Lanark Records: Press/Reviews

For all the indie and major label CDs I have reviewed over the years, I have to admit to being a rather harsh critic. Way too many times in the past, great CD cover art has lured me into my favorite pair of headphones in hopes that the music might live up to its awesome product packaging. And too many times I have ended the experience thinking that a ”five-minute freeform jazz exploration” (quoted from the cult film SPINAL TAP) would have been better instead.

With that being said, I warmly welcomed the latest and fifth impressive release, DARK DAYS, DARK NIGHTS (Lanark Records), a very enjoyable and intense listening experience from The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, an all-original psychobilly band hailing from Lancaster, PA.

The first thing you will notice about the new album is the very hip full color artwork and CD layout in comic book style, created by Jim Smith, best known as art director/comic book artist for the popular animated series REN & STEMPY. It’s hard to ignore the most important aspect of The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, their original music, which could not be duplicated by another band in either studio or the live show aspect. Out of the chock-full 19-song CD, there is truly not a bad song on the disc and it can be listened to in its entirety, from song one, straight through to song 19. I can totally hear their songs included in an upcoming Quentin Tarantino film, and The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns would fit the background application perfectly!

It’s easy to see why the band has performed in major clubs all over the country and recently completed a West Coast tour from LA to Seattle, which proved the band can draw killer crowds any night of the week with their live show! The music has the heart and spirit of punk, mixed with the darkness of the blues, the joy of surf, ’60s rock ’n’ roll, and a ‘lil country Western too. Even the LA Lakers and Kings have featured The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns music on sports radio KTLK game coverage! Print media has also embraced the band and they’ve received coverage overseas, as well as stateside.

I know a lot of music fans aren’t buying CDs anymore, mainly MP3s these days, but please do your ears a favor and listen to The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, purchase DARK DAYS, DARK NIGHTS on CD here and make sure to go see a live show soon!

Slam Reviews, a major rockabilly and psychobilly web and blog site, reviews Dark Days, Dark Nights by the Reach Around Rodeo Clowns!




More songs about bad woman, getting rid of bad woman, mayhem. Jesus, killing, torture ,hippy chicks and getting on with life. If you haven't heard of RARC ,you should, they may be the best band your missing out on. Some people think these guys are sick. But what they are is funny. daring ,original and outside of the box and not your average psychobilly band.



That said Dark Days Dark Nights(their 4th cd) is truly a stellar album.19 songs ranging from country to psychobilly and what’s in between ."Cold,Cold,Cold" should be a hit but won't and if most DJs had balls it would .Hell every song here is better than good. If your dog found Jesus would you tell us, RARC not only sing about that but pull it off. On Dark Days Dark Nights the band is on top of their game and that makes them one of the best American bands currently out there. This is not an album you should have, it is an album you must have!! Chaos has shown up with a rubber hose

Johnny Slam

Big Wheel Magazine
April 28, 2011
Wow! Could there be a more perverse psycho Billy band to hail from Pennsylvania? Probably not! Thankfully where most psycho Billy bands end up sounding stale and all too alike, The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns venture off in their own unique Americana filled direction on “Dark Days, Dark Nights“.
Certainly not in the same vein as the Tiger Boys, the Reach Arounds are paying homage musically to Elvis, channeling the guitar riffage of Roy Orbison and borrowing some Dave Vanian ala Phantom Chords atmosphere for some good ol dirty Psychobilly by way of country, 60’s surf rock, punk and hillbilly b movie trash.
The 19 songs available for eargasmic pleasure are all worthy of the finest praise, and that is what I’m giving this record, my seal of approval. If you enjoy songs about Jesus, Satan, drugs, pawn shops and Cadillac’s then this will be your favorite album of the year.
Louie B.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

“Are you kidding out of the 400 and something bands we have heard in the last year Reach Around Rodeo Clowns are our favorite. These guys are talented enough in my opinion to blow away anything on the modern scene. We want to do all that we can to spread the word. This album is spectacular”
Moe Hillbilly Editor
Twisted Hillbilly Magazine

The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns have done it again with their release of Dark Days ‘Dark Nights.

Out of the 400 and something bands we have heard in the last year Reach Around Rodeo Clowns are our favorite. These guys are talented enough in my opinion to blow away anything on the modern scene.

The Album is spectacular its dark but has the wonderful tone of a masterpiece. It is a evolving diversion from our last exposure to the band. Reflecting not only their long standing tradition of twisted but also musically fantastic.

Go get it now at the links below you will not be sorry!

