“Nostalgic without the burden of sentimentality” is the best way to describe the music of Dolly Rocker Ragdoll. Like Elvis Presley on acid, it is both familiar and fresh, classic and modern — though Andy, the man behind the music, sees it much simpler than that. This hard-to-pin-down style is likely a result of Andy’s varied musical influences, which range from blues and classic country to the Misfits, 13th Floor Elevator to Dax Riggs. The overriding style is the blues, something that he points out as not being very divergent, as the similarities between the blues and punk rock are rather clear. “A lot of people will say that punk is just three chords and yelling, you know?” Andy said. “That’s what the blues are, three chords and yelling.” Currently, the band consists of Andy and backup singer Amanda, who helps complete his musical musings. Adding a second vocal element, Andy said, allows him to achieve the melodies he was writing, and he has since become interested in incorporating more backup singers as well as an upright bass and strings. Still, the Canton-based duo makes an incredibly full sound as they stand. Vocal elements and the guitar are drenched in reverb, adding an ethereal tone to the sound. The only percussive element is the giant stomp box Andy plays atop, which booms with resonance like the steps of a giant. The stomp box he plays came from seeing Son House use one, as well as his initial recording efforts, he said. “I recorded on this four-track, and I’d do it in a hallway,” Andy said. “I’d just stomp on the stairs and play the acoustic guitar. I wanted to bring that to the live sound.” Dolly Rocker Ragdoll is currently working on some new recordings with Gunt Punchers frontman Jermey James behind the board. These include the songs that Andy claims are written more by providence than by toiling over a notebook. “They kind of just come to me,” he said. “I like to sit in an empty room, with a nice echo and acoustics, and just shout, get a good melody going. I’m shocked sometimes.” Those were the circumstances behind the writing of “Rapture Rag,” which starts off with a boom and rolls right into a melodious shouting refrain. Like many of Ragdoll’s songs, the tune follows the standard 12-bar blues form. “All I understand is the blues,” Andy said. “I started out and just wanted to play and sing.” It’s not quite true that the blues is his sole influence. He explained that when he first started playing he was influenced by Nirvana, inspiring him to learn grunge riffs. But this didn’t quite fulfill him. “I didn’t really understand the guitar,” he said. “That’s when I taught myself the blues. That’s pretty much all I do, the blues.” For the listener it may be hard to see his dedication to the blues, as the music bends the genre toward a early rock ‘n’ roll sound. But as Andy explained, ’50s rock was really just the blues. “You take the blues, and you start boogying it — that’s rock ’n’ roll,” he said. The group can be seen playing regularly around Northeast Ohio, especially in their hometown of Canton. The scene in the city has begun to push Andy creatively. “I’ve been playing around here for a long time, and it didn’t seem like it was going on. You kind of wanted to move away. It definitely is something, though,” he said. “I think [the music scene is] fucking good. It’s like a reason to try.” Andy cites Steve Trent, and Johnny and the Apple Stompers (see page 23) as acts that are pushing the scene and doing exciting things. “I’m liking how people are picking up the upright bass and washboard,” he said. “I really love ragtime and all that old stuff, so I thought that was really cool.” Dolly Rocker Ragdoll will be playing the Stone Tavern on February 17 and Akron’s Annabell’s on February 23. Photo: Jeremy Aronhalt