Johnny Hobo and The Freight Trains formed in 2003 around Pat the Bunny on vocals and guitar, with Eli McIlveen on drums. They played in basements and squats, touring in beat-up vans on little money. Their early albums like 'Love Songs for the Apocalypse' and 'The Rise of the Invisible Hand' came out in quick succession between 2004 and 2008.
Pat the Bunny's lyrics dealt plainly with homelessness, addiction, and political anger. Songs like 'Crackhouse Song' and 'Fuck Cops' were blunt and unvarnished, delivered over acoustic guitar and McIlveen's heavy drumming. The band organized benefits for homeless shelters and food banks alongside their shows.
They released several records in those years, including 'Armageddon' and 'The Politics of Holy Shit I Just Cut My Hand on a Bottle'. The music was folk-punk with a spoken-word edge, avoiding polish in favor of directness. After 2008, Pat the Bunny moved on to other projects, leaving behind a handful of raw, urgent albums.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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