Singing, swinging at The Ruins

HOOD RIVER — Deke Dickerson & the Whippersnappers brought their West Coast tour to The Ruins in Hood River Aug 13, providing an entertaining two hours of “blistering honky-tonk, hot rockabilly and wild hillbilly.” The Los Angeles-based band played for a crowed of about 100 in the cool confines of the The Ruins’ unique and historic venue in a former fruit cannery. Left to right in this scene are Zander Griffith on upright bass: Charlotte Watters on drums: Deke Dickerson, singer-songwriter and lead guitar; and Bert Avalos on guitar. Dickerson, who won the Ameripolitan award for Musician of the Year in 2019 (Austin, Texas-based Ameripolitan is a nonprofit organization that focuses on independent country acts “outside the noise of the mainstream media”), was at his exhilarating best on a pair of “hot rod” tunes from 2025, “Running With the Devil” and “Gear Grinder.” Another highlight of the evening came when Avalos took over lead guitar and vocals for a stellar version of “Goin’ Honky Tonkin’,” from the band’s “Honky Tonkin’ Rhythm” album from 2023. After the Hood River show, the band headed out for upcoming dates in Portland, Olympia, and Seattle.