MARCELLUS HALL vocals, harmonica, guitar / TONY LEE bass, vocals / ALEC STEPHEN guitar, vocals / DAVE VARENKA drums, bkg vocals
Influences
the sound of:
a drunk
person stumbling
up a long thin brooklyn staircase
using the wall as a guide to home sweet home,
a sandbag hitting a wooden floor, a bottle rolling down a concrete incline,
a bottle being smashed into a rusted trash can full of broken bottles,
a pile driver pounding an iron support beam for a building into the cold hard ground,
the mile long union pacific freight train as it rumbles and hugs the curve of the earths sphere,
traffic, chatter, circle lines, lazy susans, a can full of various nuts and bolts and nails,
more to come...
Sounds Like
all of your wildest dreams, all of your memories that are right on the tip of your tounge but cant put your finger on it so much so that you can almost taste it right in the back of your head.
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Over the span of ten years, Railroad Jerk - the celebrated, premiere, industrial-folk, junkyard blues, rock band of the 90's - made four full-length LPs for the independent label Matador (http://www.matadorrecords.com) and toured the world. Beginning with "Railroad Jerk" (1990) and "Raise the Plow" (1992) the quartet defined the blues-punk sound of the era. Although never achieving the kind of mainstream recognition enjoyed by other bands of the time, Railroad Jerk was an influential force in what became known as "alternative rock." With the release of "One Track Mind" (1994) and the legendary line-up now in place, Railroad Jerk reached its biggest success. Drummer Dave Varenka, guitarist Alec Stephen, bassist Tony Lee, and guitarist/vocalist Marcellus Hall brought the RRJ sound across America and to Europe and Japan.
The "Rollerkoaster" video was shown on MTV's Beavis & Butthead and the boys were sharing bills with the likes of Guided by Voices, The Blues Explosion, Cibo Matto, Girls vs. Boys, and Cat Power. Everywhere people could be heard shouting "Bang the drum!" and the song "The Ballad of Railroad Jerk became a college radio hit. When "The Third Rail" (1997) was released, the nonstop touring and whirlwind media circus had begun to take its toll on the boys and they took refuge in the studio, recording demos for the fifth Railroad Jerk LP which was to be entitled "Masterpiecemeal." This final LP was never released but a bootleg cassette version is coveted in underground circles as a record of what many believe was the band's most productive period.
live at the shelter 1995 tokyo, shimokitozawa, japan
I've dug your guys music the first time I heard it in the early 90's and yes I think it was a bootleg a friend had. You guys are actually a major part of the shaping of a lot of the bands through out the 90's that where good. Meaning you guys rock! So cool to see you up here. Some really great photos, vids and right on bio. Man I've always wanted to see you guys live. Right on have some of your best songs on here actually all your songs are killer. Thanks so much for hitting me up "RAILROAD JERK" rock and seriously a big influence on many bands. Most don't realize it. Keep Rocking
Hey! Great band. I heard "Natalie" on a college radio station in Minneapolis about ten years ago, I turned it all the way up and I thought my pick-up truck was going to capsize. Then I saw your show at the 400 Bar that night. It was bloody amazing. Cheers...
Here is a band i truly, truly miss. While I always definitely heard the Creedence meets no wave comparisons, for some reason i heard the kinks in there too--- but most of all i just heard railroad jerk. what an awesome band.
