Lazy Cowgirls
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Founder | Pat Todd, Doug Phillips (D.D. Weekday), Allen Clark, Keith Telligman |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Punk rock music |
The Lazy Cowgirls were a punk rock group originating from Los Angeles, California, active between 1983 and 2004. Praised as "punk rock legends" by Brad Jones of Westword, the band’s frontman Pat Todd went on to create Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders after their dissolution.
History
The band was established in Los Angeles in 1983 by Pat Todd (vocals), Doug Phillips (also known as D.D. Weekday) on guitar, Allen Clark on drums, and Keith Telligman handling bass guitar; all members hailed from Vincennes, Indiana. They began performing regularly in 1984. Their inaugural album, titled Lazy Cowgirls, was released in 1985 through Restless Records with production by Chris D.. This was succeeded by Tapping the Source in 1987 under Bomp! Records. In pursuit of a label for a live record, they became the first artists signed to the newly formed Sympathy for the Record Industry, releasing Radio Cowgirl in 1989, which featured vibrant live sessions recorded at KCSB-FM.
Spin recognized them as "one of the planet’s ranking punk bands," coinciding with their fourth album, How It Looks -- How It Is, released in 1990 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. After Telligman and Clark left in 1991, the band experienced several changes in their rhythm section until it settled by 1995. That year’s album, Ragged Soul, co-produced by Earle Mankey, showcased Todd, Weekday, Michael Leigh (rhythm and lead guitar), Ed Huerta (drums), and Leonard Keringer (bass). Trouser Press highlighted this release as their strongest bid for mainstream recognition.
Following extensive tours, Weekday, Leigh, and Huerta departed in 1996. The subsequent 1997 album A Little Sex and Death introduced Bob Deagle on drums and Eric Chandler on guitar. A four-track EP/CD titled Broken Hearted On Valentines Day came next, featuring Rick Johnson on rhythm guitar. After Johnson’s exit, Leigh rejoined as lead guitarist in 1999. That year saw two releases: Rank Outsider and Somewhere Down the Line (2000). In 2001, they issued a live album called Here and Now (LIVE!). Their final studio effort, I'm Goin' Out And Get Hurt Tonight, appeared in 2004 with Roy Morgan on drums and was released via Reservation Records, marking their sole collaboration with that label.
After disbanding in 2004, Pat Todd initiated his project Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders.
Critical reception
The Lazy Cowgirls were often likened to early punk pioneers such as the Ramones, the New York Dolls, and the Stooges. Brad Jones from Westword characterized their sound as "...lean, soulful, and as abrupt as an ice pick through the forehead," particularly evident on their album Ragged Soul. Peter Margasak regarded this album as their finest work, applauding its "...thrilling mix of Stooge-oid rattle and soulful twang." Joe S. Harrington depicted the band as a bold counterpart to New York Dolls/Sex Pistols, maintaining the largely non-political punk ethos similar to that of the Leaving Trains. Fred Mills referred to I’m Goin’ Out and Get Hurt Tonight as their "...latest, possibly greatest platter," featuring a "...hi-nrg roar."
Discography
- Lazy Cowgirls (Restless, 1985)
- Tapping the Source (Bomp!, 1987)
- Third Time's the Charm (Grown Up Wrong EP, 1988)
- Radio Cowgirl (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1989)
- How It Looks – How It Is (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1990)
- Ragged Soul (Crypt, 1995)
- A Little Sex and Death (Crypt, 1997)
- Rank Outsider (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1999)
- Somewhere Down the Line (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2000)
- Here and Now (Live!) (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2001)
- I'm Goin' Out And Get Hurt Tonight (Reservation, 2004)