The Pedaljets

The Pedaljets (OxBlood)

By Saby Reyes-Kulkarni

Published: December 20, 2007

In a bittersweet, almost mythical case of bad timing, when widespread recognition came calling for the Pedaljets in 1990, few people realized that the cele­brated KC quartet had actually just broken up. Much more than a memento of local lore, however, this newly restored version of the band's second album probably won't reopen old wounds for fans who pined for the coulda-contended days when the Jets were flying high. That's because even after 18 years, this music sounds startlingly contemporary and fresh. The Pedaljets had the jangle-bop of the late '80s down pat. They also wrote superb songs that matched the power and sweep achieved by household-name contemporaries R.E.M. and Husker Du. This is a lost treasure that was definitely worth digging up. PITCH MAGAZINE, KANSAS CITY 12/20/07

Kansas City Star, The (MO)
2007-11-08
Section: PREVIEW
Edition: 1
Page: F11

Redone Pedaljets' album is ready for e-release party
TIMOTHY FINN, The Kansas City Star

Nearly 20 years after its initial release, "The Pedaljets" is about to be born again. And its parents couldn't be happier about it.

"The original album was released on Communion Records," said Mike Allmayer, the Pedaljets' lead singer. "We had no idea we were embarking on something so ambitious. So we set off on this grand, ambitious path on our own without much help from our label."

As a result, in 1989 "The Pedaljets," the band's second album, was released to no one's satisfaction. The Trouser Press called it "a disappointing step in the wrong direction." Within a year the band broke up.

In 2006, when drummer Rob Morrow returned to town, the three other members -- Allmayer, bassist Matt Kesler and guitarist Phil Wade -- started toying with the thought of taking a mulligan on "The Pedaljets."

"The first step after that was to get out the tape, a metal tape that had been sitting in various forms of storage," Allmayer said. "We knew a guy who could bake it and cook out the oxidation. After that, it came down to listening to it. We all expected to cringe over it, but what struck me is how great Matt and Rob sounded.

"On the initial release, the drums and bass sounded muddy. Hearing them so crisp made me want to go forward. It was like opening an archaeological find. It needed lots of work, but we still heard the Pedaljets from way back then."

"Back then" was the mid- to late-1980s, when the band was touring with bands like the Replacements and Husker Du and drawing accolades for fusing the sound of the Byrds with the aesthetic of the Replacements.

Last winter band members hooked up with Paul Malinowski, a local musician and studio whiz, who encouraged them to resume the initial 1989 plan they had abandoned when money ran out.

"Paul played a huge role in getting us to the sound we wanted," Allmayer said. "He was real encouraging, too. He kept on saying, 'This is really fresh. ... This is what people are going for today."

Concurrent with the revival of "The Pedaljets," Robert Moore was compiling cuts for a compilation from his nascent record label, Oxblood Records. He heard some of the "Pedaljets" tracks and thought it would be a great fit for his label. Less than a year later he and the 'Jets are about to produce the results.

Saturday night the Pedaljets will re-release "The Pedaljets" at a release party at the RecordBar. The band will also do songs off its first album, "Today Today," which will get a re-release of its own sometime in 2008.

Allmayer says the Pedaljets haven't formally decided on a game plan for the record, as in how much it will tour. Wade is also in the Wilders, who are road dogs themselves.

"At this point," he said, "we're just really happy to have it back out and sounding like it does."