The Rave-Ups are an American rock group founded in 1979 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who gained greater attention after relocating to Los Angeles, California.
They are best known for their alternative rock hit songs "Respectfully King of Rain" and "Positively Lost Me" as well as their appearances in Pretty in Pink and Beverly Hills, 90210.
[2] Critic Ira Robbins described the Rave-Ups as having been "touted as the next big thing to erupt from the LA club scene" of the 1980s, but also dogged by legal and personal problems that hampered the band's success.
[3] The Rave-Ups were founded at Carnegie Mellon University in the fall of 1979 by Jimmer Podrasky (guitar/vocals), with Michael Kaniecki (guitar/vocals), George Carter (bass, violin, vocals), and T.J. Junco (drums).
Early performances in Pittsburgh were at The Electric Banana, The Decade Lounge, functions at Carnegie Mellon, as well as regular gigs at Fat City in Swissvale.
Slevin left the band in the summer of 1980 to return to his native New York City and was replaced by Victor McPoland, a fellow Pittsburgher and Carnegie/Mellon grad.
and The West Wing fame) production of Sam Shepard's "The Tooth of Crime" the group spent eight weeks in the sun of Los Angeles before returning home to Pittsburgh.
The album's only single, "Positively Lost Me," became a college radio hit and cemented the band as thoughtful alt-rockers with an extremely accessible sound, smart songs, and a considerable fondness for country, blues and folk.
The poignant ballad "Big Wide River" was the B-side of the single, which was produced by Los Lobos' Steve Berlin and engineer Mark Linnett.
In 1987, the band signed to Epic Records and released their major label debut The Book of Your Regrets[4] to high critical expectations, despite being only promoted to the college radio scene (albeit a burgeoning one).
The band continued working for a few months, including an appearance on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 ("Spring Dance") and an opening slot on an Indigo Girls tour.
In 1996–1997, Podrasky briefly formed the band The Lovin' Miserys with Concrete Blonde drummer Harry Rushakoff, producing the limited pressing CD Happy as Hell, which was released only to radio stations.
[1] During live shows, they were joined by bass player Sam Bolle from Agent Orange, though in the LA Times interview Jimmer said “On the album, it's just me and Harry Rushakoff.”In 2000, members of The Rave-Ups (Podrasky and Wilson) reformed, recording a CD entitled The Salmon in the Woods which has remained unreleased as of 2012.
Blatnik has also spent time playing with The Dancing Hoods (whose guitarist Mark Linkous later formed Sparklehorse) and The Lonesome Strangers (featuring singer/songwriters Randy Weeks & Jeff Rymes).
In August 2007, with Jimenez and Blatnik back in the rhythm section, the band re-grouped to play some shows in the Los Angeles area.