Media Credit: Caleb Miller Dino Lee of the White Trash Revue belts out a tune with fellow bandmates. The White Trash Revue creates a blend of music that incorporates, among other genres, rockabilly and punk.

Troy Dillinger was a mere pup of 17 when he first encountered the White Trash Revue, the wild show band that dominated the Austin club scene in the mid-1980s. From moment one, he knew he had to get in on the fun ­­- and he wasn't even supposed to be there.

"I snuck into the Continental Club - I looked like I was legal. Dino was up on stage, and the place was packed, and he'd only done three shows. It was crazy," recalled Dillinger. "He was on stage, and the whole band was dressed up, and he was swinging raw meat around and singing about tits, and the whole thing was insane, so I decided I had to play for them."

And play he did, joining the White Trash Revue as a bass player after approaching frontman Dino Lee. Dillinger's first gigs with the band came on tour, serving as a baptism by fire for the barely-of-age local musician.

"I was 18 when we went out on tour," Dillinger said. "My first night we were playing a total crazy-ass bar in Louisville, Kentucky. People were spitting and throwing shit. I got hit with a quarter-full bottle of Michelob and didn't see it coming. I think I had a hard time drinking Michelob from then on."

Precisely that kind of madness was par for the course in the shows of the White Trash Revue. Led by singer Lee, who sported a distinctive pompadour, the 15-member-strong band played in costume, with elaborate stage routines and rowdy, booze-and-sex-focused lyrics. After more than a 20-year hiatus, the legendary local group reunites with a one-night-only show at Antone's with all the old hijinks and energy intact.

"It's pandemonium. We've got big foam rubber dicks, and it's just like a sideshow exploding. It's a really musical experience, but it's also a really intense visual experience," Dillinger said. "It's not just a bunch of idiots running around. I've seen a lot of folks that can put on a big show and run around, like GWAR, - they put on a hell of a show, but their music sucks. This stuff, the songs are really good, they're fun. The whole thing is pretty tight."

Continued...

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