The Giant Panther

Here's an act that I really liked back in the late 80's and into the 90's. They were a folk duo with a drum machine called Timbuk 3. I only first heard them in 1986 when the late WBCN used to play their first single "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades." For years, and thankfully I've broken myself of this habit, folks used to ask me how I was doing and I'd say "Doin' alright, gettin' good grades" as in "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades." This band always had clever wordplay and I have always loved that kind of thing. "Fifty thou a year'll buy a lotta beer" was another cute line from this once fairly popular song. Radio took to it pretty well and it gave these guys some footing, but I feel like I was the only one buying their records. They probably did too. I got a big kick out of them. "Shades" even made it all the way to #19 on the Hot Billboard 100 in 1986. Not bad huh?

Timbuk 3 initially consisted of a husband and wife team named Pat & Barbara MacDonald. I saw them play live on the grounds of Boston's Channel Club back on October 30, 1991. The legendary Channel was on its last legs by then and they had opened a tiny little club for smaller acts called "Club Vertigo" in the back of the same building. That is where I saw Timbuk 3. By then they had added real live backing musicians to their band so they were now a foursome. Timbuk 3 only recorded from 1986 through 1995, but all of their records had some redeeming music on them. I was definitely a fan. I bought every single one of their full length releases. They appeared on MTV's The Cutting Edge in 1986 and I.R.S. Records subsequently bankrolled them as a result. I don't pay much attention to radio programming, as ludicrous as that statement sounds coming from me, as it applies to artists that aren't getting played. I was hooked on this band immediately. Greetings From Timbuk 3, their first album starring "Shades," was a blast. There isn't a bad track on it and a favorite cut of mine, "Shame On You," was apparently featured in the opening scenes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, but as you know if you read my Halloween post; I didn't see it. According to Wikipedia, their music has been featured on over 20 combined compilations and movie soundtracks.

There isn't much information on the World Wide Web about these guys, but they were nominated for a 1987 Grammy for Best New Artist. That must have been a huge honor for them and very well deserved in my view. They have some allegiance with both Madison, Wisconsin and Austin, TX, but I don't have all the facts unfortunately. There next record after Greetings was Eden Alley, which again was excellent. It was kind of country folk with ironic lyrics and catchy melodies. After two records I was sold. I just bought the rest without hearing a note in advance. One of my all time favorites in their catalogue, and I promise you that ten or more of their songs are in the running, is "Dirty Dirty Rice" from their third, and some would say their best, release called Edge of Allegiance. Released in 1989 amidst the R.E.M., Soundgarden and U2 fare of the day, it is flat amazing that this band was kept alive for another six years. I don't know a single soul that has these records, let alone treasures them like I do. "Dirty Dirty Rice" popped up on my Sony iPod like device not three hours ago at the gym and I enjoyed the heck out of it for the billionth time. It's sometimes spooky how you know a band is out there and somebody somewhere is obviously enjoying them just like you, yet nobody you know knows anything about them...it's kind of like being on your own musical island...

I'm going to recant this thought for one hot minute now that I just remembered something; I once gave a mixed track cassette to a friend of mine in the early 90's. A real non starter of a music fan if I ever saw one (he's the kind of guy who will listen to maybe 100 albums of music total until the day he dies with no desire or room for anything new...and this has been going on for 20 years already). I finally figured out that if I give away a cassette I had better make sure I still have the master because it will only be a matter of months until said giftee loses or destroys the copy I give them. Anyway, I give this guy one of my all time great cassettes with The Cure, The Jam, The The, New Order, The Clash and all the other your "B" but probably my "A" cuts of the day and wouldn't you know, out of 90 minutes and maybe 25 songs he comes back with "I love that song Dirty, Dirty Rice." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. All of the songs he could have come back with...funny...you never know what will strike someone...turns out he wasn't so stupid after all...

Timbuk 3 was unfairly pigeon-holed as a novelty band because of "Shades." It had those funny ironic lyrics and nobody who depended on the radio for their musical knowledge ever heard from them again. They must have been terrible right? Wrong! The truth is these folks were very good song writers and their voices blended beautifully right on through their last record in 1995. I think, unfortunately, their records are out of print these days due to public apathy. That's a real shame, but they were very cool for my money and I just loved 'em. So what if you've never heard of them? Sometimes that is what The Giant Panther is for...just in case you missed it...