"Apologies to Henry Cow for exposing their music to a Detroit prostitute who is most likely now dead."

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UPDATE - Be sure to click "Become A Fan" so you can listen to the ultra-rarities on our free jukebox:

"In The Church" ,  "Sonata In Blue" ,  "Scuttlegeiss" , "Shout,"  "Another Nutty 'Life and Death' Thing,"   "The Unfirm Foundation,"   "So Spleen as Dharma"  and  "Number Nine X-Ray Man!"

Plus five more unreleased songs from the vaults:  "Step Up,"   "Cocaine,"   "Together At Once,"  "Beaver Pie Variations (excerpt)"  and  a live version of  "One Foot In The Diner" from 1976 PLUS the radio interview that went along with it!

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Based in suburban Detroit, the Rascal Reporters have been making music for over 30 years now.... Progressive Rock, Avant-Garde Pop, Sound Collage, Experimental, Rock in Opposition, Sentimental TearJerkers, Quirky Folk Tunes for Casio, Elevator Music from Hell, whatever.... This Michigan duo of Steve Kretzmer (keyboards, percussion, vocals, guitars) and Steve Gore (keyboards, percussion, vocals, guitars) has confused audiences and smudged the lines between genres over the course of one 7" single and 6 studio albums.  Recently, the band completed work on their seventh: The Mind Boggles, due for a 2008 release. 

During their long "career," the Rascal Reporters' music has drawn numerous comparisons to the likes of Frank Zappa, Henry Cow, Hatfield & The North, The Residents, Gentle Giant, The Muffins and other artists who have carved out unique, slightly misshapen footholds in the landscape of Popular Music over the last several decades.  The Reporters themselves have rubbed elbows with many innovators in the form of musical collaborations: Nick Didkovsky, Guy Segers, Dave Newhouse, Dave Kerman, James Grigsby, Tim Hodgkinson, and Fred Frith are some notable examples.  The current guest roster for their upcoming release, The Mind Boggles, is a diverse group that includes Mark Harris (Hamster Theatre, Thinking Plague), Michael Sahl (Judy Collins), and Bob Shirley. 

Enjoy all 30 RR tunes on the music player (above), and be sure to check out http://cdbaby.com/all/hebbardesque for more info!

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CREDITS - RASCAL REPORTERS MUSIC PLAYER -

1) "Sent Flying" (Kretzmer) - originally released on the 1980 cassette/reel-to-reel Freaks Obscure.

2) "Moonstruck" (Kretzmer)

3) "The Chalky Substance Variations" (Gore)

  tracks 2 & 3 originally released on the 1988 LP Happy Accidents.

  tracks 1, 2 & 3 from the 1996 CD re-issue of Happy Accidents, available @ ZNR Records

  :  http://www.znrcds.com/osc/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4725 

4) "In The Church" (Gore) - from the limited-edition 2008 CD Born Under A Bad Star.

5) "Step Up" (Gore/Kretzmer) - unreleased track from 1975.

6) "Scuttlegeiss" (Kretzmer/Gore) - from the unreleased 2008 album The Mind Boggles .

7) "Elements" (Gore)

8) "Without Passion or Peace" (Kretzmer)

  tracks 7 & 8  from the 2005 CD Ridin' On A Bummer 20th Anniversary Edition, originally released on the 1984 LP

  Ridin' On A Bummer.  AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD @ http://payplay.fm/rascal .

9) "Shout" (Kretzmer) - featuring Marie McClinchey & Cindi Solnikowski, backing vocals.  originally released on

  Tape Number Two: A Private Studio Compilation in 1985.

10) "Another Nutty 'Life and Death' Thing" (Gore) - featuring Mary Richards, violin & Bobbi Benson, upright bass. 

  tracks 9 & 10  from the 1989 LP Studio Animals Tape Number Four: The Album.

