Killer dance moves and kick-ass music at a B-movie premier

By April Corbin

Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 | 12:30 p.m.

"It's supposed to be Rocky Horror Picture Show," local filmmaker Regan Redding told the crowd gathered at the Bunkhouse for the premier of his B-movie Killer Biker Chicks. "You're supposed to watch, yell at the screen, get involved."

They didn't need to be told twice. Hoots and hollers filled the saloon during scenes an average moviegoer would cringe or scratch their head at, and the thunderous applause once the credits rolled was boisterous enough to suggest that the audience consisted entirely of people involved with the film or BFFs of people who were. Sitting in the makeshift theater on Saturday felt a bit like crashing a house party for a screening of a stranger's home movies.

Killer Biker Chicks makes little sense, except for the gratuitous amount of breasts. (Those always make sense.) However, one thing did stand out: the music. The film's soundtrack is filled with local musicians like Yeller Bellies, Quint and the Cowpunk Calamity, Lucky Cheats and The X-Girlfriend Experience – all of whom came out Saturday to support the film and play music.

Yeller Bellies frontman Rob Bell put together the soundtrack, and his band appropriately kicked off the night of performances. For Killer, Yeller Bellies sings the B-movie's title theme song and "Here Kitty Kitty," a bluesy warning about females. (The chorus reminds, "She may have a pretty kitty, but watch out for those claws.")

As soon as the energetic foursome (sometimes joined by a keyboardist loaned from Quint and the Cowpunk Calamity) took stage, the B-movie premier turned from a makeshift movie theater to a melting pop of dancing styles. It turns out, when you mix Americana, rockabilly, blues and country, people will dance however the hell they feel like it.

Here are four different dance moves and techniques seen during the Yeller Bellie's performance. Consider buying the Killer Biker Chicks soundtrack (It's sold with the film for $10.) and practicing these moves before catching Yeller Bellies' next gig, Sept. 25 at the Aruba for the Rockabilly Festival.

1. Two-person impromptu line dancing. Forget visiting Stoney's and trying to join dozens of seasoned box steppers. Practice a few steps with a friend, coordinate a starting point and bust out that do-si-do anywhere you like. You might have to call it line-segment dancing, but it still looks awesome.

2. Some good ole humping on the dance floor. If your hair is Aquanetted to frizzy perfection and you ripped the sleeves off your T-shirt, '80s bumping and grinding on the dance floor must be on your to-do list, even if it isn't to "Pour Some Sugar On Me."

3. Slow dancing. Too often, when bands switch from a high-energy song to a ballad, audience members will simply stop dancing and head to the bar. Not so for one couple at the Bunkhouse who defied this, choosing instead to begin slow dancing to the Yeller Bellies' song "She Blames Everything On You." Modern romance at its finest.

4. The Michelle Tanner. You know the move: Wiggle your butt and punch your arms out in front of you. This classic move doesn't match up to any kind of music, which means you can use it with anything. Nobody laughed or stared at the grown woman who used this move during the Yeller Bellies performance. As long as you're moving and having fun, who cares what you look like?