Moe Hillbilly
Twisted Hillbilly Magazine

"The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns live up to their name -- these magical, musical, hillbilly houndogs will reach around, pull out your heart, eat it and sing rainbows right back into your skull. The perfect tracks to listen to in the back of your pickup, with a jack in one hand, a blunt in the other, and a hot girl's cold corpse face down in the middle. Dark Days Dark Night is the only CD I play in my coffin! I'm dying to hear what they sing next!"
Robert "Corpsy" Rhine
Publisher/Deaditor-In-Chief
Girls and Corpses Magazine

More praise for the Reach Around Rodeo Clowns

This is a very dynamic album. I appreciate how one track is not like the next. It really shows the range of the songwriter and musicians. This is differenent from what I have experienced with past RARC's work. Like I said, I see more of a range.

I will definitely be playing tracks off of Dark Days, Dark Nights on my podcasts.

I can't wait until the band is out this way.

Betty Elle
Host of the Sock Hop Podcast

Charlie Gracie, Im All Right



I recently had the good fortune of seeing Charlie Gracie perform live at New York City's oldest honkytonk, the Rodeo Bar. Gracie, a rock-and-roll innovator who had his first hit in 1957 with "Butterfly," performed with the vibrancy and passion of a man half his age. I can only imagine what he must have been like when he first came on the scene—a bright-burning meteorite of pure rock-and-roll.
More than 40 years after his introduction into the music industry, Gracie has released a new album, aptly title I'm All Right (Lanark Records). Produced by bassist Quentin Jones, the 15-track CD mixes timeless classics, like "Let the Good Times Roll" and Hank Williams' "Kaw-liga," with Gracie originals. The album kicks off with the honky tonk toe-tapper "Tootsie," followed by the smooth drivin' title track, which will have you longing for the open road. On "A Little Too Soon to Tell," Gracie sings a charming duet with Graham Nash, and follows it with his best Elvis impersonation on "Lover Boy."
Gracie's teen idol vocals are warm and smooth with just a tinge of grit straight through the first 11 tracks, but he goes astray at the end of the disk with three songs that seem sadly out of sync. His fantastically-committed performance on "Go Man Go" is followed by the awkward ballad "I'm Confessing." The vocals on "Times Are Changing" lack Gracie's usual vibrancy, and his faux-Credence Clearwater Revival version of a Lennon & McCartney classic feels glaringly misplaced. But for the most part, Gracie sticks with what he knows best, and turns out an album of roots rock-and-roll that will warm your heart and turn your stereo red hot.

The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, Whip It Out.


While browsing the used CD section in my town's local Wherehouse Music store, I stumbled across a band's name in the "R" section that made me laugh out loud. The band was called The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns and their CD was entitled Whip It Out. I just had to buy the CD off of the name alone as that is possibily the goofiest band name I've ever seen and I had to have it in my CD collection.

Imagine my surprise when I actually got home to pop in the CD and how good the CD actually turned out to be.

If you took The Stray Cats, The Clash, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Weird Al Yankovic, Elvis, ZZ Top, Johnny Cash, Dick Dale & George Jones, threw them all in a musical blender, you would end up with something very close to resembling The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns.

Hailing from Pennsylvania, the band consists of Wendell Jones (vocals), brother Quentin Jones (guitars), Jan Luszczek (upright bass) and Dave Ferrara (drums). This CD called Whip It Out came out in 1997. I think that the band has released one CD since then and from what I can tell on the internet they are still around opening for the likes of some popular artists including Jewel(!). The band calls themselves "psychobilly". Some of the lyrics are extremely sexist but aren't meant to be taken seriously in the least.

Most of the songs on the CD come in at a little over/under 3 minutes. There are 14 tracks in total and they all boast a lot of surprisingly tight musicianship, hilarious lyrics and some smoking upright bass playing (I'm a bass player myself of the electric variety). Plus, I really liked the Elvis like vocal inflections that the singer injected during a lot of the CD.

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Just a glimpse of the some of the song titles should give you a bit of insight into what you're in for:

1)Mexico: Starting out with a very brisk tempo and some tight guitar/bass work during the verse sections. Lyrically this deals with an older man wanting to take his underage girlfriend to Mexico "where the heat don't go". The band breaks into more of a half tempo feel during the chorus. Hilarious lyrics!

2)Bad Dudes-A-Surfing: A surf number in the Dick Dale vein that is about some bad surfers taking over a particular beach. Features a great guitar solo.

3)Come Yodel in my Canyon: One of the first double entendree songs of the CD. With a very laid back country feel during the hilarious verse sections, the band then breaks into a fast punk/thrash part with some of the most intentionally bad yodeling you're likely to hear. The tuba is an extra nice touch. Hence the title, it's about a woman telling her lover to come "yodel in her canyon".

4)It's Not the Same Anymore: Sounding like a lost Stray Cats song, this is one of the more rockabilly tracks on. Features a great chorus.

5)Beaver: A more straight ahead blues rocker that is another blatantly sexist track about a woman and her pet beaver. Sounds like it could have come off of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack during the guitar solo. "Well he sits up on a log, goofin' with my dog, she's got a beaver!"
6)She Sure Sucks a Lot: Another more straight ahead blues rocker that has a ZZ Top vibe to it. The title says it all about the lyrical content.

