Beat Rodeo

Last updated

Beat Rodeo (also known as The Beat Rodeo) was a country rock band from New York City during the 1980s.

Contents

Career

Following the breakup of the Minneapolis-based Suicide Commandos (in which he played bass), Steve Almaas moved to New York, turned to guitar and formed The Crackers; [1] the band's EP Sir Crackers! (1981) indicates the rough-hewn melodic rock direction Almaas would later pursue. After working with The Bongos, Almaas, along with Bongos' leader Richard Barone, headed to North Carolina to visit Mitch Easter at his Drive-In Studio; the three of them put together the four-track Beat Rodeo EP, credited to Almaas and released in 1982 on Easter's Coyote Records label. [1] [2] (One of the tracks, "What's the Matter", later appeared on a compilation on the Shake Some Action label in 2003.)

Almaas almost immediately formed a quartet named for the EP, but not including Easter or Barone; the single "What's The Matter" b/w "Mimi" was issued by Coyote in 1983 (under the name The Beat Rodeo). The following year, Zensor Records in Germany issued the band's first LP, Staying Out Late With the Beat Rodeo, produced by Don Dixon, with two tracks helmed by Richard Gottehrer. [1] The record, which shows a country bent implicit in its name (country-ish guitar sound, with a dash of fiddle), and integrates it into the already established pop-rock context. (A single, "She's More" b/w "Mistake" was also released; the group performed "She's More" on German television.) IRS Records signed the quartet and re-issued the album in 1985, shortening the band's name to simply "Beat Rodeo". [1]

In 1986, Beat Rodeo released their second album, Home in the Heart of the Beat, produced by Scott Litt; [1] the LP produced two singles: "Everything I'm Not" b/w "It Could Happen Here" ("Everything" also appeared on a 12" promo disc with "I'm Not Afraid (Doesn't Matter to Me)" on the flip); and "New Love" b/w "Just Friends" (with videos made for both sides of the single; "Just Friends" had been previously released on Staying Out Late.) Although "Everything I'm Not" got some airplay at college stations, none of Beat Rodeo's albums or singles were hits, and IRS dropped them from the label; the band broke up soon thereafter. [1]

Almaas later went solo, and has released six albums to date; he also reformed the Suicide Commandos, who in 2017 released their first album in 38 years, Time Bomb.

Beat Rodeo were mentioned in the acknowledgements of Elizabeth Wurtzel's memoir Prozac Nation .

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manfred Mann</span> English rock band

Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two different lead vocalists, Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966 and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969.

<i>Murmur</i> (album) 1983 studio album by R.E.M.

Murmur is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983, by I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by lead singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bass guitarist Mike Mills's melodic basslines.

<i>Chronic Town</i> 1982 EP by R.E.M.

Chronic Town is the debut EP by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on August 24, 1982, on I.R.S. Records. Containing five tracks, the EP was recorded at the Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in October 1981, eighteen months after the formation of the band. Its co-producer was Mitch Easter, who produced the band's "Radio Free Europe" single earlier in 1981.

<i>Reckoning</i> (R.E.M. album) 1984 studio album by R.E.M.

Reckoning is the second studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 9, 1984, by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984. Dixon and Easter intended to capture the sound of R.E.M.'s live performances, and used binaural recording on several tracks. Lead singer Michael Stipe dealt with darker subject matter in his lyrics, with water-related imagery being a recurring theme on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Suicide Commandos</span> Punk-rock trio from Minneapolis founded in 1975

The Suicide Commandos are an American punk rock trio from Minneapolis. They formed in 1975 and released two 7-inch EPs on an indie label in 1976 and 1977 before signing with Blank Records in 1977 and releasing one album, Make a Record. Despite their short original 4-year stint together, the Suicide Commandos are considered the pioneers for jump-starting a punk rock music scene in the Twin Cities, which eventually produced bands like The Suburbs, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements and Soul Asylum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Active</span> American rock band

Let's Active was an American rock group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1981, and often identified with the jangle pop guitar work of the group's frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter. After disbanding in 1990, the group reformed in August 2014 to play a benefit show in North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Easter</span> Musical artist

Mitchell Blake Easter is a musician, songwriter, and record producer. Frequently associated with the jangle pop style of guitar music, he is known as producer of R.E.M.'s early albums from 1981 through 1984, and as frontman of the 1980s band Let's Active.

