2018 is now in the rear view mirror (or as us Pearl Jam fans prefer rearviewmirror) but before I say Hey Nineteen, here’s some photos and words – with the benefit of some time to digest – about a couple of my fave experiences from the latest trip around the sun: specifically crossing paths with Belly and Buffalo Tom.

As the below photo proves, not only did I used to sport hair on my head but I’ve been an enthusiastic fan of Tanya Donelly for decades. As no less a personage (personage?) than Bill Janovitz has pointed out; she’s founded 3 seminal bands in Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly.

2018 strangely, although wonderfully, saw both The Breeders (with a Deal Deal MacPherson and Wiggs lineup) as well as Belly reactivate. In May it was a delight to host a powwow and session with Belly for WFUV on the stage of the Rockwood Music Hall. Then in August they invaded the Music Hall of Williamsburg for a pair of triumphant shows. Here’s a bonus flashback to when I crossed paths with Tanya four years ago.

Gail Greenwood has been shining more brightly than ever before and I appreciated that having Greenwood and Donelly on the same stage is an embarrassment of riches. When you add the Gorman brothers (Thomas and Chris) and all seeming to remember what a rewarding combination this is, you’ve got an irresistible force. Dove, their first album since 1995 was a highlight of 2018 and a worthy follow up to the group’s nineties releases. Dove features the immaculate and shimmering Shiny One single.

As with Belly, a Boston connection and a long standing appreciation for their music and how they go about their business set the stage for a wicked good hang with Buffalo Tom. Bill Janovitz, Chris Colbourn, and Tom Maginnis released their first album in 7 years called Quiet and Peace and hit the road behind it.

First Bill and Chris played a duo show at Housing Works and we penciled in an interview for next time Buffalo Tom was in New York. When a conflict at WFUV foiled the plan, I volunteered to make a road trip to my ancestral home of Massachusetts and conduct the interview with session near the band-members’ actual homes.

I was able to pull this off as my pal Owen Curtin is intimately involved in The Bridge Studio which brought back some fond memories for BT as its the same space as the old Fort Apache studio where they recorded decades ago. It also represented the fulfillment of a rock n roll fantasy as I got to drink some whiskey with the the fellows and enjoy the most intimate of performances. They released a video in November for their song Overtime which you can watch below.

Tom and Chris at the same session in February.

The video for the new song Roman Cars was released this week following a show by Bill Janovitz and Chris Colbourn in Soho this month that was unusual in a couple of ways.  It offered the chance to see Buffalo Tom as a drummer-less duo and do it in the homey, intimate room that is Bookstore Cafe run by the good eggs at Housing Works.  The occasion is a forthcoming Buffalo Tom album which will be their first since Skins seven years ago.  The set included a handful of excellent new songs, such as Overtime, plus a hit the spot cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Only Living Boy in New York.  

Of course the rhythm and energy of Tom Maginnis on drums is an elemental charm of Buffalo Tom.  However, this quieter incarnation allowed me to understand some lyrics that I hadn’t gleaned in decades worth of listening to the albums and seeing gigs by the full trio.  The duo format also underlined the harmonies and vocal interplay between Janovitz and Colbourn that is a key to the emotional wallop so many of their tunes pack. 

Janovitz made a wry remark on stage sometime over the last twenty years, possibly at the Mercury Lounge in 2010, along the lines of ‘here comes another mid-tempo vaguely melancholic number.’   It was funny because Buff Tom does have a lot of songs that fit that description but that has never been a problem as the group’s primary strengths lie in their melodies, song craft, intelligence, and lyrics about a wide range of issues and feelings such as loss, acceptance, and aging.   Janovitz routinely adds to the entertainment value of Buffalo Tom shows with his between songs banter and he was in rare form at Housing Works.  He pretended to read from one of the books shelved behind the stage and entertained some questions as well as requests from the audience.

Forty years ago Buffalo Tom recorded their self-titled debut album at Fort Apache in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury with fellow Umass at Amherst-er J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr handling the production responsibilities.  This time around another highly regarded Massachusetts rocker, Dave Minehan, served as producer.  Janovitz has pointed to the similarities in vibe between the old Fort Apache space and Minehan’s Wooly Mammoth Studios in Waltham.  He added that both are “filled with an enviable, much-Instagrammed collection of vintage guitars, amps, and other gear.”  Beyond carving out a reputation as an outstanding producer running his own studio, Minehan is best known for his on-stage role in the recent Replacements reunion tour as well as his band The Neighborhoods who, scuttlebutt has it, have also got back together and are at work on a disc in the same studio. 

The new album, Quiet and Peace, was mixed by John Agnello and will be unleashed on March 2nd.  It includes a cameo by Bill’s daughter Lucy Janovitz singing backup on The Only Living Boy in New York – as the track was not only a treat for the New York gig but is on the record too.   The fabulous Andra Gillis, who I used to cheer at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville when she fronted a group named Red Chord almost twenty years ago, makes an appearance as well.  Buffalo Tom will play a handful of West Coast shows in that first week of March followed by a St. Patrick’s night gig at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and a 4/20 show (nudge nudge, wink wink) at  the Paradise in Boston.  Don’t miss!  I also hope to host the Tom in the Bronx for an FUV session but that hasn’t been locked down yet…

FUV Live with Buffalo Tom recored 2/23/18 at The Bridge Sound & Stage in Cambridge, MA!

Good pic of drummer Tom Maginnis from last time I saw the Tom three years ago.