Ralphie's Red Ryders - My Decoder Ring

  

  Ralphie's Red Ryders (https://upload.facebook.com/ralphiesredryders/) are the new band from Holman, Indiana who I introduced back in March (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2020/03/ralphies-red-ryders-they-traded-bullfrog.html). I mentioned that they'd have a debut album out in November on Outloud! Records and Radiant Radish Records and as we're only a week away from the cd release and there's a new video available I thought now would be a good time to tell you how good the album is. 

  It features the talents of Ralphie (guitar, vocals) Flick (bass, vocals) and Schwartz (drums, vocals). If those names seem familiar, it's quite possible you've seen a 1983 movie called A Christmas Story which is supposedly very popular in The States but I can't say I've ever had the pleasure. As I'm not a fan of Christmas movies I can't honestly say I'd want that dubious pleasure! But if someone who think's Christmas movies are to be avoided at all costs loves this album then quite possibly you will too. 

  It's fun. A fuzzy warm nostalgia fest boasting  a dozen power pop cuts. Just imagine if The Ramones and the Beach Boys hosted a joint Xmas party. It's exactly what the tag bubblegum pop was thought up for. I'm sure fans of the movie will notice those tracks are inspired by the movie and I'm sure they'll know exactly who The Bumpus Hounds are or where Higbee's is (supposedly it's the greatest toy shop). If, like me, you have no idea what Tinker Toys are or why Randy can't put his arms down, it doesn't matter in the slightest. You'll still have a blast. 

  You can get more details here : https://radiantradish.storenvy.com/products/31137649-ralphies-red-ryders-youll-shoot-your-eye-out-cd and here https://ralphiesredryders.bandcamp.com/releases 

  

    Before I get tempted to write the words Vista and Blue, I'll quickly post the video. 

  A secret decoder ring (or secret decoder) is a device which allows one to decode a simple substitution cipher. As inexpensive toys, they have been often used as promotional items by retailers, radio and television programs from the 1930s through to the current day. The most well-known example started in 1934 with the Ovaltine company's sponsored radio program Little Orphan Annie. The show's fan club, "Radio Orphan Annie's Secret Society", distributed a member's handbook that included a simple substitution cipher with a resulting numeric cipher text. This was followed the next year with a membership pin that included a cipher disk - enciphering the letters A-Z to numbers 1-26. In A Christmas Story, Ralphie becomes a member of the Radio Orphan Annie's Secret Society fan club and decodes a secret message sent from Annie to her fans only to be disappointed it reads "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine." 

  This is My Decoder Ring... 

Ralphie's Red Ryders - They Traded Bullfrog

 

  A new band today, they're called Ralphie's Red Ryders (https://www.facebook.com/ralphiesredryders/), they're from Holman, Indiana and they feature a line up of Ralphie, Flick and Schwartz. They write songs about bullies, BB guns, school, the Bumpus hounds, major awards, and everyday life in Holman. A bit of digging reveals they take their name from the bb gun which Ralphie wanted in the 1983 family movie A Christmas Story. The movie is set in 1940 in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana and the gun was named for the comic strip cowboy character Red Ryder who was created in 1938 and appeared in numerous films and on tv in the 40's and 50's. The comic strip was cancelled in 1963 but the gun is still in production. If you're familiar with the movie you may recognise Ralphie, Flick and Schartz as characters from it, more likely than that though, you'll listen to the song below and think, "damn, that sounds like Vista Blue!"

  So are the reports of Vista Blue's demise true? According to frontman Mike Patton, there's new material from them coming soon so happily it would appear not. Also on the way is a full length cd from Ralphie's Red Ryder, it'll be released by Outloud! Records in November. In the meantime there's a couple of tracks name your price on Bandcamp : https://ralphiesredryders.bandcamp.com/releases

  This song is one of Mike's baseball songs (sort of!). "Four Eyes" Shottenhoffer is a fictional baseball player mentioned in A Christmas Story by Old Man Parker (played by Darren McGavin aka Kolchak: The Night Stalker) when he tells his wife that the Sox (probably Chicago White Sox) traded "Bullfrog" for the utility infielder. The entirety of the dialog about the two players is reproduced below:
Old Man Parker: "They traded Bullfrog. I don't believe it."
Mrs. Parker: "What's that?"
Old Man Parker: "Well, for Christ's sake, the Sox traded Bullfrog... the only player they've got, for Shottenhoffer. "Four Eyes" Shottenhoffer, a utility infielder. Got a whole goddamned team of utility infielders."
Mrs. Parker: "That's nice."

  This is They Traded Bullfrog...