radio program.  The show introduced Seattle and later the world (as streamed shows became a thing) to so much cool music we had never heard.  Some was old that just got overlooked or forgotten and some was from small bands that never got any airplay on other stations.   Leon was the perfect DJ to introduce us all to cool tunes in a fun, silly format.  Leon liked to push the limits and said “if we offend you – please tell your friends.  We put the F.U. in FUN!!” Leon exposed me to so many bands I would have never heard of from Southern Culture on the Skids, Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, Aloha Screwdriver, Red Elvises and so many more.  He also produced a 3-day music festival each year called the Rockabilly Ball for 25 years.  Typically each night would have 4 to 5 bands  from all over the country and was always a local hit.  Here is somebody you might typically see at the Rockabilly Ball.

Sleepy La Beef – Good Rockin Boogie

Sometimes Leon even had live performances on the show, like the fun surf band Aloha Screwdriver

Aloha Screwdriver – The Problem with V.O.D.K.A.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Each week’s program ended with this obscure psychobilly gem!

Twistin Tarantulas – Ain’t Got All Night

The end of the radio show definitely left a void in the Seattle music scene but you can at least relive some of the fun at this site:

Please listen to the intro to his show to get a feel for how a typical night went (or the whole thing if you want), the intro to the show was hilarious! Thanks for your support of Deadsplinter & DUAN.

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25 Comments

  4. OK, listening to the Aloha Screwdriver song means I have to stump for The Seatopians — Boise, Idaho’s, (land-locked) champions of surf instrumentals.

    Great post, @Loveshaq. I’m looking forward to digging into that show.

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