This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Gear Daddies' "Cut Me Off"

Unfortunately, many '80s listeners probably never knew about this song (or the band that recorded it, for that matter) to allow it an opportunity to even be forgotten. That applies to me as well, as I stumbled upon this late-'80s, wonderful country-jangle pop combo completely by accident a couple of years ago while researching the beloved hockey song, "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni." It turns out that Martin Zellar, frontman for the Gear Daddies, was a cowriter of that Frozen North classic, a perennial favorite at rinks everywhere from the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina (Go 'Canes!) to community facilities throughout Canada and the northern half of the U.S.

Anyway, coming out of the fertile Minneapolis scene of the mid-'80s, Zellar was poised not only to write an ode to the greatest sport on earth but also to front one of the decade's truly great indie bands. I could have chosen pretty much any track from the band's sparkling 1988 debut, Let's Go Scare Al, to spotlight here. In fact, I'm still waffling on which song to list above, but ultimately my choice falls to "Cut Me Off," a tune highly representative of the band's unique, jangly and highly melodic sound. Do yourself a favor and seek out this whole album; it's truly one of the buried treasures of the '80s.

• Sample or download "Cut Me Off" here.
• Compare prices on Gear Daddies CDs here.
• Martin Zellar's Official Website

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Owen Lee Records