The Pedaljets are releasing their first new material in 23 years, starting with a 45 single 12/15/12 with the roaring riffs of "Riverview," a possible love child of Iggy Pop and Bob Dylan, and the dark insinuation of "Terra Nova," a hearkening back to the Pedaljets' early days with shades of Mission of Burma and The Wipers. A full length will follow in 2/13, and this single is only the tip of the iceberg of the remarkable batch of songs on the LP.
The Pedaljets originated in Lawrence, Kansas in 1984 and were one of the "almost famous" alternative acts of the 1980s – a missing link between The Replacements and Nirvana. From their beginning, the Pedaljets toured the country nonstop, often opening for the likes of Hüsker Dü, Flaming Lips, The Replacements, Meat Puppets, and other usual suspects of 1980s alternative/punk America. They released two full lengths – the first, "Today Today," on Twilight Records in 1988 to great accolades, the Lawrence Journal World calling it a "regional standard" with Creem, Trouser Press and many others chiming in as well (see press pack). The second LP, "Pedaljets," was released on Communion in 1989 and was rushed out as an unfinished, poorly realized "what might have been" of an LP. The "Pedaljets" CD garnered solid national attention and good reviews, despite its flaws. After six years of almost nonstop touring and born upon a deep disappointment with this second LP, the Pedaljets quietly disbanded in July 1990. Ironically, at the time they broke up, the Pedaljets' flag was flying higher than ever. They were on MTV and packing clubs around the country; even the opening montage of credits on Saturday Night Live featured a quick shot of a Pedaljets poster.
Now fast-forward to winter 2006, when rumors began circulating around KC about some kind of a quasi-Pedaljets reunion. The story was that after listening back to "baked out" masters with producer, Paul Malinowski (bass player for former KC rock titans Shiner, Season to Risk), the guys had returned to the studio after 17 years to finally "fix the mix." Turns out, the rumors were true. One of the 1980s more enigmatic bands temporarily had re-emerged to seek a sort of rock-and-roll redemption – a cathartic cleansing consisting of playing together again, drinking like they shouldn't, and correcting old mistakes, not necessarily in that order. They had discovered that the tapes were salvageable. Moreover, that first night listening back to the raw masters was a surprise to everyone – Kesler and Morrow still sounded like one of rock's great rhythm sections; Allmayer's lyrics and chord changes were still rich, hooky, and unpredictable; and Wade's lead guitar still resonated with the band's expanded vision. More importantly, the songs still sounded fresh– history meets modernity. It was time to finish it right. Meeting in the studio when they could, the boys worked with Malinowski over an entire year to polish and fix the sound, and to sharpen the arrangements.
After re-recruiting Archer Prewitt (Sea and Cake, The Cocktails) to design the cover art (Prewitt did the original cover as well) and signing with Oxblood Records (a great Kansas City label), the story had come full circle and was now ready for its "do-over." The LP was rereleased in 2008 and met a favorable response, Mojo calling out the lead track, "Giants of May," on its playlist: "Grungy country supplied by a Kansas City band that set out to make an album many years ago but only just got around to completing the task. You'll be glad they did."
After reuniting for a few shows around the KC area, the Pedaljets decided to return to the studio in late 2009 to record a few new songs Mike Allmayer had written. Original Pedaljet lead guitarist Phil Wade was unavailable, so this time around Malinowski assumed second guitar duties, as well as performing all recording/engineering. After recording 15 tracks in several KC studios, the band went up to Brooklyn to have John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, The Hold Steady, etc.) mix at Headgear Studios. The results are astonishing. Each song is at once vintage midwest in-your-face rock and a totally new approach to what is timeless and resonant and beyond conventional formulaic alternative pop and rock. The guys have learned something after all these years. Enjoy the single and get ready for the LP. You'll be floored. Dig it.
