Sitting on the front steps of Lindley Hall having a smoke, Erin McColey, Wichita junior, isn't thinking about the fact that she stands out from the crowd in her plaid dress, Bettie Page bangs, candy apple red lipstick and Sailor Jerry tattoos.

But she does stand out. And that’s the point. It’s an in-your-face visual statement that McColey is a rockabilly girl, and this statement is not to be taken lightly.

It's not a costume that she puts on in the morning in order to attract attention, though it certainly has that effect. It's become so much a part of McColey’s personality that she says she doesn't even think about it anymore. It's who she is—take it or leave it.

What is “rockabilly?”

Rockabilly is the cornerstone of rock ‘n’ roll music. According to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, it's “an exciting blend of the blues, country and gospel sounds of American music that was prevalent up to the mid-1950s.”

The quintessential rockabilly sound was captured at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn., where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis developed the sound that would become rock ‘n’ roll.

Today, rockabilly has taken that original sound and expounded upon it. New sub-genres have even developed. Psychobilly, for example, speeds things up to a more punk rock pace and throws in themes from old science fiction and horror films like zombies, werewolves and outer space.

Modern rockabilly is harder to nail down, but it still has that rebellious punk rock spirit.

“It's piss and vinegar, hell-bent fury, switchblade rock ‘n’ roll,” says Aaron Strelow, Lawrence resident and bartender at the Replay Lounge. “It's high-octane. It gets your adrenaline going. It makes you want to dance.”

Rockabilly rediscovered

Today, the timeless nature of rockabilly is being rediscovered, and a complete sub-culture of rock ‘n' roll fans have emerged to embrace rockabilly music and all its trappings. From the classic cars to the '50s fashion, the iconic image of greaser guys and pin-up girls is coming back into vogue.

In many ways, it's an attempt to return to a simpler way of life epitomized by the 1950s.

Cherry-picked for its positives, modern rockabilly culture is tempered with a more enlightened perspective. It's an idealized version of that 1950s society, as viewed through the lens of old sitcoms or classic cinema, like James Dean's Rebel Without A Cause.

The appeal of the ‘50s ideal

“I remember growing up watching I Love Lucy and Leave It To Beaver reruns,” McColey says. “You got that ideal family picture—the kids were good and life was good. And I know that the reality wasn't actually that good. There was segregation and race riots, the Cold War­—it was a tumultuous time period for America. Even though we know it wasn't that good, there is this idealistic ‘50s image, whether it really ever existed or not, that people strive for.”

McColey discovered rockabilly in high school. The music and the look had definite appeal, but in those rockabilly kids, she also saw a work ethic she could relate to, a personality and outlook on life that drew her in.

That work ethic was found in the “do-it-yourself” mentality that everyone had, McColey says. When it came to cars, you had to know how to change a tire. You didn't do anything halfway. There was an appreciation for doing something right. And that car metaphor translated to everything. Rockabilly kids cherished honesty in people. It didn't matter if you had a million dollars or 20 bucks to your name, what mattered was how you took care of your friends. On a humanitarian level, these were all things that McColey could agree with. She was hooked.

For others, rockabilly is more recreational—a night out on the town dressed to the nines swing dancing at a rockabilly concert, or just out for cocktails. For them, the rockabilly culture is found mostly in their appreciation of vintage ‘50s design.

Irene Walker, 2004 graduate and receptionist at BDC Tattoo, 938 Massachusetts St., says rockabilly is a lifestyle for her in some ways, because she enjoys a lot of things from the 50s, including the music, fashion, furniture and cars. She owns and uses a stove from the 1950s, and bought all her other appliances to match it. For Walker, it's the asthetic of these objects—the lines and curves, and the way things were built to last—that makes them so appealing.

Four years ago, that affinity for vintage design motivated Walker to start a business making leather purses, wallets and custom upholstery, inspired by rockabilly tattoo and hot rod imagery.

The draw of rockabilly music

Jud Kite, drummer for the Lawrence-based band The Rumblejetts, stands behind his drum kit on stage, jumping and dancing as he plays. Unlike drummers in other bands, just sitting there and keeping the beat is out of the question for him.

The high energy of the snare-driven drum beat, the rough-edged, countrified rock riffs of the guitar and the steady thump of the upright bass gets the audience's feet tapping in no time. Before you know it, the young and old alike have taken to the dance floor.

As the night goes on, the energy grows, and the band and audience become a little more rambunctious. The thump of the bass becomes a rapid-fire slap, more akin to the pounding of the dancers' heartbeats. The guitarist wrings rockabilly riffs out of his guitar, and the whirling crowd of dancers create a little storm at the foot of the stage.

Unlike other rebellious music genres such as punk or heavy metal, rockabilly has both cross-generational and even cross-cultural appeal. It retains that same rebellious attitude that makes punk rock so appealing to the youth, while harnessing the power of American roots music like jive, blues and swing to make it appealing to older generations, as well.

The joy of playing rockabilly and ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll is that it's safe, says Kite. You can always find an older couple who grew up with Elvis and Jerry Lee, or you can find a teenaged kid who's at least heard some Elvis or Stray Cats and can appreciate its high-energy rock ‘n’ roll nature. It's not invasive like punk or metal, it's something that spans the generation gap, Kite says.

Kite met his wife, Rikki, through their shared love of rockabilly and their mutual friends on MySpace. But it wasn't until meeting in person for the first time at a rockabilly show at the Jazzhaus that they discovered they had far more in common.

