The Rhythm Pigs were a punk band, originally from El Paso, Texas, later relocated to San Francisco. Their first two albums were among the first to be released by the influential independent Mordam Records label. Their first 7" EP is a classic example of early hardcore, welding driving rock and roll with broad melodies and the varied tempos and hooks that were to disappear from the form until reintroduced by Green Day and the like. The first two studio albums showed more "big tent" punk, with varied musical styles ("Break or we'll break your face" would not seem out of place on Licensed to Ill) happily shoehorned into melodic punk songs.

The first Rhythm Pigs record, "An American Activity" 7"

Touring extensively throughout Europe and North America throughout the mid-1980s, the Rhythm Pigs were one of the most sophisticated and musically diverse hardcore bands, and remained so throughout the 1980s as hardcore became more and more musically conservative. That the wistful and melodic power-ballads of "El Paso" would not be considered punk by most adherents has as much to do with the shifting definition of punk as it does with the mellowing of the band's sound. "Baby Falcon Getaway" saw a return to a more raw, fast-paced hard rock sound (the three out-and-out hardcore songs on "El Paso" are collected into a single track titled "The Fast Three") combined with the more humorous tone seen on the first album. "Baby Falcon..." and included a hardcore cover to the Gordon Lightfoot's classic "Sundown", a furiously paced rendition of Charles Mingus's "Boogie Stop shuffle" recalling the "Peanut's theme" (Vince Guaraldi's Linus and Lucy) from the first album.

Personnel

• 1st LP: Jay Smith, Greg Adams, Ed Ivey
• 2nd LP: Kenny Craun, Greg Adams, Ed Ivey (Don Holmes, "Main Man", LP engineered by Spot)
• I'm not crazy... Billy Atwell from th' Inbred replaces Kenny on drums.
• El Paso: Jay Smith, Greg Adams, Ed Ivey
• Baby Falcon... Shmeckie, Jay Smith, Ed Ivey

Ed Ivey currently plays sousaphone in San Francisco's Brass Monkey Brass Band. Billy Atwell is a composer/producer for hire in the NYC metro area.

Discography

• An American Activity 1984. 6 song 7" EP unclean records (cat# ur 004)
• The Rhythm Pigs, 1986 LP Mordam Records (cat # 2)
• Choke on this, 1987 LP Mordam Records (cat # 4)
• I'm not crazy, I'm an airplane. 1988 LP Konkurrel (cat # 001-107) Recorded live at Donkiesjot (Don Quixote) Sittard Holland Nov 1987)
• El Paso 1994. CD Westworld Enterprises (cat# 13)
• Baby Falcon Getaway. 1996 CD Cool Beans Records (cat# 4)

See also

Beefeater (band)

External links

• Ed Ivey's website
• Fan site on Myspace.com
• Billy Atwell's website
• Rhythm Pigs at All Music Guide

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