THE RANKOUTSIDERS
After the Lazy Cowgirls packed it in, Pat Todd formed another band, taking its name from one of their classic albums, Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders. Their first release is a 2-CD album on their own label (Rankoutsider Records) called The Outskirts of Your Heart (2007). Mark Deming again, for Allmusic: “In 2004, the Lazy Cowgirls, long one of the best-kept secrets in American rock & roll, finally called it quits after nearly 25 years of inspiring music, but lead singer and principal songwriter Pat Todd clearly isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. Todd has formed a new band, the Rankoutsiders, who follow a similar path to the latter-era Cowgirls – fast and loud old-school punk on one hand, and hard but heartfelt honky tonk on the other. However, unlike the Lazy Cowgirls, the Rankoutsiders can handle the quieter country material with the same sure hand as the louder, frantic rock stuff; and Todd’s first album with the band, The Outskirts of Your Heart, is his most impressive melding to date of his two great (musical) loves.”
The band’s website, www.pattodd.net/ notes that Hound Gawd! Records reissued The Outskirts of Your Heart in January 2017. Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders has released three more albums since this one. Other than the two live albums and their debut, Allmusic rankings are four stars or higher on all of the Lazy Cowgirls and Rankoutsiders albums.
(March 2017)
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Under Appreciated Rock Bands (UARB’s) and Under Appreciated Rock Artists (UARA’s) are hard to come by, but I came up with a fine batch this past year. The least likely UARB of them all, to my way of thinking, came along in March: Iggy Pop got his name from his first band called the Iguanas; and somehow, some way, no punk rock fan had yet prepared a Wikipedia article on this band. Also in the mix this past year were two bands featuring Mike Stax, founder and editor of one of the premier music magazines Ugly Things and one of greatest experts on 1960’s music on Earth: his current band the Loons and another from the 1980’s, the Tell-Tale Hearts. Rounding out the quartet this year are the Lazy Cowgirls, a long-time favorite punk rock band whose music is often called “outlaw rock” that put out 11 albums – not counting the 4 albums put out by frontman Pat Todd’s new band the Rankoutsiders.
(Year 8 Review)
