Any love for Rolle Dexter (aka Rolle Love) from The Beat Farmers?

[cazclocker]

The Beat Farmers were a mainstay of the San Diego club circuit for years until the onstage death of their frontman, Country Dick Montana some 20 years ago. I was a fanatic about them, with their beer swilling riots which we call called "a normal Beat Farmers show".
Rolle Dexter was this onstage menacing figure, with a tattoo of a skeleton's hand over his left shoulder - without a shirt, it looked like the grim reaper was ready to haul his a** straight down to hell, where he clearly belonged. But that skinny punka** maniac could pound out the roots to some hell-raising psychopunkabilly tunes. For some reason, he changed his name to Rolle Love.
Anybody else seen the Beat Farmers back in the day??

 

[Pops OB]

Rolle is my ex-nephew-in-law. A tragedy when Country Dick died. Jerry Raney is one heck of a talent.

 

[cazclocker]

Rolle is my ex-nephew-in-law. A tragedy when Country Dick died. Jerry Raney is one heck of a talent.

Hey Pops, thanks for that. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one here who appreciated Rolle's playing. What's Rolle doing these days? I can't seem to find anything current for him.

 

[Pops OB]

I wish I knew! I haven't heard from Rolle in years, now. We last saw them perform at the Palomino Club before "Dick" died. I can't remember the year, but Dan died and the club closed, both in 95. My daughter was flower girl at Rolle's wedding at Laguna. Warren DeMartini (Ratt) played acoustic guitar at the wedding. Fun times. I hope he's ripping his bass somewhere these days.

 

[oranje]

Rolle is still in SD and laying low. Love is his birth name, a Scotsman to the bone. He was playing surf tunes with the Birdrockers up to about a year ago. Our bands shared an East coast manager in the late 80's and we met up when I Moved out here in 92, funny story actually. Those were great times and Beat Farmers at their very best. Those were the Santa Cruz St.Days - music, partying and a lot of Surfing. Rolle and I have shared many a surfboard and a ton of basses over the last 25 years. I still own his fave beat to sh*t Jazz and he, my beloved Hynson Red Fin.

He is a good friend and a huge inspiration to me musically. His knowledge of music is vast and he is a tone monster. He knows how to pick "that" instrument and his amp choices always amaze me. He always finds the most obscure/rare tube heads and funky cabs and always gets that fat sizzling tone. I wish I still had his Hi-Watt that somehow ended up in my hands. Last we spoke he was playing mostly guitar and keeping it mellow.

 

[Pops OB]

Rolle is still in SD and laying low. Love is his birth name, a Scotsman to the bone. He was playing surf tunes with the Birdrockers up to about a year ago. Our bands shared an East coast manager in the late 80's and we met up when I Moved out here in 92, funny story actually. Those were great times and Beat Farmers at their very best. Those were the Santa Cruz St.Days - music, partying and a lot of Surfing. Rolle and I have shared many a surfboard and a ton of basses over the last 25 years. I still own his fave beat to sh*t Jazz and he, my beloved Hynson Red Fin.

He is a good friend and a huge inspiration to me musically. His knowledge of music is vast and he is a tone monster. He knows how to pick "that" instrument and his amp choices always amaze me. He always finds the most obscure/rare tube heads and funky cabs and always gets that fat sizzling tone. I wish I still had his Hi-Watt that somehow ended up in my hands. Last we spoke he was playing mostly guitar and keeping it mellow.

When you see him, please tell him Richard and Joan say "Hi!"

 

[cazclocker]

Rolle is still in SD and laying low. Love is his birth name, a Scotsman to the bone. He was playing surf tunes with the Birdrockers up to about a year ago. Our bands shared an East coast manager in the late 80's and we met up when I Moved out here in 92, funny story actually. Those were great times and Beat Farmers at their very best. Those were the Santa Cruz St.Days - music, partying and a lot of Surfing. Rolle and I have shared many a surfboard and a ton of basses over the last 25 years. I still own his fave beat to sh*t Jazz and he, my beloved Hynson Red Fin.

He is a good friend and a huge inspiration to me musically. His knowledge of music is vast and he is a tone monster. He knows how to pick "that" instrument and his amp choices always amaze me. He always finds the most obscure/rare tube heads and funky cabs and always gets that fat sizzling tone. I wish I still had his Hi-Watt that somehow ended up in my hands. Last we spoke he was playing mostly guitar and keeping it mellow.

