The Rank Outsiders are: Jarrod England (guitar, vocals), Delbert Fields (guitar), Mitchell Plumlee (drums) and Rico Thomas (bass). While they may rank themselves as outsiders, the members of this band have been an integral part of the scene for decades.  In fact, the Rank Outsiders, named for a line in the Roling Stones’ song Tumblin’ Dice, rank as a regional all star group.  Their debut caused a stir when drummer Mitchell Plumlee sang lead vocals for the first time in his career and singer Jarrod England showed off his full range with softer selections than he has hitherto had the opportunity to showcase.  Delbert Fields, one of the area’s most sought after guitarists, was also said to produce a new sound when his work in conjunction with England’s evolved into something more than the sum of its parts.  Word is the magic continues in rehearsals and they will be introducing original material on a regular basis.  Catch the Rank Outsiders Feb. 19 at WhaBah‘s, Mar. 12 at Tidballs and May 6 & 7 at Shelley’s Place.

1. Each of you has been or is currently affiliated with very prominent groups in the region, can you tell me which of your band experiences has influenced you most and why?

Rico: I had an epiphany with the late Tim Krekel in NYC, when I was 19. Tim taught me how scales connected chords and were the most powerful tool for a bass player. That’s when I decided to make the bass my main instrument instead the six string guitar. Tim and I were going to go to Woodstock on the Sunday after our Friday and Saturday gigs at Ungano’s, but the reports were so bad we cancelled. I am probably better off for it. When I returned to Louisville to play I formed Buster Brown with Kenny Smith, Bob Richey, and Steve Holmes all from around the BG area.

Jarrod: Rufus Huff – You have to be the real thing. Greg Martin, Dean Smith and Chris Hardesty are just that. I don’t hear any differences in the musicianship of Rufus Huff than I hear in all the greats that I grew up listening to. The album was recorded “live”.  Hell I think I influenced myself to some degree, you see Rufus Huff wasn’t really what I was used to singing.  I’m more of a blues musician so a new beast was born in the studio. When Rufus Huff plays, I turn into that beast with that voice. Bands have to get along like brothers. All of us guys in Rufus Huff watch out for one another, eat lunch, hang out etc. We’re all like family and I can say since we formed in 2005, there has not been one disagreement. We respect each other. I won’t play with people that bicker. I don’t have any time for it. Rufus Huff gels and we can pop off originals all day long. The next album will be no different.  How could you not gel with Greg, Dean, and Chris? There is so much more I could say about this band. I love’em all.  The Screaming Cheetah Wheelies really touched my heart as well.  We all hit it off instantly.  Although the boys are busy with school, we do plan to do some more shows in 2011. We take it serious.

Mitchell:  There have been two very strong musical influences in my life. One was TyBarc and the other is Kenny Lee ( Smith ) and the BBQ Blues Band. The thing that’s wonderful about drumming for those two groups is that they took a complete opposite approach to music. TyBarc was a well-rehearsed, very disciplined, machine. The music was complicated, so there was little room for improvisation. We were a hard rock band so the music was intense and hard-charging. I had to drive that engine, so it taught me how to maintain intensity. But Kenny really schooled me in groove. He was playing the blues circuit when I first got with him. A lot of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker type stuff. I’d never played much of the pure blues and because of my progressive rock background, I had a tendency to overplay it. Kenny was big on drummers keeping a straight bass with a left handed shuffle on top. I had to go back and learn from drummers like Willie “Big-Eyed” Smith, Muddy Water’s drummer. That changed my drumming forever. Kenny’s entire approach to performing changed my style. I still gig with Kenny; he approaches music much like a jazz musician; there’s never any rehearsals, it’s all off the cuff, and I love it. Whenever he does new material, he sends me the song via email; then, we do it live for the first time. Kenny, along with Rico, who played bass with Kenny Lee and the BBQ Band for several years, both taught me the artistry of “keeping it simple,” and “primitive.” That, in and of itself, creates energy. Kenny has said to me often, “We’re in the energy business,” and it’s true. You can play some of the most complicated music in the world, but if it doesn’t move people, you’ve failed as an artist.  The Rank Outsiders are definitely a marriage of those two schools of thought. We have found a way to balance rehearsed music with improv. Many of the songs we’ve chosen to play are fairly complicated, but we’ve jammed on them until they melt like hot butter. We do our homework, learn the songs individually, then we rehearse. We often get a song down note for note and then tear it apart, do it in different tempos, grooves, and just jam on it until it becomes spontaneous and something new. It’s very rewarding musically.

Delbert:  Mostly what I’ve done is fillin and Top 40 to make a lot of money.  I have played a lot with Kenny Lee so I suppose he’s the most influence.  Jason Gregory was also a big influence, we come from the same kind of background.  Jason Gregory has made a big difference around here as far as the music scene.

