Blackbird was an electronic

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band, formed by brothers Chip and Tony Kinman after they dissolved their

cowpunk Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New wave music, new wave with country music, country, folk music, folk, and b ...

band

Rank and File Rank and file may refer to: *A military term relating to the horizontal "ranks" (rows) and vertical "files" (columns) of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the officers *A term derived from the above used to refer to enlisted troops, as oppose ...

. Blackbird marked the third distinct musical style embraced and perpetrated by the Kinmans, first with punk rock (

The Dils The Dils were an American punk rock band formed 1976 and active until 1980, originally from Carlsbad, California, and fronted by the brothers Chip Kinman and Tony Kinman. They appeared as the second act in the "battle of the bands" sequence in ...

), followed by country punk (or cowpunk) with Rank and File, and finally the abrasive, metallic techno-pop of Blackbird. The band's oeuvre includes three eponymous albums, the first two released by Iloki Records and produced by then-

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...

sound tech, Ric Wallace. Subsequent releases include the last album (also eponymous) released on Scotti Bros. in 1992; following the third and final full-length release, Iloki Records hired

Braindead Soundmachine Braindead Soundmachine were an American industrial rock band founded by Cole Coonce, Warren Croyle (aka "Mr. Reality"), and Ikky Shivers. Eschewing the industrial music, industrial genre, they coined the name metaldisco in reference to their mus ...

's Cole Coonce to produce updated versions of songs the brothers had success with in previous bands, "Class War" by

and "Amanda Ruth" by Rank and File. The Kinman brothers went on to form

Cowboy Nation A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

Discography

*''Blackbird'' (1988) *''Blackbird'' (1989) *''Blackbird'' (1992) *''Class War b/w Amanda Ruth'' (1992)

References

American new wave musical groups Musical groups from Los Angeles Scotti Brothers Records artists {{US-rock-band-stub