It wasn't long before the two were married, and you guessed it—they even had a rockabilly wedding. Despite the nontraditional nature of the wedding, the universal appeal of the music ensured that all their guests had a blast. Since then, Rikki has even officiated a few other rockabilly weddings, while The Rumblejetts played the receptions.

The punk rock

retirement plan

Walker found rockabilly by way of punk rock, as many kids do today, citing the long-standing joke that rockabilly is “the punk rock retirement plan.”

“You can only live that lifestyle for so long before you need to slow down a little,” Walker says of her earlier years in punk rock. “It's fun to get dressed up and go out for the night. All the girls have their dresses and their stockings and their hair done. All the guys have their suits and ties. Going out for cocktails like that is just fun.”

For many, with maturity also comes the opportunity to explore the rockabilly culture further, to get immersed in the lifestyle and trappings—especially the more expensive items like classic cars.

Kansas City's custom car club, Los Punk Rods, hosts an annual car show and concert called Greaserama, every Labor Day weekend. The show attracts young and old alike, and was most recently held at the Boulevard Drive-In Theatre in Kansas City, Kan. The drive-in setting only further sets the mood for this event by putting movies like Marlon Brando's The Wild One back up on the silver screen.

The steady growth rate of the region's rockabilly community has even sparked a second car and rockabilly show. This one is called GearGrinder, and will take place at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City, Mo., on April 17 and 18, 2009.

In an age of $3 gasoline, the appeal of classic cars known more for their horsepower than their gas mileage seems a bit illogical to the uninitiated. Then you get behind the wheel of one, and it all makes sense.

From the curves and lines of their design to the pure muscle of their V8 engines, those cars are as much a work of art as they are a means of transportation. Driving and customizing such a car instantly shows something about who you are, far more than the homogeneous cars of today ever could.

It's no wonder, then, that hardcore rockabilly enthusiasts place so much value on their cars. More than ever, watching a classic car roll down the street evokes a powerful feeling of nostalgia for that era when cars were less complex under the hood.

That lack of complexity meant you could maintain a car yourself, rather than having to take it to a mechanic. They weren't all computers and microchips, or engineered in a way that you had to remove 15 parts to get to the oil filter. That made bonding with a parent or grandparent under the hood of a classic car possible. This is a memory that many rockabilly kids cherish and hope to repeat someday with their own children.

The pin-up girl

While the 1940s saw major changes in the gender roles of women when the “Rosies” went to work in factories to support the war effort, it was the Hollywood starlets and pin-up girls that would take empowerment and sexual redefinition to the next level in the 1950s.

Blonde bombshells like Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Mae West planted the idea that women could be more than the domestic roles that had previously defined them. Then-pin-up girls like Bettie Page, and burlesque stars like Lili St. Cyr took such rebellion to the extreme.

Today, the pin-up girl is making a comeback.

Just as pin-ups and burlesque shows were a rebellion against the ‘50s social construct of the obedient housewife, the pendulum is now swinging back in rebellion against the way “sexy” has been reduced to “slutty”—the empowered, sexy woman reduced to a powerless sex object in everything from pornography to fashion.

There's a growing desire to once again leave a little something to the imagination while still being sexy and fun, and a return to the pin-up makes that possible.

McColey says she appreciates the empowering nature of pin-ups, and their ability to take the stereotypical roles and defy them or redefine them.

“Things are so out of control, it's a way to kind of tame it down a little again,” McColey says. “You can be sexy or you can be powerful, but you don't have to give everyone everything. You can hold on to your dignity.”

Racheal Major, Lawrence freshman at Johnson County Community College, is studying to become a photographer, and plans to specialize in pin-up inspired portraiture. She says pin-up photography appeals to her because it encompasses the rockabilly lifestyle with its use of the era's clothing, cars and charisma. Whether it's the Alberto Vargas pin-ups of the ‘40s, or the Suicide Girls on the Internet today, Major says pin-ups really speak to her.

“I love that it shows a different side of a woman. I love that a pin-up girl doesn't have to be a size 2. I love that it gives women a way to express their sexuality tastefully. You can be goofy or classy or sensual. It's how women really are” Major says.

Girls who want to get that glamorous pin-up look—or guys considering their first pompadour hairstyle have several options to choose from. In Lawrence, the best-known rockabilly stylist is Galadriel McAdams at Headmasters. Heather Knearem at Salon Hawk in the KU Memorial Unions also specializes in the genre. And in Shawnee, Kan., an entire hair salon specializing in the rockabilly look called ChopTops is now catering to greasers and pin-up girls.

The genuine article

Known only as “Outlaw Jake,” this Lawrence musician and bartender has taken the rockabilly lifestyle to such a degree that it completely defines him.

With his greased back hair and his pin-up girl tattoos, at first glance, Jake looks every bit the greaser stereotype. When he picks up his guitar and tears into a Johnny Cash tune or one of his own compositions, his passion for the music lets you know that he's the genuine article.

“It's a commitment,” says Jake of his highly visible tattoos, including the knuckle-tats that let you know just who you're talking to. “I have to bartend or play music. I can't be a computer programmer or a bank teller now. This is who I am.”

The recent popularity of clothing lines like Ed Hardy shows the growth of rockabilly chic. Dominated by traditional tattoo and rockabilly-inspired art, these shirts give anyone the ability to “wear” the tattoos, without the permanence or pain.

To guys like Jake, rockabilly is more than just skin deep, so he finds the commercialization of his chosen lifestyle a little annoying.

Jake retorts with a smirk. “Everyone follows trends. The difference is that I'm following a trend that never goes out of style.”