Music today is mostly manufactured by record industry execs aimed at mass market. The results are bland songs with lyrics that have zero literary value; with melodies so recognizable you'd be correct to assume they were recycled from earlier tunes; music performed by "artists" who are better known for their goofy looks and tasteless lifestyles. But it doesn't have to be so:

Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, the Rainmakers are the best band in America today. Probably the best evidence for that claim is their relative obscurity-- the mass market has grossly overlooked this original, literate, and talented group of musicians. Their music is dynamic mid-western rock, satisfying to the ear and quite invigorating. The chief songwriter and singer, Bob Walkenhorst, is the best lyricist since Browne, Dylan, Mitchell, or Springsteen. Walkenhorst's words are wry, humorous, sardonic, and always thought provoking. When Walkenhorst focuses his penetrating gaze on a subject, new insights abound.

But don't take my word for it. This page offers a small sample of his work, accompanied by photos of the band's recent concert in Little Rock, Arkansas. If you find his messages as compelling as I, go to the Rainmakers Website for more info on how to locate their eight albums, as well as more history about the band, profiles of the members, and a BBS to interact with other devotees of the band.

	Well, to make a long story short, naturally We fell in love and she done me wrong. She’ll say the same about me, Naturally, But to my face and not in a song. Another Guitar
	Two dreams make the world go round The one you've lost and the one you claim you've found. Shiny, Shiny

Take a trip with me in 1967 With Grissom, White, and Chaffe on a rocket ride to heaven A dead-end date aboard AS-204 It was American made, only the best for our boys. I had another date with a homecoming queen I took her to the prom in Apollo 13 We orbit the moon, we couldn't get home, Little Queenie's mom was pissed 'cause her baby didn't phone. Take a trip with me to Kansas City, MO To the Hyatt House, to the big dance floor, You can still see the ghosts but you can't see the sense, Why they let the monkey go and blamed the monkey wrench. Rockin' at the T-Dance

And I feel like picking a fight With anybody who claims they're right, All the preacher men, the politicians, All the critics and the things they write. Reckoning Day

Me and Mark Twain were having us a ball Telling each other lies floating down from Hannibal, With a bottle and a worm and a cane pole We were fishing for secrets where the catfish crawl. Downstream

I went to a party with my new girl when We got there we ran into four of her old boyfriends. One was with my ex-wife One was with my gay brother One was with my masseuse One was with my date's mother. Seemed most everybody there had slept everybody else, When I figured it all out I figured I'd slept with myself. Little Tiny World

Now we make money and we're alright And we drive cars and wield our might We make love to people that we don't even like As we move in small circles. Small Circles

Looking out my window, the eclipse has begun I grab your hand, we run outside and dance in the dimming sun. Light through the leaves casts a zillion crescents on the ground And you say, "Hold me tight." Peeking through a pinhole, the eclipse has begun The shadow tag of sun and moon washes over us and everyone. Lives that overlap without ever seeing that it’s so And you say, "Hold me close. Don’t let me go." High noon and midnight we’re standing in the path Where shadows beget shadows and every step has an aftermath. Leaving tiptoe ripples of a skipping stone Nobody walks alone. Eclipse Has Begun

John G., Bob Walkenhorst, Neal Stevens, & Paul Reinmann

Yes! Bob has a brand new album out with a slew of great tunes!! Really good stuff, click here to hear samples and buy it!       UPDATED: 07/17/2004