The Rave-Ups
Encyclopedia
The Rave-Ups are a roots rock
group hailing originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
but is best known as being from Los Angeles, California. They are best known for their alternative rock
hit songs "Respectfully King of Rain" and "Positively Lost Me" as well as their appearances in Pretty in Pink
and Beverly Hills, 90210
.
in the fall of 1979 by Jimmer Podrasky (guitar/vocals), with Michael Kaniecki (guitar/vocals), George Carter (bass, violin, vocals), and T.J. Junco (drums). The original group lasted only through that fall when T.J. Junco left the band. Rich Slevin (drums) joined the group in January 1980 and helped the band develop through the year, and though the group was considered part of Pittsburgh's early punk
/new wave
scene along with its sister group The Shakes/Combo Tactic, with a somewhat more polished style The Rave-Ups were considered less an example of the Punk genre. The band performed mostly original songs written by Podrasky and Kaniecki, some songs contributed by Carter, and a few covers
. Early performances in Pittsburgh were at The Electric Banana
, The Decade Lounge, functions at Carnegie Mellon, as well as regular gigs at Fat City in Swissvale. During the summer of 1980 the band made 4-track
and 16-track studio recordings including the later popular "Class Tramp" and "Gremlin", along with the usual live recordings of club dates. Slevin left the band in the summer of 1980 to return to his native New York City and was replaced by Vic McPoland, a fellow Pittsburgher and Carnegie/Mellon grad, while the band relocated to Los Angeles, California. The original members broke up less than a year after the move to LA.
The second incarnation of the band followed after Podrasky met drummer Tim Jimenez, guitarist Chuck Wada & bassist Douglas Leonard. That line-up released a six song EP
entitled Class Tramp on Fun Stuff Records in 1984. The EP sold all 3,000 copies produced. Terry Wilson (guitar) and Tommy Blatnik (bass guitar) joined the band on a permanent basis. In 1985, the band released their first album, Town and Country, which sold 40,000 copies.
Actress Molly Ringwald
, who had become a friend and fan of the band through her sister Beth's relationship with Podrasky, introduced the band to moviegoers in the movie Sixteen Candles
when her character's three-ring binder featured the name "The Rave-Ups" scratched on it with a ball point pen. Ringwald later invited director John Hughes to see the band at a club date where the band informally and successfully auditioned for an appearance in the movie Pretty in Pink
. In the movie, the song "Rave-Up, Shut-Up" is heard in the scene where Duckie (Jon Cryer
) talks with the club bouncer (Andrew Dice Clay
) outside the club. In a later scene, The Rave-Ups play "Positively Lost Me" on stage while Duckie, Iona (Annie Potts
), Andie (Ringwald) and Blane (Andrew McCarthy
) share dialogue at a nearby table. The band also appeared on the MTV
"Pretty In Pink" Movie Premier Special performing "Positively Lost Me". That song became a cult hit big enough that Rhino Records included the song on Rhino's "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of The 80's - Vol. 12". During this time the band was getting major acclaim from critics including Robert Christgau
and Robert Hilburn
and entered into talks with several major record labels.
In 1987, the band signed to Epic Records
and released their major label debut The Book of Your Regrets to high critical expectations, despite being only promoted to the college radio scene (albeit a burgeoning one). The album failed to sell many copies, due to Epic's corporate restructuring and lack of promotion. The label almost dropped the band but a few believers from Epic insisted that the band get another opportunity. 1990 saw the release of the album Chance (named after Podrasky's son with Beth Ringwald) to slightly more commercial success. The single "Respectfully King of Rain" became a modest alternative rock hit, garnering some video airplay on MTV and peaking at #12 on the Modern Rock Tracks
chart. The second single "(She Says) Come Around" was readied for distribution (including a music video) by Epic who then decided that they would not promote the single or video and, soon after, dropped the band from the label. The band continued working for a few months including an appearance on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210
("Spring Dance"). However, after much frustration, the band broke up in 1992.
Podrasky formed the band Lovin' Miserys with Concrete Blonde
drummer Harry Rushakoff
, but was unable to sign a deal with a music label. In 2000, the band reformed, recording a CD entitled The Salmon In The Woods which has remained unreleased due to lack of record label interest.
Podrasky and Wilson continued to maintain a musical partnership writing and performing occasionally over the following years. In August 2007, with Jimenez and Blatnik back in the rhythm section, the band re-grouped to play and work on new material that they hope will find the ears of their original audience as well as many who only know the band from hearing about them from others.
Town And Country is available at Rhapsody
.
Jimmer Podrasky is a first cousin of the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts
.
(Very limited edition 12" single)
(Limited edition of 2000 CDs. Contained "Respectfully King Of Rain" from 'Chance' and two non-album tracks: "Train to Nowhere" and "The Night Before Christmas (Hey Baby)")
(contains the song "Positively Lost Me")
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
group hailing originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
but is best known as being from Los Angeles, California. They are best known for their alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
hit songs "Respectfully King of Rain" and "Positively Lost Me" as well as their appearances in Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
and Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
.