11) "After the Fun" (Kretzmer/Meshew) 

12) "Trousers 3" (Gore)

  tracks 10 & 11 originally released on the 1980 cassette/reel-to-reel We're God .

13) "King Sultan" (Kretzmer)

14) "532-7632" (Gore)

  tracks 11 -14  from the 1997 CD re-issue of We're God ,

  available @ http://www.waysidemusic.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Wafer%207

15) "Cocaine" (Gore/Kretzmer) - unreleased track from 1975.

16) "Together At Once" (Kretzmer) - featuring Rick Barenholtz - bass.  unreleased track from 1976.

17) "The Unfirm Foundation" (Gore) - unfinished track from 1977/1997,

  released on the 1998 limited-edition CD Holly's Biaural Curiosity.

18) "Rat on the Ledge" (Gore)

19) "Capital 'I'" (Gore)

20) "Jennifer's Eel" (Kretzmer)

21) "Soot Dance" (Kretzmer)

  tracks 18 -21 from the 1995 CD Purple Entrapment, originally released on cassette in 1990,

  available @ http://www.waysidemusic.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Wafer%209

22) "Fresh Leather and Poultry Mix" (Kretzmer)

23) "Steve Kretzmer" (Gore)

24) "Prisms" (Kretzmer)

25) "Sarahbella" (Gore) - featuring Dave Newhouse, saxophone. 

  tracks 22 - 25 from the 2001 CD The Foul-Tempered Clavier, available @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/rascal2 .

26) "So Spleen as Dharma" (Gore) - website-only track from 2000.

27) "Beaver Pie Variations (excerpt)" (Gore/Kretzmer) - unreleased track from 1976.

28) "Number Nine X-Ray Man" (Gore) - from the limited-edition 2004 CD EP  Black Boot Heel Crush.

29) "Sonata In Blue" (Gore) - from the limited-edition 2008 CD Born Under A Bad Star.

30) "WOPR Interview Excerpts" - featuring (in order of appearance)  Vic Coleman (host), Rick Barenholtz, Steve

  Kretzmer, Steve Gore.  unreleased recording of FM broadcast from 1976.

31) "One Foot In The Diner" (Gore) - featuring Rick Barenholtz - bass, Steve Gore - guitar, Steve Kretzmer -

  organ.  unreleased live concert recording from 4/14/76, Oak Park High School (Michigan).

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                                           Rascal Reporters Discography:
"My Name" b/w "Ricky And His Dad" single CANCELLED! 1978

Freaks Obscure  - cassette/reel + booklet (Hebbardesque Records) 1980

We're God  - cassette/reel + booklet (Hebbardesque Records) 1980

"Guns For Jerry's Kids" b/w "Beatrice" - 7" picture sleeve single + insert (Hebbardesque Records) 1981

Ridin' On A Bummer  - LP + insert (Hebbardesque Records) 1984

Happy Accidents  - LP (Hebbardesque Records) 1988

Purple Entrapment  - CD (Wafer Face Records) 1995

Happy Accidents  - CD (ZNR Records) 1996

We're God  - CD (Wafer Face Records) 1997

The Foul-Tempered Clavier  - CD (Pleasant Green Records) 2001

Ridin' On A Bummer 20th Anniversary Edition  - CD (Hebbardesque Records) 2005

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here's a Rascal Reporters record review by Steve Hegde:
 

Happy Accidents is filled with some very addicting melodies and rhythms.  The complex music (mostly RIO, and symphonic prog in nature) focuses on the interplay between keyboards (which range from cool-analog to cheesy-organ) , and everything from flute to guitar.  Both epics are built in the cut-and-paste style so many musical ideas are linked together to form a much larger body of work.  The thing that really struck me about  Happy Accidents is that the music changes every measure.  There is little to no repetition, but the melodic development is so intelligent, and witty, that it boggles the mind how anyone could have come up with music this perfect.  If you are a fan of Zappa, U Totem, 5uu's, Ennio Morricone, and similar then you will end up loving this music.