Railroad Jerk
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Railroad Jerk was a New York City–based indie rock band of the 1990s, specializing in a hard-driven punk blues sound.[1]
History
[edit]Railroad Jerk's lineup changed frequently, but the core members were Minnesota native Marcellus Hall (vocals, guitar) and North Carolina-born, New Jersey–bred Tony Lee (bass).[1] The two met in Trenton, New Jersey in early 1989 and formed the band with drummer Jez Aspinall and second guitarist Chris Mueller rounding out the quartet.[2] Hall chose the band's name because he "liked the clack and clang of the two words together."[3]
The band gained a following on the Manhattan club scene and were signed to indie label Matador Records, for whom they recorded four albums[4] — all well received critically — before breaking up in the late 1990s.[1]
Their first two albums, Railroad Jerk (1990) and Raise the Plow (1993), did well, but Railroad Jerk reached its biggest success with One Track Mind (1995).[1] The band made two music videos for the record: "Rollerkoaster" and "Bang the Drum", both directed by Jim Spring and Jens Jurgensen.
The "Rollerkoaster" video was shown on MTV's Beavis & Butthead. On tour, the band shared bills with bands including Guided by Voices, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cibo Matto, Girls Against Boys, and Cat Power. "The Ballad of Railroad Jerk" became a college radio hit.
Around the time their fourth album — The Third Rail (1996) was released — the band recorded demos for a fifth Railroad Jerk LP which was to be entitled 'Masterpiecemeal'. This final LP was never released. Dave Varenka and Marcellus Hall went on to form the band White Hassle.[citation needed]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- Railroad Jerk (1990), Matador
- Raise the Plow (1992), Matador
- One Track Mind (1995), Matador
- The Third Rail (1996), Matador[1]
Singles and EPs
[edit]- "Younger Than You" - 7-inch (1991), Matador
- "Milk the Cow" - 2×7″ (1992), PCP Entertainment
- 02.20.93 - 7-inch EP (1993), Walt Records
- "We Understand" - CDEP/2×7″ (1993), Matador
- "Bang the Drum" - CDS/7" (1995), Matador
- Sauberes Hemd - CDEP (1996), Matador
- Railroad Jerk 2001 - 7-inch (2000), Sub Pop
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 323. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 935
- ^ Ali, Lorraine (7 March 1995). "Railroad Jerk on Track to Move Beyond Indie Circles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "Railroad Jerk". Marcellushall.com. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
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