Throw Rag

Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard it before, but in this case it just happens to be true. Throw Rag is more than just a rock n roll band. Throw Rag are rock n roll! But let’s be clear about something here; rock n roll, although essentially a thing of great beauty, is on whole, rather smelly and sweaty and dirty and will leave you with a hangover and a suspicious looking rash if you wake up with it the next day. Rock n roll doesn’t care; it is its job not to care. So don’t even think about complaining. For what it’s worth, Throw Rag formed about eight years ago in Salton Sea, in the heart of the California Desert, the Mecca for all the worlds’ tweakers and crazies. That in itself says a lot about the band. But you probably didn’t see them back then and you almost certainly wouldn’t have liked them. Far removed from the band they are today, Throw Rag were an excuse for nudity and carnage, with music (a kind of acoustic hillbilly punk thing) as more of an afterthought. People came to see them in the same way they’ll rubberneck a car wreck, people, who as vocalist Captain Sean Doe noted "appreciated someone dying in front of them more or less". Venues were less impressed and banned Throw Rag. But hell, what self-respecting rock n roll band hasn’t been banned from somewhere. And let’s not forget, Throw Rag are rock n roll.

Sure, you can look for influences and it won’t be too hard to find them. Throw Rags’ first album ‘Tee Tot’ retained some of the country, hillbilly twang of old, but had an underlying Cramps vibe. And as the Rag progressed through the second record ‘Desert Shores’, you find hints of Motorhead and even the Birthday Party. But neither of those bands had a washboard player, as Throw Rag do in the demented Englishman abroad Craig Jacko Jackman. And although those bands are fairly accurate pointers for what to expect, the great thing about Throw Rag is that they have an identity that is no ones but theirs. Which is probably why they’re now selling-out those same venues that once banned them and why they can win over any audience, having toured with everyone from Reverend Horton Heat to NOFX. Shit, they can even get an LA crowd dancing!

It was once said that if Throw Rag were a tattoo, they’d be a teardrop tattooed beneath a bloodshot eye. Which is a damn good quote and as good as you’ll get here. But the truth is that Throw Rag is the moment when you wipe that tear away. Songs like ‘Demons In A Row’ and ‘Beast In Me’ are seeped in the pain and catharsis that is life, the musical equivalent of Bukowski and Hunter S Thompson on that final screaming blowout. But with that pain is an understanding that this might be as good as it gets, so you may as well enjoy it. Throw Rag are that moment after a painful break up when you suddenly stop wallowing in self-pity and dive back into life and do something you’ll probably regret but which nonetheless feels so right now. Sure, your heart’s still in tatters, but you’ll live so you may as well enjoy it. We’re at our most dangerous in that moment, but also at our most alive.

This brings this story to Spring 2005. Throw Rag are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming full length album, ”13 ft & rising” due out June 29, 2005. With the production genius of Cameron Webb (notable other works include an album for the Grammy Award winning Motorhead), they are set to release their finest piece of work yet. This time around they’ve moved further away from the sound of their long-ago days in the Salton Sea and instead have really progressed to a sound all their own. The album’s 13 brand new tracks features special guest appearances from Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Keith Morris (Circle Jerks) and Motorhead frontman, Lemmy. In addition, Throw Rag released in late fall of 2004, a live DVD as part of Kung Fu Records “This Show Must Go Off” series. Of course, Throw Rag are expected to resume their relentless touring schedule which includes a main support slot on a full US tour with Queens of the Stone Age as well as select dates on summer blockbuster music festival powerhouse, Vans Warped Tour and tentative plans for a full European tour.

Jacko once said that the scariest thing he ever saw was a video of his own band’ "like, why didn’t somebody stop me!" Well, you looked like you were having such a good time! The fact is, you don’t have to understand any of this to understand or enjoy Throw Rag, but it certainly helps. Treat them as a party band and live vicariously through them if that’s what you need, but never forget that like any truly great rock n roll band, Throw Rag have no choice because rock n roll isn’t just a way of life. Rock n roll is life. And Throw Rag are rock n roll.