Mp3s: Kay Hanley & Buffalo Tom at Brookline 300
Posted on September 26, 2005 at 11:22 am | No Comments
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…
live at Brookline 300
Brookline, MA
Sunday, September 18th, 2005
1. Happy To Be Here
2. Mean Streak
3. Big Star
4. Satellite
5. Veda Very Shining
6. Sparklegirl
7. In Clouds
8. Fall
9. Awake
10. Te Amo
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…
live at Brookline 300
Brookline, MA
Sunday, September 18th, 2005
1. Velvet Roof
2. Summer
3. Under My Thumb (Stones cover)
4. Birdbrain
5. Kitchen Door
6. The Wiggles (sort of)
7. Sparklers
8. Treehouse
9. Clobbered
10. Sodajerk
11. Good Girl (new)
12. Late At Night
13. Tangerine
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.
The Cooler Kids Will Live Forever
Posted on September 23, 2005 at 12:04 pm | No Comments
First things first: Go pick up the new American Analog Set disc. That’s an order, soldier. You can thank me after you listen to the thing.
Ok, with that outta the way… hello! I’m really glad so many surfers have found their way to the Sigur Ros set I posted on Monday. The comments and emails of appreciation are, reduntantly, appreciated. I’ll follow that up in a few days with full sets from Buffalo Tom and Kay Hanley, who played outside at the Brookline 300th Anniversary Festival thang this past Sunday. Good stuff.
Busy work week past, although I’m thankfully off today so I can join the rest of the oft-mutating Broken River Prophet as we head down to Pawtucket, Rhode Island to play the finale of the Mirror Image Film Festival. Had a pretty good practice last night, and we’re squeezing in another one this afternoon before we hit the road. As Professor Hinkle says, I’m busy busy busy.
Looking forward to finally seeing A History of Violence this weekend, playing some poker with friends, and just some old fashioned relaxin’.
Well, I’ve done gone and run outta time, gotta head out to that last minute practice, then off to the show. Check back tomorrow afternoon for my irregularly scheduled link-purge, and maybe those two live sets I mentioned…
Oh, before I go, if you’re feeling generous, head here and donate to the Breast Cancer Walk that Amie and I are doing in October. I’ll beg more later, don’t you worry.
Until tomorrow then…