by It is so damn refreshing to discover something new — even if it’s almost 40 years old! And so is the case with White Boy and the Average Rat Band, who on November 3rd reissued their out-of-print debut album from 1980 through Heaven and Hell Records.
Check out the album on Bandcamp, where you can also place your order.
As I indicated, I’ve never heard of these guys or this album, which is considered a bit of an underground gem. Of course, a lot of what I’ve heard (because once you hear one track, you gotta hear them all, and binge), much of it is derivative of the heavy metal of the era, but that doesn’t stop it from kicking major fucking ass. So, if you’re a fan of early Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Axe, Wicked Witch, A Band Called Death, Roky Erikson, The MC5, and Iggy and the Stooges, you will definitely want to have a go with White Boy and the Average Rat Band.
Check out the press release below for more details.
The Press Release:
[sic]
For the first time ever officially reissued, and first time ever released on CD White Boy and the Average Rat Band will be made available for collectors and introduced to new audiences.
Now after all these years, this album will finally get a proper reissue, fully digitally re-mastered from the original tapes and released on CD limited to 500 copies worldwide, with booklet containing lyrics and liner-notes by guitarist Mike Matney. The CD version will also include 5 bonus tracks that will only be available on CD version.
Also White Boy and the Average Rat Band debut LP will be re-released for the first time officially on vinyl in a limited 500 pressing; 100 coke-clear and 400 black pieces. The album will be fully re-mastered from the original tape sources to assure that best sound quality possible. This will be the only official reissue of this release, others are unofficial bootlegs taken mastered from vinyl sources.
White Boy and the Average Rat Band formed in the small secluded Virginia mountain town Richlands around 1979 after guitarist and founder Mike Matney returned from a short stint with a band in Nashville, Tennessee. Once back home Matney began to put together his Average Rat Band consisting of bassist Tommy Altizer (R.I.P) , rhythm guitarist Seth Kelly and Tim Gilbert. Matney was a staggerly talented musician referred to by Ron Garmon in LA Record as Richland, Virginia’s Roky Erickson. Ron added, “I think that one of the reasons people like this record is its isolated, alienated quality. It’s not an expression of anybody trying to get anywhere. Rather, it’s a raw power urge to make rock ‘n’ roll—a pure thing.”
You can read the interview here.
In 1980 the band was ready to go into a small local studio and record a slap of DIY heaviness. The 8-track album would see a modest release of 300 as higher distribution was beyond the band’s means.
Jump forward several years and White Boy and the Average Rat Band was now an obscure memory, but the album the band released was beginning to be remembered, remembered and discovered by collectors worldwide who would be paying hundreds of dollars to get one of these pieces of wax in their collections. Every fan of post punk and proto-metal would have this record topping their want-list.
Expect to see the band hit the road in coming months while working on a new album.
Rock Hard \m/
Stay Connected