The weirdest three days of my life were spent on the road with Columbus, Ohio’s Them Wranch. In Morgantown, WV, I awoke and found a notched bullet left on the windowsill beside my groggy noggin’.

Danger: Check.
Confessional love letter left on the van: Check.
Side trip to Jerry’s Records in PA: Check.
Youngstown gig. WTF?! Check.
Rock ‘n’ roll: Check.
Back to Columbus.

As a college town, Columbus had a backsplash of loitering creative types—an existence enabled by inexpensive housing, cheap beer, world-class record stores with exploding dollar bins, and music venues—a canvas for creativity. Along High Street, you might find Them Wranch playing at local dives Bernie’s Bagels, the High 5, or Stache’s. Every town has a scene with band cliques and genres. Them Wranch never really one of them specfically. You could dig them for what they weren’t as much as for what they were. Their songs are a witches’ brew of noise: psych, rock, garage stomp, R&B, and an occasional tinge of twang. You only have to look at the cover art for “Big Noise from East Maynard” to know that the band had a range of influences—but they didn’t act or sound derivative. Them Wranch escaped the standard “garage rock” classification that many bands were striving to claim and never took themselves too seriously. They put out music to have a good time.

In their five years before calling it quits, Them Wranch managed to squeeze in two US tours, including Southwest dates (SXSW) and West Coast tours, as well as some East Coast dates with The Country Teasers, including the Knitting Factory (NYC). These five years also saw the band release two full-length LPs and a handful of 45s. This here new waxy offering comes from Good Times Rock ‘N’ Roll Club as part of their Ohio Archive Series—and is the first Them Wranch release in many, many years.

Side A: “My Friend” (1999) is a tune from the first album, “Big Noise from East Maynard.” This earlier version is more stripped down and gritty, bluesier, and fuzzier. Less polish, equal charm. Undiluted, this is cask-strength rock.

The B-side: “You’re Too Much” (2001) was recorded live in Houston, TX, and clocks in at nearly a minute shorter than the original 1966 release by The Eyes. Only the second cover song that Them Wranch has released, this version is a bit more Stonesy than modsy.

Kick back, turn up, and enjoy - Bill Randt

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