The Rathskeller (known as The Rat) was a live music venue in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

that was open from 1974 to 1997. It was considered the "granddaddy" of Boston rock venues. During its heyday, the Rat hosted such acts as

the Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboard ...

the Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Loverin ...

, Metallica,

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

, Dinosaur Jr., The Replacements,

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...

, and

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...

. From 1980 to 1987, The Hoodoo BBQ, which '' Esquire'' called one of the "100 Best Restaurants in America"—was located at The Rat. In the 1960s the Rat was a restaurant and bar catering to college students. At the time, it offered live music in a back room, featuring local bands such as the Remains (who opened for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

on their final tour), the Lost (with future Boston punk legend Willie "Loco" Alexander) and The Mods (whose drummer Harry Sandler went on to play with " Boston Sound" hitmakers

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...

). The Remains were so popular in 1965 the owner of the Rathskeller was forced to open up the basement for the overflow crowds that the Remains attracted. Live music was phased out in the late 1960s, returning in 1974. YoungSnakesRat

The "locus of boston rock and roll," the Rat was noted for the artists who performed there before their commercial breakthroughs and the local bands and scenes it helped to develop. In 1976, the album ''Live at The Rat'' was released; it documented the music of the time as well as the importance of the club in the development of Boston rock and roll. The

WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble (sometimes stylized "Rock & Roll Rumble"; formerly the " WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble"), begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston " battle of the bands" competition sponsored by Boston Emissions, an online local music program f ...

was held at the Rat for its first three years and was originally referred to as "The Rumble at the Rat." The Rat was also considered important for its contribution to the

Hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

movement. In a 2010 interview,

Ken Casey Kenneth William Casey Jr. (born April 15, 1969) is an American musician who is a bass guitarist, primary songwriter, and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, sta ...

of the Dropkick Murphys said: "(The Rat) afforded us the opportunity to have a place to play and develop our fan base, and it was just amazing to us. And the reason I credit it with all of our success, was this is how we started to tour. The hardcore punk scene in the mid-’90s was huge in Boston." References to the Rat's cultural impact can be found in the book '' All Souls'', ''The Sound of Our Town'', the film '' All Ages: The Boston Hardcore Film,'' and in both ''

Guitar Hero II ''Guitar Hero II'' is a music rhythm video game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 and Activision for the Xbox 360. It is the second main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series and is the sequel to 2005 ...

'' and '' Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s''. The Rathskeller closed in November 1997, and was torn down in October 2000 to make way for the Hotel Commonwealth, a 148-room luxury hotel of which

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

is a limited partner. The band Camper Van Beethoven, pejoratively referenced the club in their 1988 song "Never Go Back" ("Never going to go back to the Rat and play another mafia show again"). In 2002, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones released a song on their album ''

A Jackknife to a Swan '' A Jackknife to a Swan'' is the seventh studio album by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on July 9, 2002, by SideOneDummy Records. It was recorded over a few weeks in February 2002. This album marked the band's return to an indie lab ...

'' lamenting the loss of the Rat titled "I Want My City Back."

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and

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* Bullet LaVolta * Mr. Butch * Butthole Surfers * Camper Van Beethoven *

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* The Dogmatics * Dream Syndicate *

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Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the lat ...

The Flesh Eaters The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardi ...

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* The F.U.'s * The Freeze * Game Theory *

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* Holly and the Italians * Human Sexual Response * Thee Hypnotics *

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

* Inside Out *

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( Peter Wolf) *

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* Jerry's Kids *

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* Joe Ely *

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* John Cale * La Peste * Los Lobos * Lou Miami *

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* Megadeth *

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* Metallica * The Mighty Mighty Bosstones * Miltown *

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* Minutemen *

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Mother Love Bone Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and lyrics helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/ea ...

* Napalm Death *

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* Nervous Eaters * November Group * Only Living Witness *

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* People in Stores *

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* Poison * Powerman 5000 *

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* Rain Parade *

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* The Real Kids *

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* The Replacements * The Remains *

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* Robin Lane and the Chartbusters *

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* Rogue *

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* SS Decontrol *

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* Salem 66 * Sam Black Church * Scruffy The Cat *

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* Showcase Showdown *

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Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...

* Sonic Youth *

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* Steve Earle * Stevie Ray Vaughan * The Stompers *

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* Straw Dogs * Suicide *

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* 'Til Tuesday *

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* True West *

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* The Unseen * U2 * The Ben Vaughn Combo *

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* Wargasm *

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* White Zombie * Willie "Loco" Alexander *

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* Wrathchild *

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* Youth Brigade * Zero Boys *

The Zulus :''This article relates to an English football team. There are also separate articles on the African language and South African peoples.'' The Zulus were a short lived football team established in Sheffield, England that existed from 1879 to 1882. ...

References

External links

"The Rat Remembered: 8 True (and Terrifying) Stories from Boston’s Legendary Rock Club" - Rockerzine.com 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rathskeller, The Culture of Boston Music venues in Boston Nightclubs in Massachusetts Former music venues in the United States Demolished music venues in the United States Punk rock venues Drinking establishments in Boston 1974 establishments in Massachusetts 1997 disestablishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures demolished in 2000 Demolished buildings and structures in Massachusetts