Rank and File

Here's Alejandro Escovedo in one of his early bands, the Kinman Brothers outfit called Rank and File. With Escovedo's star rising, that's how Rank and File seems to be referenced, as a stepping stone in his career, but that's not fair to the band. They were very popular at KJHK by the time I arrived in 1984. The Sundown record (released in 1982) was still played a lot and with good reason. They fit in well with popular artists with similar approaches, X, for one, and Jason and the Nashville Scorchers too. I saw the 2nd line-up (sorry, no Alejandro) at the Lawrence Opera House on February 12, 1985 along with Otto's Chemical Lounge and The Blinkies. It was a great show. The reception was enthusiastic and local promoters brought them back less than a year later, but for whatever reason, the subsequent show at the Outhouse did not inspire the same response. It was indicative of the change in the band and the scene. Rank and File was never as much fun after their first record. But hell, I had fun at both shows. Here's a rare YouTube sighting of Rank and File doing their eponymous song. I found this at Mike Soden's myspace page. I'd give you the URL but that mofo has got so many doo-dads and pedaljets and hootenanys posted that it bogs down on my feeble machine. Thanks for finding this one Mike!