Dayummm! Great to hear he's still kickin' but just laying low. Good on him. The late 80's was when I started following the Beat Farmers... I lived in Santa Barbara in those days and I'd drive down with friends to San Diego to see them. Thanks for the input - Rolle still makes a difference, I can still see in my mind's eye his attitude on his B.T.S. Jazz.

 

[oranje]

Pops OB, I will certainly relay the message. Cazclocker here is that Jazz in all of it's beat glory sans original busted neck.

 

[farace]

Can't add much, but I saw the Beat Farmers open up for the Blasters at Tramps on 23rd St. in NYC. Great show. Country Dick crowd surfed right over my head. He was gone two weeks later.

 

[Pops OB]

Crowd surfing and he'd lay on his back with a bottle of beer between his boots and guzzle that sucker (what didn't go everywhere else, lol!).

 

[Michedelic]

The band continues, in altered form, as "The Farmers", and still gigs around Southern California. They periodically show up at the infamous road house near me, Pappy and Harriet's.

 

[cazclocker]

View attachment 1911870 Pops OB, I will certainly relay the message. Cazclocker here is that Jazz in all of it's beat glory sans original busted neck.

Thanks for sharing that, oranje. That's the old fugly-beautiful Jazz I used to see at a BF show!

 

[4dog]

I come across these great states from norfolk bible school..
I guess ive been brained along the way, a coupla a times a few...yee fricken haw !

 

[Don K]

I hope people that posted here are still reading this thread. I just saw Rolle play with the surviving Beat Farmers this past Saturday, January 20, at the Eight Annual Beat Farmers Hootenanny. Rolle played with Jerry and Joey with Bongo Kmak on drums. Every year they all get together at the Belly Up and celebrate the lives of Country Dick and Buddy Blue. This year mention sadly was also given to Mighty Joe Longa, Joey's keyboard player with the Mentals and Candye Kane, who have both succumbed to cancer within the last year and a half or so. Special guests this year were Sara Petite, Rosie Flores and Wayne Kramer of MC5.

Joey and the Mentals opened for an hour, then the Beat Farmers for an hour, then the Farmers (Jerry, Chris Sullivan, Bongo and a singer, Corbin Turner. Then the special guests. Show started at 8:00 p.m., went for about five hours.

Rolle plays with them every year at these things. His goatee is now fully white. He did keep his shirt on, though.

 

[cazclocker]

View attachment 2885366 I hope people that posted here are still reading this thread. I just saw Rolle play with the surviving Beat Farmers this past Saturday, January 20, at the Eight Annual Beat Farmers Hootenanny. Rolle played with Jerry and Joey with Bongo Kmak on drums. Every year they all get together at the Belly Up and celebrate the lives of Country Dick and Buddy Blue. This year mention sadly was also given to Mighty Joe Longa, Joey's keyboard player with the Mentals and Candye Kane, who have both succumbed to cancer within the last year and a half or so. Special guests this year were Sara Petite, Rosie Flores and Wayne Kramer of MC5.

Joey and the Mentals opened for an hour, then the Beat Farmers for an hour, then the Farmers (Jerry, Chris Sullivan, Bongo and a singer, Corbin Turner. Then the special guests. Show started at 8:00 p.m., went for about five hours.

Rolle plays with them every year at these things. His goatee is now fully white. He did keep his shirt on, though.

Thanks for posting that. As the original poster of this thread, it's sure good to see Rolle still rocks hard. He always played like a relentless maniac!

 

[Tonegasm]

Still enjoying Rolle’s bass today here in NJ. Here are some photos of the bass now and a photo I found on the internet of Rolle actually playing it.

 

[oranje]

Yea now @Tonegasm glad you are still enjoying that jazz! Good stuff!

 

[GregC]

Oh man, I really dug the Beat Farmers. Tales of the New West had some great songs. Living in Florida, I only got to see them once—Buddy had just left and Jody joined. Rolle was fun to watch, he played really hard with a pick for many of the songs. Country Dick rode on a guy’s shoulders in the crowd at one point. And they finished with their spectacular acapella Led Zep medley.

interesting about the Jazz, Rolle was playing a white Tele-style bass when I saw them.