Rank & File: Amanda Ruth
[purchase]
One of these days I'm going to get around to doing a post over at my other blog called "Who Invented Alt-Country?" or maybe, "Alt-Country Before Alt-Country Was Cool." It will be all about the interplay between country music and the indie music scene of the 1980's, before Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown took "alt-country" to new heights of popularity in the 1990's.
One of the key players in that 1980's "cowpunk" scene (which was what we called it before somebody coined the more marketable term "alt-country") was a band called Rank and File. They combined their punk roots with a love of country twang to produce a couple of great albums in the early 1980's. This song really captures the fun spirit of the cowpunk days.
Jason and the Scorchers were my first taste of country with a punky attitude. And what a taste! "Ferver" was such a hot pistol that I've felt a little let down with everything of theirs afterwards.
ReplyDeleteRank & File... I know I listened to a tape-of-a-friend of them, way back when, so it'll be cool to give this one a listen and see what memories tumble out.