"It's about time somebody did a song from the other side of the love pond. The Pear Ratz have nailed it with Killin' U2. For the past 3 weeks, it has been the most requested song on our station, and this is a station with more than 11,000 total songs in the playlist!"                  

 --Shayne Hollinger * Program/Music Director * Mandatory FM * Stephenville, TX--

The Pear Ratz Put A Little Rock Back Into Texas Music

By Chelsea Schmid
Staff Writer who is Special to SAN ANGELO LIVE!
April 18, 2008

TO HEAR THE PODCAST GO TO SANANGELO.LIVE.COM

Bob Strause, guitar and vocals, sings a Charlie Daniels cover to a crowd that knows every word. (LIVE! photo/Chelsea Schmid)

We’d been expecting a country band, so when they showed up with a long-haired singer sporting a cowboy hat and a Pantera shirt, we were a little surprised. That surprise escalated when the band began discussing which System of a Down albums they liked the best while we (stage crew) mic’ed the stage, jamming “Toxicity” over the house PA.That was the first time I met the Pear Ratz, and while their music fits the bill of a Blaine’s Pub booking, all the members come from musical backgrounds that stray a bit from the dirty Texas music they play now.

Back when the thrash band scene was thriving, lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player Bob Strause, along with bassist and backup vocalist Rod Dawes and lead guitar player Chris Nelson started a metal band called Defiance. Drummer John Starek is quite a bit younger and has played with the Ratz for about a year now, but his musical experience reaches just about every genre, including a nice little stint with Dallas-based Space Cadet.

It all this adds up to one hell of a high-energy show. Dawes is known for avid movement; Saturday night he pogoed, then climbed on his monitor with one foot on the railing before jumping back down to the stage. Strause, in the meantime, lost his hat in a bout of wild-haired headbanging, and Nelson played the guitar behind his head a la your favorite rockstar.

But while their onstage presence reeks of a metal influence, the Ratz’s overall sound takes root in the soil that bred them.

 “You can’t take country out of country boys,” Starek says. “It’s hard to even call it ‘Texas country’ by now. None of us like being labeled—I know that’s part of being an artist…but this is music from Texas. This is Texas music.”

Chris Nelson, lead guitar, rockin' out Texas style. (LIVE! photo/Chelsea Schmid)	Drummer John Starek doing what he does best. (LIVE! photo/Chelsea Schmid)

And Texans stand on fertile ground. Where else can you blend Americana, country, rock and a heavy dose of “Southern,” stir it together and not be blasphemed from strict cookie cutters for not adhering to the mold? No, in Texas, the music’s like a dough: It’s malleable enough for an artist to enjoy the freedom of making it into what he wants; it will taste good so long as it’s not overdone.

The Pear Ratz latest album, “Holier Than Thou,” makes just that daring move. The sophomore release hit stores in 2007, and the band is currently touring on the discs second single “Senses,” which has climbed the Texas Music Charts to number 19 this week.

The Pear Ratz are back to booking themselves again, and the datebook is filling up. So far, the band has dates running through August and are in the process of scheduling a German tour.

Listen to my podcast with the Pear Ratz and hear a little about their rock and roll days and how they came to be the musicians they are today.

For more information on the band, check them out at pearratz.com or myspace.com/pearratz

Post-interview photo op with the Pear Ratz: Rodd Daws, writer Chelsea Schmid, John Starek, Chris Nelson, Bob Strause, and Ron Lopez (Tour Manager, sound engineer and booking agent). (LIVE! photo/Chelsea Schmid)

TMT-TV: Bob Strause of the Pear Ratz
(Jan 2008) As their producer Bill Green says, the Pear Ratz are a great mix of ZZ Top, Bill Monroe, Marshall Tucker, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their live show is something to behold and their studio recordings do a great job capturing their energy. See what lead singer Bob Strause had to say when he sat down with Keith Howerton at Sam's Burger Joint. more >

THE PEAR RATZ/Senses
Writer: Jarrod Birmingham; Producer: Bill Green; Publisher: Bill Green, BMI; Electric Cactus (888-455-5504)
— I dig this. It has a Waylon backbeat, a swirling melody and a killer lyric about a man trapped in his addictions. Dramatic and dark and enthralling.

