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 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. Dave Varenka and
Marcellus Hall went on to form the much lauded band White Hassle.
