Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains
| Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brattleboro, Vermont |
| Genres | Anarcho-punk, folk punk, riot-folk |
| Years active | 2000–2007 |
| Labels | Spare Change Records, DIY Bandits |
| Associated acts | Playtime Posse, Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, Ramshackle Glory |
| Members |
Flash-C Ian Skumfuk Jeff-Face Michael Jordan Pat The Bunny Roma Rockstar Mike Wyatt |
Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains (sometimes known as just Johnny Hobo) were a Vermont-based, anarchist folk-punk band led by singer-songwriter Pat "the Bunny" Schneeweis.[1] He now leads the newly formed band Ramshackle Glory.[2]
History
The band were the central figures of Spare Change Records, a Brattleboro-based musical collective, and consisted of songwriter Pat the Bunny on guitar and vocals, Jeff-Face on harmonica and vocals, Flash-C on trumpet, Ian Skumfuk on washtub bass and vocals, Roman on bicycle and vocals, and Rockstar Mike on washboard, bass drum, and vocals. Often at shows, it would just be Pat and his acoustic guitar and sometimes harmonica; other musicians would often join from outside the usual lineup. Alcohol, drug use, politics, and the punk scene were common themes in Johnny Hobo songs.
Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains' last show was in Hartford in January 2007. Shortly thereafter, Pat started a new band called Wingnut Dishwashers Union, with which he released 3 albums (listed in discography below) and toured for two years. Quite like live Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains performances, oftentimes Wingnut Dishwashers Union shows would only consist of Pat performing. In 2009, Wingnut Dishwashers Union broke up and Pat entered rehabilitation for drug addiction. In early 2011, the Wingnut Dishwashers Union website was updated and announced that Pat would be playing with a new band (Ramshackle Glory). He briefly sold CD-Rs of Johnny Hobo and Wingnut Dishwashers Union songs, before ending that in mid-March.
Born out of Tucson, Arizona, Ramshackle Glory collectively released their first album, Live The Dream, in the summer of 2011. However, in the fall of 2011, Pat the Bunny released a solo album called Die the Nightmare under the name Ramshackle Glory. "Die the Nightmare" contained all of the songs from Live the Dream, except with only Pat performing the songs. On June 1, 2012, Ramshackle Glory released their second full-length album, Who Are Your Friends Gonna Be?
The members of the band are Nik Berger on accordion and vocals, Disdane on bass, Douglas Fur on banjo and tambourine, Eric "Johnny" Freedom on trumpet, Luke Romano on drums, and of course, Pat "the bunny" Schneeweis on guitar and vocals. They have a pianist named Wyndham Maxwell, but he is currently attending college and can no longer tour with the band regularly, although he still performs at some shows. Ramshackle Glory went on a 68-day, nationwide tour of the United States beginning on June 1, 2012, and ending on August 8 in San Antonio, Texas.
Ramshackle went on a hiatus after their 2012 summer tour, during which drummer Luke Romano's side project Cottontail released a new album and went on tour. During this time Nik Berger released an album through their project Devil's Coachwhip, and another album with their new band Fridge Scum. Douglas Fur released a new four-song tape and moved to Pittsburgh. Pat released an EP of brand new solo material called The Mark Inside.
In early 2013 it was announced that Ramshackle Glory would be releasing a split LP with Ghost Mice, and a Kickstarter fund was launched. The project was funded very successfully, exceeding the goal by thousands of dollars, and the Shelter split was released in June 2013, and in July on vinyl through Plan-It-X Records. In late June, the band embarked on another summer tour, with a slightly different lineup. During this tour, they brought in activists to make short speeches to advertise their groups or projects in the middle of the band's concert set. The tour, which also featured The Taxpayers, ended in August.
Members
- Flash-C - trumpet
- Ian Skumfuk - washtub bass
- Jeff-Face - harmonica
- Michael Jordan - drums
- Pat the Bunny - guitar, vocals
- Roney - bicycle drums
- Rockstar Mike - bass drum
- Wyatt - harmonica
Discography
Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains released 1 demo, 3 EPs, 1 live album, and 2 split albums. As of March 2011, Pat The Bunny claims that he will no longer sell or play any Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains or Wingnut Dishwashers Union material, although the DIY Bandits website states: "We’ve been so busy around here things fell behind a bit but it seems like we are getting back into action now and have a few old projects to work on (johnny hobo/mantits tape re-issue)".[3] For full Pat The Bunny discography, visit here.
- Live
- Caught In The Act Of Not Being Awesome (2005)
- Split albums
- Live At Bandit H.Q. (split with Captain Chaos) (2005)
- Love Songs For The Apocalypse (split with Mantits) (2005)
- Demos/EPs
- Anarchy Means I Hate You (demo) (2003)
- All Power To The Wingnuts (EP) (2005)
- Easter Sunday Hangover (EP) (2005)
- Chaos Infiltration Squad (EP) (2006)
- Compilations
- Johnny Hobo Is Dead (2006) (contains Chaos Infiltration Squad and their side of Love Songs For The Apocalypse)
- Smash The Plate! (2009) (contains all Wingnut and Johnny Hobo songs from 2007 and earlier)
References
External links
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