MySA.Com

2007 Best Texas Music

1. “Bring It On,” Kevin Fowler
2. “Translated From Love,” Kelly Willis

3. “Diamonds in the Sun,” Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros

4. “Get It On,” Mark McKinney

5. “Mescalito,” Ryan Bingham

6. “Holier Than Thou,” The Pear Ratz

7. “Sawdust,” Todd Fritsch

8. “From the Cradle to the Grave,” Dale Watson

9. “Down the Road,” Rodney Hayden

10. “Under the Influence of Buck,” The Derailers

The Best Albums of 2007 That No One Told You About

by Steve Circeo for Texas Music Times, January 2008

Pear Ratz – Holier Than Thou
If you thought the Pear Ratz were just a garage band, well, you're right, but these guys are a garage band in the most positive sense of the phrase, and producer Bill Green captures the energy of one of the best live bands on the scene with this studio recording. The Ratz have been working on their songwriting skills since their critically acclaimed first album, Rat Now, and it shows. Hell, Holier Than Thou even includes a love ballad, "The Other You," which is, in fact, one of the best tracks on the record. Don't be concerned that these former metalmeisters have abandoned their roots, though, because they do bring on the noise, interspersed with some good ol' honkytonk with a couple of assists from their good friend Jarrod Birmingham. Read the whole article >

A Review

By Hoss The Boss

Posted
January 2, 2006

You should know, I guess, that the Pear Ratz are the first in my 19 (off and on) years in the radio business to include me in their album credits. But, before you head off thinking that the following glowing review is just me returning a butt kiss, well, you should also know that even the likes of Kevin Fowler have noted that "there's a nice little buzz" going on the Texas music scene about these guys.

I know, I know. Even Kevin's comments shouldn't be enough to convince you that the Pear Ratz are worth listening too. Brittney Spears, afterall, has a "nice little buzz" going forr her, too.

So I guess my point is that the Pear Ratz debut album is actually worthy of the buzz. If you pay close attention, in fact, the dang CD may even be a little inspirational.

I'm a big fan of raw honesty. And that's what Rat Now is all about. Lead singer (and George West, Texas resident) Bob Stause wrote most of the songs on the CD, and they reflect his straight shooting-but-humble approach to life. Bob isn't out to sell himself as something that he's not. And he's not out, necessarily, to give people what they want to hear. He's just a good ole' South Texas boy sharing his soul with whoever's interested. And, because such honesty is so rare in music these days, I'm guessing (hoping) that plenty of people will be interested. This CD definitely highlights the spiritual nature of music.

So far, radio stations across Texas have given good attention to Rat Now's version of John Lennon's classic "Imagine." I suppose, that's a good song to feature, since it's obviously the most familiar song on the CD -- and since the blue-grass style remake is certainly an attention getter.

But I hope stations will get around to spinning some of the other great stuff on the CD too. When "Imagine" has run its course radioland should consider playing "Sing Jolie Again" regularly. We at Texas Radio had been playing that song -- a funny tribute to Reckless Kelly (not to mention Whataburger, Diamond Shamrock and barbequing indoors so as to not miss any football) -- for several months before "Imagine" began hitting the air, and, I'll tell any radio guy who will listen that the phones rang solidly for that song.

Some other Rat Now songs worthy of airplay: the brutally honest, but strangely funny "Talkin' Myself Outta Killin' You.", "River of Pain," an intriguing twist on Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River," and"Friends," a heartfelt, good ole' boy's tribute to people of all creeds everywhere. Oh yeah, and Bob's song about his stomping grounds "Just South of the Nueces," should hit home with just about anybody who's human.

Okay, so, as you see, this is a full-fledge recommendation for Rat Now. But, before I send you off to get it, I think it's only fair to warn you that Bob Strause's voice is unpolished and, perhaps, too rough for some. (I have to admit that he was even a bit of an aquired taste for me.) But that's where I get back to all that stuff I was saying a few paragraphs ago: the beauty of this CD is in its honesty, not necessarily the band's musical talents. (Although, please don't misread this. The music is solidly produced, and nearly every song has at least one breathtaking guitar solo.) Yeah, Bob's voice is a little rough. But, if you give it a chance, I think you'll find that it's a perfect fit for his lyrics. I, for one, sure as hell don't want to hear someone like George Strait ever singing anything on this CD.

And, on that note, I'm very glad the Pear Ratz included a cover of Steve Earle's "Feel Allright" on this album. Stev'es another guy whose voice is often harrangued -- by people who just don't get it. But he, like the Pear Ratz, is about as honest, pure -- and spiritual -- as they come.

Go get Rat Now, right now. Let Bob Strause and company inspire you with their honesty. And let's help make 2006 the Pear Ratz year! Honesty like this needs all the support it can get.