Railroad Jerk: Bang The Drum
There were dozens of indie rock bands worth listening to in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and one of my favorites was Railroad Jerk. After listening to Pavement’s second album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, I went on a nostalgic search for the debut by Railroad Jerk. Although their first two albums aren’t out there, their next two are. One Track Mind was released in 1995, only one year before the band called it quits. They were one of the first bands to sign to Matador Records, and I first heard them when I attended the 1990 CMJ Music Marathon and saw them perform live. Their debut cassette was thrown into a bag of swag I received from someone; probably someone from the label. Their mix of blues and post-punk was not embraced at the time by anyone other than college radio listeners, but they heralded the music of future acts like Black Keys and The Strokes over ten years before those bands found success. “Bang The Drum” is a fine example of the band’s sound, and even has a music video.
To learn more about Thin Lizzy, check out their Wikipedia page or read this review of One Track Mind from the April 13, 1995 edition of The Chicago Reader.
To listen to all of the songs of the day, check out the Radio Faux Show Song of the Day playlist.
The Radio Faux Show 