Rank and File (band)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 in Austin, Texas, United States |
| Founder | Chip Kinman, Tony Kinman |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas , United States |
| Products | Music albums |
Rank and File was a country rock group from the United States, established in 1981 in Austin, Texas by siblings Chip and Tony Kinman, who had previously played in the notable California punk rock outfit The Dils. They were trailblazers in merging the raw energy and DIY spirit of punk with elements of country and western, contributing significantly to the emergence of the cowpunk genre. The band released three albums before disbanding in 1987.
Origins
After concluding their politically charged punk project The Dils in California in 1981, brothers Chip and Tony Kinman relocated eastward. Following a short period in New York City, they made Austin, Texas their home and formed a new musical ensemble.[1] They collaborated with guitarist Alejandro Escovedo from The Nuns to establish Rank and File.[2][3] Chip took on guitar duties, Tony played bass, and Slim Evans was on drums.
Chip Kinman recounted early challenges: "people were grossed out" by their sound, which leaned heavily on country while retaining some punk influence.[1] He added, "We'd perform at New Wave venues where country music was absent. Our sets never led to repeat invitations."[1]
Discography
Rank and File produced three albums—two under the Los Angeles-based label Slash Records and one released through the retro-themed Rhino Records.
Their first album, Sundown, was issued in June 1982 by Slash Records.[2]
The sophomore effort, Long Gone Dead (1984),[2] included a rendition of a song by Lefty Frizzell and incorporated traditional country instruments such as steel guitar and fiddle.[1] Music critic Tom Popson observed the album's "Johnny Cash-style rockabilly guitar riffs."[1] Jeff Ross succeeded Junior Brown as guitarist for this record.
Their last album, Rank and File (1987), released via Rhino Records,[2] featured drummer Bobby Kahr. This record leaned more toward pop-inflected country sounds designed for wider audience appeal.[1]
Reflecting in 2006, Tony Kinman admitted that production delays stalled the band’s progress and influenced the heavier tone of their third album: "It’s just wrong." The group soon dissolved afterwards.[4]
Musical influence
While retaining their political convictions, the Kinman brothers steered their new band toward a more approachable style compared to hardcore punk by fusing country music with a post-punk sensibility. In a 1986 interview with Flipside, bassist Tony Kinman emphasized their pioneering position by defying conventional genre boundaries:
<poem>"We're brave, we're not afraid to do stuff... when everybody else was dismissing country music, we embraced it and said, 'Yeah, we play country music, it's fun.' "Up in San Francisco, KUSF Wave gave us our first live review—they said we sucked but asked if we were trying to start a trend. That's how it worked out: being brave and smart enough to do something different right makes you influential."</poem>
Rank and File also performed on the nationally televised PBS program Austin City Limits.
Subsequent endeavors
Following their initial success, the Kinman brothers explored synthpop through their project Blackbird. They later revisited their cowpunk roots with Cowboy Nation, a stripped-down trio that debuted their first album in January 1997 under Australia's Shock Records label. In 2018, the siblings collaborated once again for Chip's band Ford Madox Ford; their inaugural release, This American Blues, issued by Porterhouse Records, showcased Chip on guitar and vocals, with Tony handling production duties, joined by Matt Littell on bass, S. Scott Aguero on drums, and Dewey Peak playing lead guitar.
Before embarking on a solo path, Alejandro Escovedo co-founded the True Believers alongside his brother Javier.
Tony Kinman died on May 4, 2018.
Discography
- Sundown, Slash Records, 1982
- Long Gone Dead, Slash Records, 1984
- Rank and File, Rhino Records, 1987
External links
- Alan Thicke, "Rank and File: Interview", Thicke of the Night, 1983. —Video.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedTrib - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedLarkinindie - ↑ The band's name is occasionally styled as "Rank 'N File".
- ↑ Fred Mills, Seattle Weekly, October 9, 2006.