Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders

In Pat Todd’s voice, I hear several lifetimes’ worth
of hope and heartache, of lovin’ and losin’ – and also
of resolve and redemption, the kind that may be
hard-won but all the sweeter because of the effort and
experience that went into the whole package. And in
his music I hear all the same musical reference points
that have fueled my dreams and imagination since I was
a teenager – the Stones, Ronnie Lane and the Faces,
Johnny Cash, the New York Dolls, Dylan, the Ramones,
and more. They don’t make rock operas any more, and
that’s probably a good thing. But if they did, “The
Outskirts of Your Heart,” in all its impossibly
sprawling, yet tightly-wound and emotionally-focused
glory, would be the one rock opera I’d queue up to
purchase front-row tickets to. - Magnet Mag. Assoc. Editor; Reviewer- No Depression

"Pat Todd is a true American Original. His voice is capable of delivering the most heartfelt melodies and yet retain the toughness of his spirit. Raw, real and passionate - that's what I think of when I hear the name, Pat Todd. The Rankoutsiders project continues his tradition of delivering the goods to the people who need 'em! And boy do we need Mr. Todd and his Rankoutsiders, now more than ever." - The Supersuckers

“Pat Todd is the most sincere Rock ‘n’ Roll singer/songwriter on the planet. He makes the rest of us look like a bunch of fakers.”

- Nashville Pussy; Nine Pound Hammer

Pat Todd called the other night, we got to talking, and I think he referred to The Outskirts Of Your Heart as a "new beginning." I knew The Rankoutsiders was the name he'd selected when he decided to put the Lazy Cowgirls moniker, the brand name he's been using since his formative days in Indiana, out to pasture. But when the new double-CD arrived in the mail, it sounded to me like another terrific double-scoop of hard-nosed, soft-at-the-center rock 'n' roll from a guy who's always known that the Ramones and Hank Williams and the Rolling Stones aren't really all that far apart. I didn't quite get the "new beginning" thing. But that's because Pat placed most of the familiar-sounding stuff at the front, maybe to lure the old customers back into the building. The more I dug into this record, the more I could see he was right. It is a new beginning and a real scattershot, covering most of the stuff he loves.

"Alive As Yesterday" has that ass-kicking, hi-octane take on Chuck Berry that the Lazy Cowgirls cut their teeth on. For some reason "November 11th" makes me think of those tunes X did on More Fun In The New World. And "No Place Like Home" is a perfect take on the sledgehammer, hair-in-the face, headbanger riffs Status Quo once came up with. Status Quo, by the way, should get credit for being a big inspiration to the Ramones, right down to the hairstyles. "Your Heart, Your Soul & Your Ass" could be a full-ashtray/empty whiskey bottle 4:00 a.m. blooze from the Stones, circa Beggars Banquet. "2 Year Ride" feels like a Hunter Thompson bad dream: You're sprawled on top of a muscle car going over 100 mph on the 405 (and if it's going that fast on the 405, it'd have to be in a dream). "Is My Last Chance Gone" lifts its opening riff from "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," and who'd believe Pat and the boys could transform Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" into something as scary as "All Night Rain/Restless Times"? Then again, "Hell's Half Acre" could be Larry Williams' "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" turned on its head. Are you getting the idea this is one eclectic motherhumper of a record? Wait until you slip in the second disc.

I knew when I shipped Pat a box full of those classic, Capitol-era Buck Owens CDs that Sundazed (the company I work for) had just released, it was only a matter of time before the crop came in. "Thought I Saw My Future In A Little Gray Dress" would be perfect for a Rankoutsiders/Steve Earle collaboration, a pretty damn good idea in itself. "It Was A Stupid Dream Anyway," on the other hand, might fill the same role if Pat ever sings a duet with Juana Molina (who would look good in a little gray dress). "Now That The Sinnin' Is Over" would have been the least suicidal tune the original Carter Family ever cut. "My Next Time On The Highway," with its rampant finger-picking Bluegrass vibe, is what Bill Monroe might sound like if he were still around today. Pat's cool, Woody Guthrie talk-singing, "Go On, It Don't Mean Nothin' Anymore" is what the Rankoutsiders should have been playing in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, waiting for the cops to bash their heads in while they're cooking a squirrel over an open fire down in Hooverville. And "Christmas Day" is just the TV Dinner/7-11 bummer you'd want to follow up Elvis' "Blue Christmas."

I once wrote that Pat Todd was one of the five best frontmen in rock 'n' roll (and I've seen most of 'em). I've witnessed the Lazy Cowgirls in dives all over the greater San Francisco bay area, and I've seen the Rankoutsiders, come up with exactly the same results. Without smoke (or mirrors), Pat can ignite a dingy little nightclub faster than those numbskulls who set off the outdoor fireworks inside that Rhode Island club a few years back (with better results for the patrons). I've seen a lot more so-called hotshots since I wrote that, and maybe it's time to disqualify those four other guys! Pat's the one. - Magnet Magazine

Pat Todd used to lead the justifiably legendary Lazy Cowgirls, the Indiana-to-L.A. punk rock band that mixed American roots music with the Ramones and the Clash better than, well, anybody. After a couple of decades, the Cowgirls split up right after releasing their greatest album (2003’s I’m Goin’ Out and Get Hurt Tonight); Todd decided to keep on keepin’ on with the same sound and a new band called the Rankoutsiders. He stockpiled a lot of material in the intervening years, all of which finds a home on the The Outskirts of Your Heart. Twenty-seven new songs spread over two disks seems like a lot for your average listener to take. But Todd and the Rankoutsiders make it easy, simply by virtue of their talent. An engaging and heartfelt singer and songwriter, Todd’s creative consistency is amazing—he mines anger, sadness, disgust, loneliness, disappointment and defiance better than just about anybody working right now. And the Rankoutsiders—part Chuck Berry, part Hank Williams, part Rolling Stones, part Johnny Thunders—are the perfect vehicle to bring his visions to life, rocking like raging fury one minute and swaying like an Indian summer breeze the next. The group shifts gears between acoustic roots rock (“Kendall County Blues,” “Now That the Sinnin’ is Over,” “It Was a Stupid Dream Anyway”) and rollicking cowpunk (“You Can Yearn Right On,” “Is My Last Chance Gone,” “Just Another Stupid Guy”) so smoothly there’s not an iota of cognitive dissonance, and there’s not a bad cut on either disk. Not only is The Outskirts of Your Heart one of the best rock & roll records this year, but it’s one of the greatest of the decade. - High Bias Magazine Review