Rubber Rodeo was an American, Rhode Island-based band active in the 1980s. The band fused

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

-influenced

new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...

with country and western influences, and dressed in 1950's-vintage country & western clothing. Their 1984 release "Anywhere With You" reached No. 86 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

History

Foundation and early years (1980–83)

Rubber Rodeo was founded in Rhode Island in 1980, and initially consisted of Bob Holmes (vocals, guitars), Trish Milliken (vocals, keyboards),

Gary Leib Gary David Leib (October 29, 1955 – March 19, 2021) was an American underground cartoonist, animator, and musician. Best known for the comic book '' Idiotland'' (a two-man anthology produced with Leib's long-time collaborator, Doug Allen), Lei ...

(synthesisers), Eddie Stern (pedal steel), Doug Allen (bass) and Bob's brother Barc Holmes (drums). Almost all were students at the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

, and lead singers Holmes and Milliken were also romantically involved. Bob Holmes later described the band as "a cross between Gene Autry and Devo". Others noted that when Milliken was singing, Rubber Rodeo sounded something like a countrified Blondie. Most of the band's material consisted of original songs composed by Bob Holmes, or by the team of Holmes and Milliken. However, the group also recorded takes on country and western classics such as Ennio Morricone's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and the

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

standard "

Walkin' After Midnight "Walkin' After Midnight" is a song written by Alan Block and Don Hecht and recorded by American country music artist Patsy Cline. The song was originally given to pop singer Kay Starr; however, her label rejected it. The song was left unused until ...

". As well, their first independently released single was a cover of

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

's "Jolene" in 1981. Shortly after this single was released, pedal steel guitarist Stern left the band, to be replaced by Mark Tomeo.

''Scenic Views'' (1984)

After two independent EP releases, on Eat Records, in 1982 and 1983, the band recorded their full-length debut ''

Scenic Views Scenic Views is the debut studio album by Rhode Island new wave band Rubber Rodeo. It was released on November 15, 1984 by Mercury Records. Background After releasing several singles and EPs on Eat Records, Rubber Rodeo released their debut st ...

'' (1984) for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

. The sessions were not without tension: producer Hugh Jones used a Linn drum machine rather than letting Barc Holmes play, and bassist Allen played only on a portion of the track "Walkin' After Midnight" before being let go by the band. Former Rubber Rodeo producer John Doelp took over on bass for the remainder of the sessions, and was credited with "bass and musical direction" on the final release, although he was not an official member of the group. After the album was made, bassist Hal Cragin was added to the line-up for live work; he also appears as bassist and band member in the videos shot for the ''Scenic Views'' album. Despite the difficulties in making the record, ''Scenic Views'' was a moderately successful release. The LP's first single "The Hardest Thing" failed to chart, but the video received significant MTV airplay. The album's second video "Anywhere With You" also received MTV play, and the "Anywhere With You" single was a minor hit in the US, reaching no. 86 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart. Rubber Rodeo's fusion of new wave and country music on the album led music critic J.D. Considine to coin the term "cowboy pop" in his review published in '' Musician''. Later in 1984, the band picked up a Grammy nomination for a long-form video they made for ''Scenic Views''. The video was produced by Second Story Television and written and directed by David Greenberg. The home video release also included the music video for their early Eat Records single, "How The West Was Won".

''Heartbreak Highway'' (1986)

Before recording their follow-up album, the band's line-up was reshuffled again. Tomeo departed, to be replaced by Ray Gantek on pedal steel and dobro. The band's second album, 1986's ''Heartbreak Highway'', was produced by

Ken Scott Ken Scott (born 20 April 1947) is a British record producer and engineer known for being one of the five main engineers for the Beatles, as well as engineering Elton John, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Duran Duran, the Jeff B ...

, who had previously produced albums by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and Devo. However, the album was not a commercial success and the band was subsequently dropped by their label. Nevertheless, the group soldiered on for a while, with

Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...

taking over from Gantek as Rubber Rodeo's steel guitarist.

Break-up and later careers

The band split up by the end of the 1980s, with their final recording appearing on a 1991 tribute album honouring Duplex Planet poetry naif Ernest Noyes Brookings. By this point, bassist Allen had returned to the group and Rubber Rodeo was credited as a quartet of Bob Holmes, Trish Milliken, Gary Leib, and Doug Allen. Holmes and Milliken's marriage came to an end in the 1990s about the same time they had their child Zane Holmes. Bob Holmes (not to be confused with guitarist Robert Holmes from the new wave band 'Til Tuesday) went on to a successful production career for artists ranging from

Nils Lofgren Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a membe ...

, and now produces multi-media in New York City. In 2011, Holmes formed a new band called The Crusty Gentlemen, with original Rubber Rodeo bassist Doug Allen, pedal steel guitarist Jonathan Gregg, bassist Roger Moley, and banjo player Jeffrey Freidberg. The "Crusties" perform covers of classic bluegrass/country songs, with the occasional cover of popular songs such as, "Sweet Child O' Mine," originally done by Guns N' Roses. Both Doug Allen and

, meanwhile, drew upon their art school backgrounds and became noted cartoonists. Elsewhere,

moved to London and joined David Bowie's band

Tin Machine Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...

; and Tomeo, Cragin, and Gantek all carved out careers as notable session musicians. Rubber Rodeo did get back together to record a third album some time in the 1990s, but it has never seen release. In November 2007, Gary Leib was interviewed for the Alternative Classix podcast, where he discussed Rubber Rodeo's history and legacy. Bob Holmes and Gary Leib performed in a new project named SUSS, that has been referred to as “ambient country" music.

Discography

Albums

EPs *''Rubber Rodeo'' (1982 Eat Records) # "The Theme for Rubber Rodeo" (1:35) # "Jolene" (4:17) # "Slippin' Away" (4:08) # "How the West Was Won" (3:26) # "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" (2:36) # "True Confessions" (2:58) *''She Had to Go...'' (1982 Eat Records) # "She Had to Go..." (5:11) # "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (2:44) # "Forbidden Valley" (3:59) LPs *''

'' (1984 Eat Records) # "Need You, Need Me" (4:39) # "Slow Me Down" (3:31) # "Anywhere With You" (4:40) # "Walking After Midnight" (3:56) # "City of God" (5:13) # "The Hardest Thing" (3:15) # "House of Pain" (4:45) # "Mess o' Me" (5:03) # "Before I Go Away (5:57) # "Woman of Straw" (4:20)* *''Heartbreak Highway'' (1986 Mercury Records) # "Heartbreak Highway" (4:33) # "If You're Ever Alone" (4:10) # "Everybody's Talkin'" (3:40) # "Souvenir" (3:48) # "The Civil War" (4:14) # "Deadtown" (4:43) # "When Words Collide" (4:13) # "Look Who's Back" (4:11) # "Maybe Next Year" (4:28) -*on CD and cassette releases

Singles

*"Jolene" (1981) *"She Had To Go" (1982) *"The Hardest Thing" (1984) *"Anywhere With You" (1984) *"Everybody's Talkin'" (1986) *"Souvenir" (1986)

References

{{Authority control 1980 establishments in the United States 1989 disestablishments in the United States Musical groups from Boston American new wave musical groups Rock music groups from Massachusetts Cowpunk musical groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Rhode Island School of Design alumni in music