Beat Farmers

1983-1995

The Beat Farmers, formed in 1983 by enigmatic music store owner Dan McLain, were an alternative country rock band that successfully melded George Jones, Tom Jones and the Velvet Underground.

McLain, who re-christened himself Country "Dick" Montana, had been a regular on the San Diego music scene, both as the drummer for the Crawdaddys and later, the Penetrators, and as the proprietor of Monty Rockers, an SDSU area record store which catered to the burgeoning punk community. A former president of the Kinks Preservation Society Fan Club, McLain joined forces with guitarist Jerry Raney (previously of the Shames) to form the nucleus of the Beat Farmers. The pair then drafted guitarist Buddy Blue and bassist Rolle Love of local rockabilly trio, The Rockin' Roulettes.

In March 1984, the group was signed to Rhino Records for a one-album deal, resulting in their debut LP, Tales of the New West, released in January, 1985. Special guests on the album included Peter Case (Plimsouls), Sid Griffin (Long Ryders) and the Kinman  brothers (the Dils, Rank & File).

Although the album was a classic blend of roots-oriented Americana, with a healthy dose of cover tracks, it was the novelty single, "Happy Boy," that gave the band their first glimpse of stardom. Played and hyped relentlessly by KGB DJ Jim McInnes - an early proponent of punk rock in a market dominated by Top 40 and power ballads - the single was then picked up and given regular rotation on the Dr. Demento radio program. According to Blue, the album was recorded while the entire band was under the influence of laughing gas.

Five months later the group earned a special place in local music history by performing at the second annual Street Scene, a small outdoor concert in the Gaslamp Quarter that would eventually become a San Diego tradition with the Farmers performing every year into the 1990s.

The following year the band embarked on a European tour where they were received with great fanfare. During the tour, the Farmers recorded Glad 'N' Greasy, an EP featuring the backing vocal talents of such luminaries as Loudon Wainwright III and Nick Lowe.

When they returned to the States, the band was given a hero's welcome and a seven-record contract with Curb Records, a label run by former California Lieutenant Governor, Mike Curb. Blue, disinchanted with how the label wanted to steer the band's sound during the recording of Van Go, quit the group in disgust and pursued a solo career before forming another group, the Jacks.

Blue was quickly replaced by Joey Harris, a talented friend of Montana's who had also performed in the short-lived group Country Dick and the Snuggle Bunnies. Montana lobbied the band to also bring in Paul Kamanski, (who performed with Harris in the Fingers), but Raney vetoed the idea, opining that the band didn't need three guitarists.

Kamanski remained a stalwart friend of the band however, contributing the hit song "Hollywood Hills" to the band's third album, The Pursuit of Happiness. Released in 1987, the album featured the Harris-penned "Hideway," later featured in the soundtrack of the baseball comedy film, Major League. The group embarked on a second tour of Europe, again, to critical acclaim from the British music press. The single, "Make It Last" initially received airplay on dozens of country radio stations in the US; the song fell from grace when station programmers decided the rest of the album was too rock oriented. Conversely, Billboard magazine declared the Beat Farmers, "the best rock-country-blues band to come down the pike since Credence Clearwater Revival."

In 1989, the Beat Farmers recorded Poor and Famous, featuring "King of Sleeze," a collaboration between Montana and Mojo Nixon. The collaboration eventually led to the founding of The Pleasure Barons, an offshoot group featuring Montana, Nixon, Harris, Kamanski, Dave Alvin (Blasters), John Doe (X) and others. The Farmers were tapped a couple months later to open the Price Center Ballroom, a concert venue on the campus of the University of California, San Diego which continues to stage concerts.

Loud and Plowed and ... Live!, a 21-song concert LP recorded at the Bacchanal, was release by Curb Records in 1990. The album was crafted without the band's knowledge and the recording quality was considered by many to be sub-par. Nevertheless, the album received good reviews from critics familiar with the band's live performances and credit the album for capturing the essence of the Beat Farmers.

In 1991, Montana was treated for a thyroid problem and received cancer treatment. At the same time, the band attempted to get out of their contract with Curb Records, whose label executives reportedly wanted Montana out of the band.

In August 1994, the band signed to Sector 2 Records where they recorded Viking Lullabys. While the band worked on a folllow up, Curb Records released The Best of the Beat Farmers, again without the band's knowledge. A year later, Sector 2 released Manifold which the band toured heavily to promote.

On November 8, 1995 at a show in Whistler, British Columbia, Country "Dick" Montana keeled over from a massive heart attack three songs into the set while singing "The Girl I Almost Married." A few days later, the surviving Beat Farmers decide to bring the band to an end.

In 1996, Bar None Records released The Devil Lied to Me, Montana's posthumous solo album featuring Mojo Nixon, Joey Harris, John Doe, Rosie Flores, Candye Kane, Dave Alvin and Katy Moffatt - members of the Pleasure Barons, Montana's large, raucous, lounge revival ensemble.

In 2003, former Farmer Buddy Blue unearthed an early recording of the group and released The Beat Farmers Live at the Spring Valley Inn, 1983 on his Clarence Records label. In 2005, Blue rustled together Jerry Raney, Rolie Love and drummer Joel Kmak to reform as The Farmers. The group performed several well-received shows until Blue's death several months later.