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lvis may have rested in peace, but his spirit lives on forever in Bali.

Bali is completely different from other big cities in Indonesia in terms of the music industry; the beautiful island has been respectfully known as the Mecca of rockabilly. And Elvis Presley, the legend, was the pioneer.

The rockabilly counterculture is growing fast here in Bali and, of course, it started with the music. It has good bands, good places to hang out and even internationally known local fashion designers.

Then there is this band, The Hydrant, a veteran on the scene with three albums. Recently, they played the part of being ambassadors for Bali's rockabilly scene, touring Europe and spreading the word.

Just after they released their comeback EP titled Bali Bandidos, the band made their way to play a headline slot in the Pohoda Festival in Slovenia and then extended their tour, playing more gigs in the Czech Republic and Austria.

The tour was called The Bali Bandidos Eurobilly Tour 2009.

"It started in 2005 when we played Kuta Karnival and met Michal Kascak from the Pohoda Festival. He was impressed by our music and four years later, in 2009, we were invited to play," says Wis, the band's guitarist.

The other members of the band are Adi, on upright bass, Christopher, on standup drums and the charismatic front man Marshello, on vocals and harmonica.

Adi and Christopher joined the band just before Bali Bandidos was released.

"Zio and Morris, our former upright bass player and drummer left for personal reasons. But the rock *n' roll has to keep on rolling," says Wis.

The tour itself has had an impressive impact on their musical careers.

"The people at the Indonesian Embassy in Slovenia were really proud of us. They even showed up to all the legs of our tour to support us. Sometimes we played wearing traditional Balinese clothes to show our love for Indonesia, our homeland," Wis recalls.

They put in a lot of effort and did their part to promote Indonesia's culture. Their weapon was the made-in-Bali rockabilly culture!

Show some love by listening to their songs at www.musikator.com.