Formed in 1979 by Fred Cole from the 1960's garage rock band The Lollipop Shoppe. Cole played guitar and sang, his wife Toody played bass and sang, and initially Rod Rat played drums. Their sound was a raw mix of punk rock and garage rock with occasional country touches. Their self-titled debut album appeared on Cole's Whizeagle label in 1980. Soon after, Rod Rat left the band, though he guested on the 1981 follow-up Intermittent Signals before his tragic suicide. Sam Henry, formerly of The Wipers, played drums on this LP but left to join another Portland band, Napalm Beach. Louis Samora was on the drum throne for the 1983 album In a Desperate Red, still on Whizeagle. Samora left in 1984 to concentrate on his rockabilly band, The Jackals.
Tired of losing drummers, and bored with the punk scene's decline into macho posturing, the Rats broke up. Soon after, Fred and Toody enlisted an old Roland drum machine and formed the country band The Range Rats. Adding Andrew Loomis on drums and returning to a more rock / punk style they became the 20 year veterans Dead Moon.
Despite great songwriting, The Rats' records did not sell well, and are hard to find today. Music and live perfomances by The Rats are in the Dead Moon documentary "Unknown Passage".
MONGREL ZINE #7 IS OUT NOW
The new Halloween issue of Mongrel Zine is full of spooky delights!
Haunted George schools us on Halloween sound effects and his
Garagepunk podcast Haunted Shack Theatre, King Louie charms us with
tales of stealin’ Lil Wayne’s wardrobe girl and drinking with Fats
Domino, Vancouver’s newest garage band Indian Wars find the best
skateparks, Inservibles tell us about Mexico City’s best tacos from
what is a shitty mechanics workshop during the day and taco stand by
night, a rare interview with the late Billy Van from The Hilarious
House of Frightenstein, vintage Halloween collector Mark Ledenbach,
plus Box Elders, The TVees, Hard Feelings, HYPSTRZ, The Orpheans,
Corpusse, Telekrimen, and tonnes more…
This issue includes Mongrel Zine Vol. 4 CD Comp with 28 tracks
including Bloodshot Bill’s “In the Graveyard…!” written especially for
this Halloween issue of Mongrel Zine!
Interviews with Demon’s
Claws, Red Mass, The Black Lips, Dead Ghosts, artist TrUdE, The Sunday
Sinners, Bloodshot Bill, Manic Attracts, Nardwuar the Human Serviette,
Gerard Van Herk (Deja Voodoo), Teenage Hookers, Petroleum By-Product,
Simply Saucer plus other lubricants like a tribute to the late Sky
Saxon, Mike Sniper (Blank Dogs), reviews, and a 25-track CD Comp of
the best new garage, punk, and rocknroll!
kick ass, your music makes me want to eat the skin off of someone's face, and then puke it up and wear it as my own face, so keep rocking;] Hope to roll with you on some concerts!