Ikara Colt were an English four-piece indie rock band, formed by art students at London Guildhall University. They had a five-year career, beginning in 1999 and ending on 17 January 2005. The band had stated in interviews their intention to disband before they "turn into some old, tired and jaded outfit". They broke up after two albums and one EP. In the UK, the band were signed to the London-based independent record label, Fantastic Plastic Records, while Epitaph distributed their records in the US.

Don Dixon is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is considered to be one of the key producers of what is called the jangle pop movement of the early 1980s, including working with R.E.M. and The Smithereens.

<i>Cocaine Rodeo</i> 2000 studio album by Mondo Generator

Cocaine Rodeo is the debut studio album by American rock band Mondo Generator, released through Southern Lord Records on 18 July 2000. It was compiled of material recorded by vocalist/bassist Nick Oliveri with drummer Rob Oswald, vocalist/guitarist Brent Malkus, and his ex-Kyuss bandmates Josh Homme, Brant Bjork and John Garcia. Recorded in 1997, the material was shelved for three years due to disinterest from the band to release it and Oliveri's full-time commitment to Queens of the Stone Age.

The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York, United States, formed in 1976.

<i>Mesopotamia</i> (EP) 1982 EP by the B-52s

Mesopotamia is an EP by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1982. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was originally planned to be the band's third studio album. Due to conflicts with Byrne and record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released. The record was distributed as a 12-inch EP by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and by Island Records on vinyl and cassette in the UK and other non-U.S. markets.

<i>Bangles</i> (EP) 1982 EP by The Bangles

Bangles is the eponymous first EP by The Bangles. It was released in 1982 by Faulty Products and reissued in 1983 by I.R.S. Records when Faulty Products went out of business. The songs remained widely unavailable thereafter, with only occasional rereleases of individual songs. The whole five-song EP was eventually reissued as part of the Bangles' 2014 compilation, Ladies and Gentlemen... The Bangles!.

The Creation are an English rock band, formed in 1966. Their best-known songs are "Making Time", which was one of the first rock songs to feature a guitar played with a bow, and "Painter Man", which made the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached No. 8 on the German chart in April 1967. It was covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the No. 10 position on the UK chart. "Making Time" was used in the film Rushmore, and as the theme song from season 2 onwards of The Great Pottery Throw Down.

The Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, "Action Woman". The group recorded three albums in the late 1960s before disbanding, but they re-united in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting of both old and new material. All of their Minneapolis recorded material was produced by Warren Kendrick, who owned the Scotty and Warick and Hexagon labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bongos</span> American band

The Bongos were a power pop band from Hoboken, New Jersey that emerged from the New York City arts scene, primarily active in the 1980s, led by Richard Barone. With their unique musical style, they were major progenitors of the Hoboken indie-pop community, college radio favorites, and made the leap to national recognition with the advent of MTV. Their breakthrough song "Numbers with Wings" garnered the group a major cult following and was nominated at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Along with a handful of others, the Bongos were instrumental in the advancement of the alternative rock movement.

The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A. music scene which included bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, the Long Ryders and the Bangles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Barone</span> American rock musician

Richard Barone is an American rock musician who first gained attention as frontman for the Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and record producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created concert events at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, SXSW, and New York's Central Park. He teaches the course “Music + Revolution” at The New School's School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, has served on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), serves on the Advisory Board of Anthology Film Archives, and hosts the "Folk Radio" show on WBAI New York.

The Raybeats were an American instrumental neo-surf rock combo from New York City that arose from the No Wave musical scene. The original line-up consisted of Don Christensen (drums), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Irwin, and George Scott III (bass).

<i>Afoot</i> 1983 EP by Lets Active

Afoot is the debut six-song EP by the American indie rock band Let's Active, first released in 1983 by I.R.S. Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 30. ISBN   0-85112-579-4.
  2. Beat Rodeo EP liner notes