2. What in particular interested you in forming the Rank Outsiders?

Rico:  Mitchell and I played together with Kenny Lee in the ’90’s. We play together really well. That’s important. Drummers and bass players really form the backbone of rock. Mitchell and I played with Greg Martin for one summer. The band was interupted by Greg’s father’s death. I saw Jarrod at Stevie Rays in Louisville with Rufus Huff. What a voice! I knew Delbert had been a fixture in the BG music scene for a long time, so there was little question about his talents. When Mitchell asked if I would form a band with Delbert, Jarrod, Mitchell, and myself I jumped. BG is not that far from Louisville and I love the water.

Jarrod:  Well I knew Rico was a hellova bass player and Mitchell is just as good on the drums. I wasn’t to certain about Delbert until I heard him myself . We play a lot alike, and play off each other very easy. I had heard that he was really good, but I like to hear things for myself.  I really enjoy playing guitar and when Mitchell decided to form this band and he asked me, I didn’t hesitate . Mitchell and Rico are like Dean and Chris. It’s very hard to find a rhythm section like Dean and Chris and I’ll be damned if I didn’t find another one.  They all have different styles but they are great at what they do. Everybody drinks from the same well up where I’m from.

Mitchell:  Rico and I played on the road, doing blues clubs in cities within a 1,000 mile radius outside of Nashville, with Kenny Lee for more than four years. From the start, Rico’s bass playing and my drumming had a natural chemistry.  When Kenny pulled back from playing the road gigs in 1999, Rico left to play with the Merry Pranksters in Louisville. Ever since, Rico and I talked about putting a project together. We jammed with Greg Martin, guitarist for the Kentucky Headhunters. That never really became a project, it was more for our own fun. But then a few years later, Greg formed a band, Rufus Huff, with Jarrod England on vocals. I became a fan of theirs and of Jarrod. Eventually, Jarrod and I talked. I found out he is also a guitarist. In 2009, Jarrod and I were at a party at Tony Lindsey’s house; I jammed on some blues tunes with some cats that were there.  I remember Jarrod sitting on the couch and watching. Afterwards, he said we ought to jam sometime. A few months later, we got together with Brian Witty on guitar and Rick Hanna on bass. Those were some powerful jam sessions. I was utterly blown away by Jarrod’s guitar work; he can also play drums, so he has this fantastic rhythm on guitar. Plus, his vocal versatility is just astounding. We usually got together on Sundays. At that time, I was playing Utley’s with Kenny Lee every Saturday night. I’d generally get to bed around sunrise and then try to be in at Jarrod’s house in Allen County around noon and we’d jam till about 9 p.m. After a five or six weeks, I realized I couldn’t keep going at that pace, so I stopped jamming on Sundays, but Jarrod and I kept in contact. And Jarrod also sat in on guitar with Kenny Lee at Utley’s every now and then.  I had thought often, and mentioned it to Jarrod, that we should jam with Rico. In the summer of 2010, that opportunity presented itself when Whabah’s Steak House held a weekend concert titled, The Grateful Gathering, featuring The Merry Pranksters, with Rico on bass. The Pranksters were scheduled to play Saturday. It was the first time Rico had played in Bowling Green since leaving Kenny Lee and the BBQ Blues Band; so, some mutual friends, Mike Clark and Kay Clark, and Chuck Lauth, decided to make it a “Rico Weekend.” They put together a jam session on that Friday night at Whabah’s, reuniting Kenny Lee, Rico and myself. Jarrod was also invited. He came and played guitar. Every second of that jam was filled with beautiful moments of musical bliss. In the weeks that followed, we all talked about maybe jamming or putting something together as a side project. I was, and still am, drumming with Kenny Lee at certain gigs, mostly his rock and blues shows. Occasionally, Delbert Fields sat in on bass with Kenny. We also had a very good chemistry on stage. As a bass player, Delbert really lays down a fat bottom, much like Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. I was always intrigued by that because in conversation, Delbert always said guitar was his main instrument, not the bass. Around the time of the Rico Weekend, my wife and I ate at 440 Main. When we left, Delbert was playing guitar with a band, Barbetta, in front of the restaurant. He was doing the lead to the old Animals’ song, “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.” For some reason, either at that moment or sometime later, I realized there was something in his guitar style that reminded me of Jarrod’s guitar work. Plus, Delbert is just a phenomenal guitarist. Greg Martin had told me several times that Delbert was one of the best guitarists in this area and I should put something together with him. I mentioned Delbert to Jarrod and Rico and a few days later, the four of us jammed at my house. It just felt like a band from the very first song.

Delbert:  Pretty much just everybody is a good musician, seasoned musicans and we all like kind of the same blues rock stuff.

3. What was most important to you in choosing the cover songs the group would perform?

Rico:  We don’t play bluegrass, jazz, funk, hip hop, scene, emo, or polka. (Although a small taste of each is found in rock) Our influences are all found in the same rock bands from the ’70’s. Selecting songs was easy. They all come from the same era. There are so many songs from my formative musical influences. It is not easy to decide not to do a song. Each of us brought a selection of our favorites. I brought the Allman Bros medley and “Murder In My Heart For the Judge” by Moby Grape. I lived in California for a number of years and realized my west coast influence, hence Moby Grape.

Jarrod: .This is somethin’ of a touchy subject. Anyone that’s ever played with me knows that I only like to play what I call obscure music and it seems to be songs that make me tear up, smile, drive fast or hold a special memory. The songs that really move me I guess you could say. I never have been the kind to listen much to hits or main stream radio.  Mostly Obscure,  but somehow all of our songs are songs that people like.  I sent an email out to the guys in RO. I asked them to send me a list of songs that they always wanted to play.   That’s what we’re doing … but, OUR WAY.

Mitchell:  Before we got together for our first jam, Jarrod suggested we all pick four or five songs that meant something to us, something we’d always wanted to play. There were no discussions asking, “Do you know this?”, or “Do you know that?” or of what style music we’d pick. That provided a very eclectic foundation, drawing from hard-heavy, guitar-riff oriented songs like Johnny Winter’s “All Tore Down,” to soft, lyrical romantic ballads like the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.” It also challenged us. One song I picked was, “Had To Cry Today,” by Blind Faith. I’d heard it all my life, but had never played it. When I sat down behind  the drum kit to learn it, I questioned the sanity of our approach. I worked on that song for days and thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown before I finally figured it out. But even without talking about, each of us picked stuff that was very much blues-based rock. One of the first songs Jarrod suggested was, “The Shape I’m In” by The Band, which is one of my all-time favorite groups, another confirmation that we were headed in the right direction. We’ve pretty much taken these songs and reinterpreted them. We strive to make them our own, and if that doesn’t happen with a song, we scrap it.

Delbert:  Most of the material is what I grew up on.  It’s more the style I care for because I don’t care for most of the Top 40 I’ve played.  We try to stay away from it, I’ve made a living on it but am kind of burned out on it.

4. I understand that you are working on several original songs to perform at your upcoming shows, how would you describe your original material?

Rico:  So far there is not yet enough to describe. We are still working on covers to get some active gigs.

Jarrod:  Just like the covers that we do. The same kind of feeling/vibe that inspires us.  God gave us a gift, all ya have to do is unwrap it.  Originals come naturally.

Mitchell:  So far, our originals draw from the same influences as our covers; blues-based rock. It’s got to groove, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be soft and lyrical. Our originals are evolving in a very free-flowing way, usually when we’re jamming between songs we’re rehearsing. That way they’re very natural; not created in any way near the formula format most songwriters use. Not that we won’t write songs like that, but this is just what’s working for us right now and that’s a very beautiful thing.

Delbert:  Pretty much based on an idea and a certain kind of feel and we just go along with it.  It’s more along the lines of heavy blues.  I like that everyone plays what they feel and everybody has input on it.  And Jarrod seems to be a pretty good songwriter.  It’s a lot different than what I’ve heard with Rufus Huff.  He comes up with a piece and we’ll build a song of that.  Seems like everybody in the band has good ideas.  They’ve done so much it’s easy to come up with ideas.  I like playing with this band it’s a lot of fun.

5. What would you say your ultimate goal is for this group?

Rico:  We are already talking about the first album. Touring regionally is a must. Hitting the big cities like Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville and St. Louis. Basically anywhere you can drive in a day from Louisville, until we get our first tour bus, road crew and management team.

Jarrod:  Music is like a golf game; Music is deer hunting; Music is fishing.  Music is what I love to do. We don’t have any goals that I am aware of .  I could care less about being famous and all that jazz. As a matter of fact , a lot of times I wear hats, glasses, hoodies etc just so no one will know who I am.  I just want them to hear it. Music is therapy, Kim. Music helps us musicans cope with everyday life and stress. It allows us to express ourselves in such a way that others just can’t understand.  You’re born with music in you just like you’re born with blue eyes and brown hair. Music is what makes up my personality, it’s in my DNA. People have always told me that they can tell I’m a musician by just being around me. Musicians are empty if they can’t play.  We just want to play and enjoy the fun. Maybe we will record some of our music for others to hear.

Mitchell:  Ultimate goal for the group? Well, if I’m going to dream, then why not reach for the stars? An ultimate goal would be record sales in the millions, and playing venues like bands such as Government Mule. But a more practical, immediate goal, would be to play the major cities within driving distance (i.e. Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Louisville), and hopefully get into the festival circuit. That’s where I’d like this to go because we’re all doing it for the music; we came together for the music. So I’d like to see us doing gigs where people are listening to the music. Hopefully, they’ll like it.

Delbert:  Play as many gigs as we can and have fun doing it.  You never know what’s going to happen, it’s kind of a mystery…