Rubber City Rebels


Band members                              Related acts

  line up 1 (1975-78)

- Buzz Clic -- lead guitar 

- Donny Damage -- bass 

- Rod Firestone (aka Rod Bent) -- vocals, guitar 

- Stix Pelton -- drums, percussion 

- Pete Sake (aka Pete Mullen) -- keyboards 

 

  line up 2 (1978-80)

NEW - Johnny Bethesda -- bass (replaced Donny Damage)

- Buzz Clic -- lead guitar 

- Rod Firestone (aka Rod Bent) -- vocals, guitar 

NEW - Mike Hammer -- drums, percussion (replaced Stix Pelton) 

 

  line up 3 (2001)

 - Johnny Bethesda -- bass

- Rod Firestone (aka Rod Bent) -- vocals, guitar

- Mike Hammer -- drums, percussion 

 

  line up 4 (2001-03)

- Rod Firestone (aka Rod Bent) -- vocals, guitar (1975-80,

  2001-03)

- Mike Hammer -- drums, percussion (replaced 

  Stix Pelton) (1978, 2001-03)

 

 

 

 

- The Akron Compilation

- Bold Chicken (Buzz Clic)

- Buzz Clic (solo efforts)

- The Firetones (Rod Firestone)

- The Lewds (Bob Clic)

- The Sunset Bombers (Brandon Matheson)

 

 

 


 

Genre: rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Rubber City Rebels

Company: Capitol

Catalog: ST-12100

Year: 1980

Country/State: Akron, Ohio

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: cut out hole top right corner

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5320

Price:$20.00

 

Ah, Akron's Rubber City Rebels ...  Interesting how one of the more talented outfits out of the city managed to get overlooked by the buying public and radio when many of their less talented competitors actually managed to garnered their 15 minutes of fame.

 

Lead guitarist Buzz Clic, bassist Donny Damage, and singer/guitarist Rod Firestone started their musical collaboration in the Akron cover band King Cobra. With the addition of drummer Stix (Styx) Pelton and keyboardist Pete Sake to the lineup the Rubber City Rebels quickly became part of the city's blossoming music scene that gave rise to the likes of The Dead Boys, Devo, Pere Ubu, The Pretenders, Rachel Sweet, etc.  The even started the Midwest's first punk/new wave oriented club via Akron's The Crypt.  By the mid-1970s the band had begun to attract considerable local attention, their initial break coming when buddies The Dead Boys invited them to serve as opening act at a showcase performance at New York's CBGBs.  The resulting publicity saw them sign to the small Clone label which released a split album with the Bizarros "From Akron" (Clone catalog number CL-001 - the five Rubber City Rebel tracks were on side two).  Clone also released a Rubber City Rebel 45 'Teacher's Pet' b/w 'Hooked On You/To Kill You' (Clone catalog number ??).

 

 

Following the call of commercial success, 1978 saw the band (sans keyboardist Sake and drummer Pelton who was quickly replaced by Mike Hammer) relocate to Los Angeles.  Unable to find a label, they recorded and released a pair of singles on their own RCR label 'Surprise Surprise b/w 'Brainwave' (RCR catalog number RCR-100) and 'Young' and Dumb' b/w 'Paper Doll' (RCR catalog number RCR-101).  

 

 

The move and subsequent shows at Sunset Strip clubs like the Troubadour and the Whiskey a Go-Go along with an infamous publicity stunt where they hijacked a Hollywood billboard brought them to the attention of Sire Records which promptly signed them to a contract.  Unfortunately creative and business differences saw the band dropped before they could record anything. 

 

the band posing before their infamous Hollywood billboard

 

Following another series of personnel changes that saw bassist Damage and drummer Hammer head back to Ohio (they were replaced by Johnny Bethesda and ex-The Sunset Bomber Brandon Matheson), at the urging of long time friend/supporter and Knack front man Doug Feiger (who'd played with Matheson in an earlier band), Capitol Records signed the group.  With Feiger in the production role, the band debuted with 1980's cleverly titled "Rubber City Rebels".  Musically the set was an interesting and entertaining mixture of punk and power pop moves.  Imagine The Knack with 100 times more energy and testosterone and you'll be in the right aural neighborhood. With all four members contributing material, tracks like 'Rubber City Rebels' and 'Young and Dumb' underscored their punk/new wave moves, but those were offset by some surprisingly commercial numbers including 'Gonna Be Strong', 'Lonely Fool' and 'Bluer Than Blue'.  The results were somewhat schizophrenic, but the combination of styles combined with the band's goofy sense of humor (a revamped version of 'Child Eaters') made for an album far better than you would have expected.   Besides, where else would you find an album that included both a Fleetwood Mac and a Sex Pistols cover ('No Feelings' and 'Somebody's Gonna Get (Their Heads Kicked In Tonight)') ?

 

Capitol Records promo photo

 

"Rubber City Rebels" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Somebody's Gonna Get (There Heads Kicked In Tonight)   (Jeremy Spencer) - 2:23

Starting off the album with what sounded like their impression of a mean spirited Elvis wasn't exactly the most original concept you've ever heard.   Very '59s rock feel that probably won't have a lot of appeal.   Be forewarned of the poor video and sound quality, but YouTube has a brief clip of the band performing the song at L.A.'s Whiskey a Go-Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRIy-mos-Fw    rating: ** stars

2.) Paper Dolls - 2:30

''Paper Dolls' was simply too tuneful to be labeled a punk tune.   Think along the lines of  The Knack with a touch more angst and you'd have a feel for the song's bouncy, commercial edge.  rating: *** stars

3.) Gonna Be Strong   (Rod Firestone) - 3:34

Well, I guess dysfunction families are pretty common enough, so congratulations to Firestone for his surprisingly well thought out life philosophy.   Nice mid-tempo rocker with lead guitarist  Buzz Clic turning in a nice AOR solo.   rating: **** stars

4.) Child Eater    (Rod Firestone - Bill Clic) - 4:22

Yeah, 'Child Eater' sounded like they'd been listening to a little too much English punk and even though the lyrics were juvenile (so much for being a single mom), the song had a great, surprisingly accomplished melody. The video (black and white) and sound quality are poor, but YouTube had a clip of the band performing the tune at a 1978 date at L.A.'s Whikey a-Go Go: :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S-p_0K9OMo   rating: *** stars

5.) Laugh   (Rod Firestone - Donny Damage) - 2:52

Kicked along by a great Johnny Bethesda bass pattern, 'Laugh' was side one's most punk-ish tune with the title making for a hysterical chorus that was perfect for someone who wanted to pogo in a mosh pit.   rating: *** stars

 

(side 2)
1.) Young and Dumb   (Rod Firestone  Bill Clic - Brandon Matheson - Johnny Bethesda) - 3:35

Funny I can remember hearing this when it originally came out and thinking how punk-ish it was.  Today it sounds hysterically commercial and almost optimistic in it's outlook.  Great tune with a killer hook and lyrics that should make folks of a certain demographic smile fondly as they think about their long gone youth.   rating: **** stars   

2.) Lonely Fool   (Rod Firestone) - 2:29

Be warned you were liable to fund yourself humming 'Lonely Fool' which raised the question of how a band this tuneful simply could be considered true punks.   rating: **** stars

3.) Bluer Than Blue   (Rod Firestone  - Bill Clic - Bandon Matheson - Johnny Bethesda) - 2:35

Okay it was a mindless punk stomper, but I have to admit it was amazingly catchy and propulsive with another killer hook that wouldn't leave your head.  Who would have thought ?   rating: **** stars  

4.) Rubber City Rebels   (Rod Firestone  Bill Clic - Bandon Matheson - Donny Damage) - 2:20

One of the album's more mindless tunes, it's basically the title sung over and over and over.  Quickly becomes boring.   rating: ** stars

5.) No Feelings  (Paul Cook - Steve Jones - Glen Matlock - Johnny Rotten) - 2:56

So why not end with a Sex Pistols cover ?   Certainly more tuneful than the original (off of 1977's "Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols").   rating: *** stars

 

 

Greeted with complete indifference from radio and the buying public Firestone and company called it quits.  Firestone briefly reappeared as a member of Firetones.  As far as I can tell, the groups' recording catalog consisted of a four song 1983 EP "Trouble" (Warner Brothers catalog FT101).

 

 

Spurred on by renewed interest in their catalog including a re-release of their debut and "Re-Tired" (White Noise catalog number ???) which pulled together their five "From Akron" tracks and some early live sides, the band including bassist Damage and drummer Hammer reunited in 2001.  I've never heard it, but the band released a true sophomore studio set in 2003 "Pierce My Brain" (Smog Veil/Munster Records catalog number SV49MLP).  In case anyone's interested, the band shot a video for the LP's title track which you can see via the following YouTube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzajMDiJ2Lk

 

 

       "Rubber City Rebels" reissue             2001's "Re-Tired"              2003's "Pierce My Brain"

 

Naturally there are a couple of  Rubber City Rebels websites:

 

http://www.rubbercityrebels.com/

 

http://myspace.com/rubbercityrebels

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACK TO BADCAT FRONT PAGE

BACK TO BADCAT CATALOG PAGE

BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION