Spring Rally 2004

Classic cars, customized bikes, ice-cold beer, and loads of diesel-fueled rockabilly are on tap this Saturday, at Fort Worth Weekly's inaugural Spring Rally. Benefiting the Tarrant Area Food Bank, The Late Great Chevys of DFW, and North Texas Historic Transportation Inc., the all-day event at LaGrave Field (home of the Cats) is an alternative for those of us whose idea of a fun spring festival doesn't involve tooling around a cordoned-off parking lot, looking at bad art or listening to what remains of the Doobie Brothers.

The bill includes Rocket DeVille, Dirt Blazers, The Susans, Willie Heath Neal & the Damned Ol' Opry, High School Caesar, Fort Worth legend Ray Sharpe, Flametrick Subs (with cheerleaders), Slick 57, and Cowboys & Indians. The night will close with two trailblazers: Junior Brown -- inventor of the "guit-steel," a double-neck that's part traditional guitar, part lap-steel -- and Texas' own Reverend Horton Heat, early purveyors of the psychobilly sound, a wholly original sonic impasto that's essentially a '50s-era fright full of hellfire, booming slapped bass, damsels in distress, burnin'-rubber licks, and pompadoured heroes.

For the gear-heads, awards will be handed out for Best of Show Car, Best of Show Truck, Best Mopar, Best Ford, Best GM, and Best Other. (Registration is from noon-5:30pm.) There'll also be a motorcycle show and The Lifestyle, Arts & Tastes of Texas Food courtside, featuring car artists, visual artists, retail vendors, and, of course, food and beer. Admission is free. See you there. -- Anthony Mariani