STOP SEVEN: THE RATHSKELLER

1974-1997

528 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA

NEXT STOP: T.T. THE BEAR’S PLACE (10 Brookline St, Cambridge, MA)

Years: 1974-1977
Opener: The Police
Feature: The Cars

The Rathskeller. A.K.A. The Rat is appropriately named but is loved and revered by many musicians and audience members. It was chaos, stage diving, and had a bathroom that most people would avoid. But it was a seminal venue for the headliners and local bands alike, offering a hole-in-the-wall experience that eventually brought the infamous ‘BCN Rock and Roll Rumble to the masses.

It was a home for punk music, and there were a few violent stories of punkers getting jumped by the boys in Southie and from those who went to the disco across the street. When people talk about The Rat, now a luxury hotel, they remember the community it fostered, the music it inspired, and the raw power of punk music that was loud, obnoxious, in your face, and, well….an experience that many who attended the shows certainly miss.

David Minehan, the lead guitarist and vocalist for The Neighborhoods, who also won the very first BCN Rock and Roll Rumble in 1979, tells us a little more.

Have a listen to the audio for a portion of a conversation with Mr. Minehan on the Above The Basement podcast.

““I mean, we can’t underestimate The Rat, you know, impact on the scene, the town, the... Cause CBGB’s and The Rat were sharing all the same bands at the time. You know, they were going back and forth from New York, and if they were coming from London or England, they would do both clubs, you know, The Police show is, you know, The Damned the, you know, The Runaways, all these bands that were there and for those of us who were like - Man! This is - I can’t believe this is happening! - and the rest is history then they all these artists go on to have huge careers but you know, to see it kind of in its embryonic stages….””
— David Minehan on the Above The Basement Podcast (1)

The Story

It was dingy, it was grungy, it was sweaty, it was smelly, and it was known as The Rat.  From 1974 to 1997, this club showcased many of the best progressive bands from Boston and beyond, always before they made it big. Outside of New York and L.A., it was the most important punk rock club in the country.

Its official name was the Rathskeller, and in the 1960’s it had been a restaurant and bar catering to college students. At the time it offered live music in a back room, featuring local bands such as The Remains (who opened for The Beatles on their final tour), The Pandoras, The Lost (with future Boston punk legend Willie “Loco” Alexander) and The Mods (whose drummer Harry Sandler went on to play with “Boston Sound” hitmakers Orpheus).

‘60s-style live music was phased out at some point, but in 1974 owner Jim Harold was persuaded to open the downstairs room and book some of the local bands beginning (or hoping) to make their mark in Boston. For the next 23 years it was the focal point for the punk and new wave scene in town, and became affectionately known as The Rat.

WBCN’s annual Rock ‘n’ Rumble was launched at The Rat. It also became a stop on the tour for some new out-of-town acts who went on to become major performers, like Steve Earle, Joan Jett, Metallica, Mink de Ville, The Police, The Ramones, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, Thin Lizzy and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

The club was also known for the characters who went there and worked there. Mitch the doorman was an imposing but dapper gent who spoke through a voicebox. Granny the soundman, whose technical mastery provided an audio experience beyond what anyone could expect in such a room, was known never to speak at all when on the job. And Jimmy Harold, no punk himself, presided over the chaos with equanimity for nearly a quarter of a century. A notorious hole in the ground, yes, but The Rat was a unique and important musical institution in Boston which provided a stage for upcoming talent. For the bands and their fans, The Rat was where it was at.

Source:
"The Rat." The Music Museum of New England. July 30, 2012. https://doi.org/https://www.mmone.org/the-rat/.

Continue on to the next stop on the tour: T.T. The Bears Place. This is about a 36 minute walk. (1.6 miles) 

The Cars: Live at The Rat, April 1977." Donna Sweetpurplejune. December 31, 2020. Video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUztQhNJxEg.

  1. "David Minehan." Above The Basement. May 5, 2018. https://doi.org/https://www.mmone.org/the-rat/.

Phlash, Philin. The Rathskeller. 2022. Photograph. Boston Globe, August 4, 2022.

Performers (partial list)

Steve Earle
Joan Jett
Metallica
Mink de Ville
The Police
The Ramones
R.E.M.
Sonic Youth
Talking Heads
Thin Lizzy
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
The Real Kids
Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
The Stompers
Thundertrain

The Cars
Dropkick Murphys
DMZ
Gang Green
The Cars
The Infliktors
La Peste
Mickey Clean and The Mezz
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Mission of Burma
The Neighborhoods
The Nervous Eaters
Pastiche
The Pixies
Unnatural Axe
Willie Loco Alexander

Below: Dee Stroy (a member of the Johnnies) and his girlfriend Molly Blom at an event in at The Rat in Kenmore Square in 1996.

Chavez, Robinson. Aerosmith, the Cars, the Pixies — Boston Used to Be a Rock ’N’ Roll Capital. Where Has All the Music Gone? Photograph. Boston Globe.

Below R.E.M. at The Rat

Levine, Laurie. An R.E.M. Fan's Bitter Reckoining. Photograph. Johnkyle.Com.

Levine, Laurie. Tracing the Changing Face of Kenmore Square. Photograph. Boston University.