7)The Road to Hell: My personal favorite track off of the CD. A brisk tempo and some great upright bass playing greet the listener. The pseudo-preaching stop/start chorus sections in particular are hilarious. The singer talks about what you'll find on the road to hell (or life on the road as a working rock musician). "YEAH BOY!!!"

8)Bad News Story: One of the more punk sounding songs on the album. Pay particular attention to the upright bass during the verse sections, but this is one of the more generic songs on the CD though I still liked it.

9)Psychobilly Band: A brisk chicken-pickin' country feel finds the singer telling about how he left his life on the "farm" and started a "psychobilly band". Some more fantastic upright bass playing during a few breaks between the choruses and verse sections.

10)Flame-Thrower: The heaviest track on the CD. Very punkish with a much more hard-rock/metal vibe.

11)The Big Guy Stomp: Starting out with a very strange chanting section, this another more straight ahead rocker with some especially funny lyrics.

12)Every Day is Saturday to a Dog: A brisk rock feel meets some great lyrics about life from a dog's point of view.

13)Whip It Out: Another brisk punk feel with some very tongue-in-cheek sexist lyrics.

14)Bodies in my Basement: At first sounds like more of a mid-tempo metal rocker about a guy who is scared to go down in his basement and what he finds when he does finally get the courage to venture down there.
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The one complaint that I have with the CD is that the most variety comes during the 1st half of the CD. The 2nd half contains some songs that sound a bit too similar but are still pretty cool. The CD's main advantage is that most of the songs are pretty short and concise. None of them wear out their welcome. The singer in particular really helps out the proceedings with his pseudo-Elvis style delivery. Kind of reminds me of Tortelvis from the now defunct parody/novelty band Dread Zeppelin. The bass player in particular had a very aggressive but smoking playing style that fit very well in the mix and really propelled the songs along.

The production could have been a bit better but as this CD was recorded dirt cheap, it sounds pretty good all things considering. The guitar is a bit loud in the mix at times, but nothing approaching ear killing levels.
It's by no means the deepest or best CD that I've ever heard, but I found myself consistently entertained when listening to it. The band's sense of humor is great but doesn't turn the CD into nothing but novelty tunes. These guys have a unique sound and I hope that they are still together. This CD seems to represent a very solid stepping off point and they released another CD called Circuit Rider in 2000 which I haven't heard yet but want to try to find.

If you think that you've heard it all and want to check out something that will make you laugh while musically entertaining you at the same time, I highly recommend this CD.

It's a bit uneven at times, but overall makes a worthwhile purchase for adventurous music fans. Plus, how could you not want to own a CD with a band name like The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns anyway?! :)

Recommended
Yes

The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, Whip It Out.

The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns - Llist PO Box 6312 Lancaster PA 17607. Frantic, fra-fra-frantic. Frantic, fra-fra-frantic. Drink too much coffee, put this one on loud, and balance a flashlight on your head. Your friends can dance to the low-watt light show created by your nervous twitching and body tremors. I like it. I do-whoo-weee!. It’s got a rockabilly feel at times, and sort of straight out garage quality at others. I’m not too sure about the band’s name though; “The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns” I would expect something more appropriate to a bowling ball shiner, or vintage hair product, maybe the name of a hollow body guitar or something else a little more ‘hip.’ What can I say? “The Road to Hell,” is paved with Gretch Guitars and bad attitudes (they sing in track three). That same road is also paved with bands with awful names. I would never have guessed by looking at the CD that I’d dig it as much as I do.

The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns, Circuit Rider


ear-whompin music (4 stars)
This one is good, not as good as Whip it Out, but still mighty fine rock n roll. Party Party Party delivers the goods, and Burly Kind of Love is great, too. These guys missed the 60's and 70's - they think red meat, kegs o brew, and sweatin loud rock is the reason man was put on this earth. If you want funny, pounding rock n roll, performed and writen by a bunch of fat, ugly, truly inspired throwbacks, this is for you!...

" Unbelievable ! " - Robert L. Ripley
" They're Bigger Than Tom Thumb " - P.T. Barnum
" Real Cut-Ups , Those Lot " - The Ripper ( Saucey Jack )
" Music You Can Sink Your Teeth Into " - Count Orlock
" These Guys Really Nail It ! " - Vlad Tepes
" They Can Kiss My Asp " - Cleopatra
" Who Could've foreseen this Debacle" - Nostradamus
" Incrrredible song crrrafting paired with spectacular
stage prrrresence and rrrrazor sharp exxecutttion.
In addition , NI ! Ni ! NI ! - The Knights Who Say NI !
" Anybody Got An Extinguisher ? - Nero
" I'm Sorry , My mouth was full. - ( Fill In The Blank )
" You can pound , holler , scream , but those black eyed soulless bastards

never go away. Farewell and Adieu............Captain Quint