Tomorrow

The Rave-Ups’ 3 previous albums, 1985’s independently released "Town + Country", along with 1987’s "The Book Of Your Regrets" and 1990’s "Chance", both for Epic Records, established the group as one of the pioneers of the cowpunk genre that eventually transformed into americana, following in the footsteps of LA bred country rock groups from The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds through contemporaries like X, The Blasters, and Rank + File.

The original Los Angeles lineup, singer songwriter Jimmer Podrasky, guitarist Terry Wilson, bassist Tommy Blatnik, and drummer Timothy Jimenez, who 1st met while working together in the A&M Records mailroom, have reunited for "Tomorrow", set for release today, February 4th, 2022, by Omnivore Recordings, which reissued "Town + Country" in 2016 with 11 bonus tracks.

When Pittsburgh native Jimmer Podrasky graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980, where his theatre classmates included Holly Hunter and Linda Kozlowski, he had already formed a version of The Rave-Ups, a rousing punk rock band that took its cue from the emerging New York and London D.I.Y. scenes with groups like the Ramones and The Clash. When he packed up and headed for Los Angeles, he discovered kindred musical spirits in Wilson, a Springfield, Missouri native who had played with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Blatnik, a suburban kid from Whittier, CA, and Jimenez, a Burbank, CA, native who had never been outside the state nor on a plane until he toured with the band.

The Rave-Ups’ "Town + Country" led to major label interest and a recording deal with Epic Records, where they were signed by a&r executive Roger 'Snake' Klein, best known for bringing in Indigo Girls, who brought The Rave-Ups on tour with them as an opening act. The band was introduced to the world when Molly Ringwald, a friend of Jimmer, he dated her sister Beth, had their name scratched onto a notebook in John Hughes’ "Sixteen Candles", then appeared as themselves in "Pretty In Pink", performing “Rave-Up, Shut-Up” and “Positively Lost Me”, a track that landed on Rhino’s compilation "Just Can’t Get Enough : New Wave Hits Of The ’80s". After releasing "Chance" in 1990, Jimmer left the Rave-Ups to raise the son after whom the album was named.

The Rave-Ups briefly reunited 5 years ago to play "Town + Country" at a record release party for that album’s Omnivore reissue, but a full fledged reunion wasn’t in the cards until Jimmer and Tim hooked up at the latter’s studio, where they began working on a song that turned out to be “Violets On A Hill”, a country flavored number recalling such Stones romps as “Wild Horses” and “Dead Flowers. When they were eventually joined by Terry and Tom, it was clear this was not a Jimmer solo project, like "The Would-Be Plans" in 2013, "God Like The Sun" in 2017, "Almost Home Again" in 2019 and last year’s 6 song "Shoulder To Cry On" EP with duet partner Syd Straw, but a full on Rave-Ups revival.

“The best part of this project was when the 4 of us were in a room making music together”, says Jimmer. “That was brilliant. I never doubted how the 4 of us would sound. That was the most joyous thing about making this. We didn’t overintellectualize or analyze. We trusted each other musically and the finished album made it all worthwhile”.

"Tomorrow" may have been conceived before the pandemic, but its themes touch on such hot topics as political polarization, unrequited love, the relationship between father and son, fear and paranoia, divorce and the light at the end of the tunnel. The band’s country punk bona fides are buttressed by the presence of pedal steel maestro Marty Rifkin, replacing the late Sneaky Pete Kleinow, who famously played on "Town + Country".

The 1st single, “How Old Am I?”, was inspired by a question from Jimmer’s widowed father, suffering from poor health, with a U2 styled guitar rave-up from Terry and a Springsteen like fervor. Podrasky’s glistening harp solo opens “Coming After Me”, which echoes Eagles’ “Take It Easy”. Its subject is Jimmer’s 3 day stay in a mental institution, though it could also be interpreted as referencing the immigrant children trapped in cages at the border. As for the album closing “Tomorrow”, Jimmer, who had poetry published while still in college, admits, “That’s as uplifting as I get. There’s always a yin and yang to every song I write. Even the funnier ones have something that’s a little edgy. Life isn’t black and white. There’s a lot of gray in there”.

“The Rave-Ups made a record that’s really good and sounds like us,” says Jimmer about "Tomorrow", deferring about whether the band will be playing any shows. “The proof is in the pudding”. And ready to be tasted.