It was a slightly surreal Sunday morning, as I hopped on my bike and pedaled a couple miles to Coolidge Corner, having read that Kay Hanley would be playing on an outdoor stage at noon. Although the former Letters To Cleo singer had left Boston behind for life in L.A. (and I don't mean Lower Allston), she was back to help Brookline celebrate it's 300th anniversary, along with still-local boys Buffalo Tom, who were scheduled later that day at 5pm.

It was a day well spent, as I love unusual venues and the atypical crowds that show up at free events (although watching the Sox get crushed on the telly in between the two sets wasn't so fun). The audience was filled with families, dancing kids, and friends of the musicians, there was beer on tap, and the smell of local food vendors in the air.

I wasn't sure how the recording would turn out, as it was the first time I'd taped something outdoors with my new setup. I was in the middle of a relaxed, chatty crowd who often wandered in front of the mic, so while there's an occasional bit of audio weirdness, the sound mix was pretty good considering.

So here's both sets, starting with Kay Hanley and her excellent backing band. They did a bunch of stuff off her solo releases, 'Cherry Marmalade' and 'The Babydoll EP', along with a bunch of Letters to Cleo songs...


A few hours later, the three gents who are Buffalo Tom took the stage to much applause. Hard to believe they've been around for almost 20 years, and contrary to the occasional rumor, have never actually broken up. They're still chugging along, and actually working on a new album for release on Kimchee Records.

It had been so long since I'd seen them, maybe somewhere on Lansdowne Street in the early 90s, although I've seen plenty of solo sets and guest appearances from both guitarist/singer Bill Janovitz and bassist/singer Chris Colbourn in the years since. Was real nice to see the three of them on stage together again. They ran through a bunch of old faves, and threw in a new song and a Stones cover for good measure...


According to the Kimchee Records site, Buffalo Tom is finishing up their next album this month, it'll be out next year (although not on Kimchee), and Mission of Burma's Clint Conley makes a guest appearance on it. Nice.

Other BT related news: Chris Colbourn has teamed up with Fuzzy's Hilken Mancini to record a disc of their own, and Kimchee will be putting it out. Won't have to wait long, as the release date is November 15th. They've got a notable guest star of their own in Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, who plays on the record.

Bill Janovitz's other band, Crown Victoria, will also be a part of a Brookline 300th Anniversary event when they play a heated tent in Lars Anderson Park. They'll be followed by fireworks, and in a perfect world that'd happen exactly when they hit the last note of the very last song. Their 2004 disc is called 'Fireworks on TV', after all.

If the 'Under My Thumb' cover isn't enough evidence of Bill J's love for early Stones, you should check out his contribution to the 33 1/3 series of album-exploring books. He wrote an in-depth look at their seminal 'Exile on Main Street'.

Before I sign off, I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Dan Speca's amazing Buffalo Tom fansite, The Kitchen Door. A must-visit for any BT fan.

As always, if the artists or anyone involved in the making of their music has an issue with my making these tracks available, just say the word. I am but a humble listener.

Oh, and for those waiting patiently for the AminA set, who opened that Sigur Ros Opera House show a couple weeks back, I'll have it up next Monday, promise.

Labels: livemp3s

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