Band history
The Rave-Ups were originally founded at Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in the fall of 1979 by Jimmer Podrasky (guitar/vocals), with Michael Kaniecki (guitar/vocals), George Carter (bass, violin, vocals), and T.J. Junco (drums). The original group lasted only through that fall when T.J. Junco left the band. Rich Slevin (drums) joined the group in January 1980 and helped the band develop through the year, and though the group was considered part of Pittsburgh's early punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene along with its sister group The Shakes/Combo Tactic, with a somewhat more polished style The Rave-Ups were considered less an example of the Punk genre. The band performed mostly original songs written by Podrasky and Kaniecki, some songs contributed by Carter, and a few covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
. Early performances in Pittsburgh were at The Electric Banana
The Electric Banana
The Electric Banana was a nightclub in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning as a disco in the 1970s, it was a punk rock music venue from 1980 until 2000, and helped establish a place in alternative culture for the city of Pittsburgh....
, The Decade Lounge, functions at Carnegie Mellon, as well as regular gigs at Fat City in Swissvale. During the summer of 1980 the band made 4-track
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
and 16-track studio recordings including the later popular "Class Tramp" and "Gremlin", along with the usual live recordings of club dates. Slevin left the band in the summer of 1980 to return to his native New York City and was replaced by Vic McPoland, a fellow Pittsburgher and Carnegie/Mellon grad, while the band relocated to Los Angeles, California. The original members broke up less than a year after the move to LA.
The second incarnation of the band followed after Podrasky met drummer Tim Jimenez, guitarist Chuck Wada & bassist Douglas Leonard. That line-up released a six song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Class Tramp on Fun Stuff Records in 1984. The EP sold all 3,000 copies produced. Terry Wilson (guitar) and Tommy Blatnik (bass guitar) joined the band on a permanent basis. In 1985, the band released their first album, Town and Country, which sold 40,000 copies.
Actress Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
, who had become a friend and fan of the band through her sister Beth's relationship with Podrasky, introduced the band to moviegoers in the movie Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
when her character's three-ring binder featured the name "The Rave-Ups" scratched on it with a ball point pen. Ringwald later invited director John Hughes to see the band at a club date where the band informally and successfully auditioned for an appearance in the movie Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
. In the movie, the song "Rave-Up, Shut-Up" is heard in the scene where Duckie (Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
) talks with the club bouncer (Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
) outside the club. In a later scene, The Rave-Ups play "Positively Lost Me" on stage while Duckie, Iona (Annie Potts
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
), Andie (Ringwald) and Blane (Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
) share dialogue at a nearby table. The band also appeared on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
"Pretty In Pink" Movie Premier Special performing "Positively Lost Me". That song became a cult hit big enough that Rhino Records included the song on Rhino's "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of The 80's - Vol. 12". During this time the band was getting major acclaim from critics including Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
and Robert Hilburn
Robert Hilburn
Robert Hilburn is a pop music critic and author. As critic and music editor of the Los Angeles Times from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles have appeared in hundreds of publications around the world...
and entered into talks with several major record labels.
In 1987, the band signed to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and released their major label debut The Book of Your Regrets to high critical expectations, despite being only promoted to the college radio scene (albeit a burgeoning one). The album failed to sell many copies, due to Epic's corporate restructuring and lack of promotion. The label almost dropped the band but a few believers from Epic insisted that the band get another opportunity. 1990 saw the release of the album Chance (named after Podrasky's son with Beth Ringwald) to slightly more commercial success. The single "Respectfully King of Rain" became a modest alternative rock hit, garnering some video airplay on MTV and peaking at #12 on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart. The second single "(She Says) Come Around" was readied for distribution (including a music video) by Epic who then decided that they would not promote the single or video and, soon after, dropped the band from the label. The band continued working for a few months including an appearance on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
("Spring Dance"). However, after much frustration, the band broke up in 1992.
Podrasky formed the band Lovin' Miserys with Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.-Biography:...
drummer Harry Rushakoff
Harry Rushakoff
Harry Rushakoff is a former drummer for the band Concrete Blonde. He began in Chicago, playing with The Nodes and Al Jourgensen's first band Special Affect c.1978. He also played in Chicago area band 4xy with Bassist Chris Kirkendal, guitarist Eddie Yeo and singer Aidan Mann.-References:...
, but was unable to sign a deal with a music label. In 2000, the band reformed, recording a CD entitled The Salmon In The Woods which has remained unreleased due to lack of record label interest.
Podrasky and Wilson continued to maintain a musical partnership writing and performing occasionally over the following years. In August 2007, with Jimenez and Blatnik back in the rhythm section, the band re-grouped to play and work on new material that they hope will find the ears of their original audience as well as many who only know the band from hearing about them from others.
Town And Country is available at Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
.
Jimmer Podrasky is a first cousin of the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts, Jr. is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States. He has served since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist...
.
Discography
- "Class Tramp", Fun Stuff Records, 1984.
- Town and Country, Fun Stuff Records/Demon Records, 1985.
- "These Wishes"/"Big Wide River" Fun Stuff Records, 1985
(Very limited edition 12" single)
- The Book of Your Regrets, Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, 1987.
- Hamlet Meets John Doe, Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
1989.
(Limited edition of 2000 CDs. Contained "Respectfully King Of Rain" from 'Chance' and two non-album tracks: "Train to Nowhere" and "The Night Before Christmas (Hey Baby)")
- Chance, Epic Records, 1990.
- Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80's, Volume 12, Various Artists, 1995.
(contains the song "Positively Lost Me")