You can catch what should be a romping-stomping rockabilly concert by the Dempseys for free Saturday. The trio, all Curtis High grads, is visiting the area and will perform at this year’s UP Fest.

After starting the group in the Tacoma area, the band members have gone on to headline major clubs in the South and were featured in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line.”

Based in Memphis, the trio was enjoying a rare day off when singer-guitarist Brad Birkedahl was reached by phone last week. The “music” in the background at his end had an unmistakable sound.

“I’m in Tunica, Mississippi, playing a slot machine,” Birkedahl said. “It’s called Candy Bars. All I know is I’m losing.”

He and bassist Joe Fick and drummer Ron Perrone Jr. have earned a little R&R, and Birkedahl spent his day in Tunica, which is just outside Memphis.

“We have been working our tails off doing 250 dates a year,” Birkedahl said. “We’re going to do an Elvis cruise over Labor Day weekend. We did it last year, and they bring Elvis’ original band members and a lot of other artists.”

One of the performers will be Presley’s legendary guitarist, James Burton, Birkedahl said. “He’s a super guy, and he can do it all, but the thing with James Burton is less is more. And a lot of times they’ll bring the Jordanaires out to sing some of the old Elvis tunes with us. That’s a blast.”

Home base for the Dempseys these days is a club on Beale Street in Memphis called Blues City. “It’s directly across from B.B. King’s club,” Birkedahl said, “and we’re there every Wednesday and sometimes Wednesdays through Saturdays. If we’re not there, we’re traveling to play in Nashville or Knoxville, and there’s a place in St. Louis we play quite a bit.”

With their mix of rockabilly and honky-tonk country, the Dempseys are welcome in a lot of places, but the trio isn’t afraid to step outside those genres.

“We’ve got as far as playing ‘Classical Gas’ the old Mason Williams tune,” Birkedahl said. “That’s a lot of fun because it’s something that really requires an orchestra, but we decided to try it with three guys. It turned out well, and it’s good to challenge ourselves now and then.”

The UP Fest, which kicks off today at Cirque Park, 7250 Cirque Drive, may not be a challenge for the trio, but “We want to hit them hard,” Birkedahl said. “We haven’t played our usual holiday shows at The Swiss the past couple years. We have a lot of fans there still, and we want to give them the best show we can.”

The Dempseys will perform starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the a cappella group, the Coats will close the show starting at 7:45 p.m.

Meanwhile, Birkedahl had some other “music” on his mind, getting back to the Candy Bars machine.

“Hey, if I win maybe I’ll split it with you,” he said.