The Rats (American band)
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
The Rats | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Desperate Edge |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Garage punk |
| Years active | 1980–1984 |
| Past members | Fred Cole Toody Cole Rod Hibbert Sam Henry Louis Samora |
The Rats were an American garage punk band from Portland, Oregon, formed by Fred Cole previously of the garage rock band, The Lollipop Shoppe. Cole played guitar and sang, his wife, Toody Cole played bass and sang, and initially Rod Rat (Rod Hibbert) played drums.[1] Their sound was described as a raw mix of punk rock with occasional country touches.
Their self-titled debut album appeared on Cole's Whizeagle label in 1980.[2] Afterward, Rod Rat departed from the band, and despite his guest appearance on their 1981 follow-up, "Intermittent Signals," he tragically passed awayby suicide. (Prior to his suicide Rod Rat also played drums in 1980-81 for Portland power pop band Domino Theory).
Sam Henry, formerly of the Wipers, played drums on this LP but left to join another Portland band, Napalm Beach.[3]
Louis Samora took over the drumming duties for the band's 1983 album "In a Desperate Red," which was also released under the Whizeagle label. However, he departed from the band in 1984 to focus on his rockabilly group, The Jackals.
After The Rats disbanded in 1984 Bill Barker of Profile Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia convinced the band to reunite for a single. It appeared under the band name The Desperate Edge later in 1984.
Soon after, Cole assembled a country band, Western Front, and he and Toody later reunited in Dead Moon.[2]
In 2008, Portland's Mississippi Records reissued the first album on vinyl.
The two-part song "The Rat's Revenge" - which appeared on the first volume of Back from the Grave - was performed (some 15 years prior) by a different band under the same name.
References[edit]
- ^ Blasengame, Bart (July 21, 2009). "The Ballad of Fred and Toody". Portland Monthly. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Rogers, N. (January 10, 2019). "The Rats :: In A Desperate Red". Aquarium Drunkard. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Carson, Nathan (December 27, 2016). "Portland Punk Lifer Sam Henry Looks at 60". Willamette Week. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
 | This article on a United States punk rock band is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |