Buffalo Tom

Last updated
Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom.jpg
Bill Janovitz
Background information
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genres Alternative rock
Years active1986–present
Labels SST, RCA, Situation Two, Megadisc, Ra, Beggars Banquet, East West, Polydor, Ammal/New West, Scrawny Music
Members Bill Janovitz
Chris Colbourn
Tom Maginnis
Website Official website

Buffalo Tom is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. [1] The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer. [2]

Contents

Career

Buffalo Tom began with a friendship at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst among students Chris Colbourn, Tom Maginnis, and Bill Janovitz. [3] Another friendship with guitarist/frontman J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. helped the band's career to take off through Mascis assisting with the production on the band's first two albums. [1] Mascis also played lead guitar on the song "Impossible" from Buffalo Tom's self-titled debut. [4] Dinosaur Jr would also influence Buffalo Tom's music, as would Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, Moving Targets, and the Neats. [5]

Buffalo Tom had their highest-charting songs in the mid-1990s: "Sodajerk" (1993) peaked at No. 8 and "Sleepy Eyed" (1995) peaked at No. 4 on the Heatseekers chart. Their album, Big Red Letter Day , peaked at no. 17 in the UK Albums Chart in October 1993. [6]

The band contributed the track "For All To See" to the 1993 AIDS-Benefit Album No Alternative produced by the Red Hot Organization, and the track "Lolly Lolly Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here" to the CD School House Rock! Rocks . Buffalo Tom's song "Sodajerk" was featured on the soundtrack to the 1994 television series My So-Called Life . They appeared in a club scene on My So-Called Life, episode 12, titled "Self-Esteem," playing "Late at Night." The episode originally aired on 17 November 1994.

The group also wrote the theme song to the short-lived 1999 sitcom The Mike O'Malley Show . In 1999, the song "Taillights Fade" was used in the Breckin Meyer/Elizabeth Berkley independent film Taillights Fade. They also recorded The Jam's "Going Underground" for the 2000 tribute album Fire and Skill: The Songs of the Jam . Issued as a double A-sided single, with Liam Gallagher and Steve Cradock's cover version of "Carnation", the single reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1999. [6]

They were the final musical guest on The Jon Stewart Show . [7] Buffalo Tom is a perennial performer at the Hot Stove Cool Music concerts that benefit Theo Epstein's Charity, 'Foundation to Be Named Later'. [8]

After a lengthy hiatus through most of the decade, during 2007 Buffalo Tom re-emerged to perform at the South by Southwest Music Festival [9] and to go on a summer tour across the US. An album, Three Easy Pieces , was released on July 10, 2007, through the New West label. The band has played a number of concerts in the US, Australia and Europe. [10]

On November 24, 2010, it was announced through the band's Facebook and Twitter pages that their new album would be titled Skins, and was intended for release in mid-February 2011. It came out to positive reviews from AllMusic [11] and others on March 8, 2011, through their own label Scrawny Records, via The Orchard distribution company. [12] Quiet and Peace was released on March 2, 2018. [13]

The band performed the theme song for NBC's Extended Family , called "We Thought We Were Done". [14]

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Singles and EPs

Related Research Articles

<i>Tupelo Honey</i> 1971 studio album by Van Morrison

Tupelo Honey is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in October 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. Morrison had written all of the songs in Woodstock, New York, before his move to Marin County, California, except for "You're My Woman", which he wrote during the recording sessions. Recording began at the beginning of the second quarter of 1971 at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco. Morrison moved to the Columbia Studios in May 1971 to complete the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J Mascis</span> American musician

Joseph Donald Mascis Jr., better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist and played drums and guitar on other projects. He was ranked number 74 in a Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists", and number 5 in a similar list for Spin magazine in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Situation Two</span> British independent record label

Situation Two was a British independent record label founded in 1981 by Peter Kent as an offshoot of the Beggars Banquet label. The name is a reference to Bauhaus's old management company, Situation 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Going Underground</span> 1980 single by the Jam

"Going Underground" is a single by English rock band the Jam, released in March 1980. It debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks at the top. "Going Underground" was the first of four number one singles the band were to achieve throughout their career.

<i>Let Me Come Over</i> 1992 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Let Me Come Over is the third album by American alternative rock band Buffalo Tom. It was released on March 10, 1992, by RCA Records, Situation Two and Beggars Banquet Records. The cover art is taken from an issue of National Geographic and shows an Aboriginal Australian stockman.

<i>Fire & Skill: The Songs of the Jam</i> 1999 compilation album by Various artists

Fire & Skill: The Songs of the Jam is a compilation album of hit songs written by The Jam. Each track on the album was performed by a different artist or band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Start Choppin</span> 1993 single by Dinosaur Jr.

"Start Choppin" is a song by Dinosaur Jr. written by J Mascis and taken from their fifth album Where You Been. Created after Mascis came up with the title phrase, the song was accompanied by a music video that aired on alternative rock music programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Janovitz</span> American musician and writer (born 1966)

Bill Janovitz is an American musician and writer. He is the singer, guitarist, and songwriter of alternative rock band Buffalo Tom, and has also released three solo albums. Janovitz has written extensively for Allmusic, authored the Exile on Main St. book for the 33⅓ series, and contributed to Boston Magazine, the Boston Phoenix, and Post Road magazine. He wrote Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones (2013) and Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History (2023), which was a New York Times Best Seller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannonball (The Breeders song)</span> 1993 single by the Breeders

"Cannonball" is a song by American alternative rock band the Breeders from their second studio album, Last Splash (1993). It was released as a single on August 9, 1993, on 4AD and Elektra Records, reaching No. 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart. In November 1993, the single was released in France, where it charted for 30 weeks, peaking at No. 8. The song demo was originally called "Grunggae" as it merged "island riffs and grunge". This demo was later included in the 20th anniversary re-release of the album LSXX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divine Hammer (song)</span> 1993 single by the Breeders

"Divine Hammer" is a song by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released as the second single from their second album, Last Splash (1993), in October 1993.

<i>Birdbrain</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Birdbrain is the second album by American alternative rock band Buffalo Tom, released in 1990. J Mascis again assisted with production, alongside Sean Slade. Buffalo Tom singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz said that Mascis's influence probably accented the band's edgier side.

<i>Buffalo Tom</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Buffalo Tom is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Buffalo Tom, released in 1988 and featuring production from J Mascis.

<i>Big Red Letter Day</i> 1993 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Big Red Letter Day is the fourth album by American alternative rock band Buffalo Tom, released in 1993.

<i>Sleepy Eyed</i> 1995 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Sleepy Eyed is a 1995 album by Buffalo Tom. The band was looking to move away from the polished sound of their previous album in favor of a more stripped-down, live-sounding approach.

<i>Smitten</i> (Buffalo Tom album) 1998 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Smitten is a 1998 album by Buffalo Tom. It was their only album for Polydor Records.

<i>Three Easy Pieces</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Three Easy Pieces is a 2007 album by American alternative rock band Buffalo Tom. The album - nine years removed from their last LP Smitten - took over two years of off-and-on recording sessions to complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wagon</span> 1991 single by Dinosaur Jr.

"The Wagon" is a song by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., released on their 1991 album Green Mind. Featuring lyrics inspired by the band's use of station wagons for transportation in its early days, the song was written by J Mascis and was one of the three songs on Green Mind to include drummer Murph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven (The Psychedelic Furs song)</span> 1984 single by the Psychedelic Furs

"Heaven" is a song by the English rock band the Psychedelic Furs, written by the band's lead vocalist Richard Butler and bassist Tim Butler. It was the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Mirror Moves (1984). As a single it reached the top 30 of the charts in the United Kingdom and peaked at number 41 in New Zealand.

<i>Quiet and Peace</i> 2018 album

Quiet and Peace is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock band Buffalo Tom. It was released on March 2, 2018 under Schoolkids Records. It was their first album in seven years.

<i>Skins</i> (Buffalo Tom album) 2011 studio album by Buffalo Tom

Skins is the eighth studio album by American band Buffalo Tom, released in 2011 on Scrawny Records. The album was released in CD, LP and deluxe double CD formats as well as for download and streaming. The deluxe double CD edition included a disc of demos.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 130. ISBN   1-84195-017-3.
  2. ↑ Duguay, Rob (25 June 2015). "Interview: Buffalo Tom's Bill Janovitz". Vanyaland. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "• View topic - Artist of the Week: Buffalo Tom 12-10-2012". Threedimesdown.com. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  4. ↑ Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review Buffalo Tom". AllMusic . Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Buffalo Tom's Bill Janovitz: Between The Lines Just One More Time". Good People Bad Habits. April 6, 2018. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 85. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  7. ↑ "Final Episode". IMDb. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  8. ↑ Shao, Yiqing. "Hot Stove Cool Music Celebrates 15 Years". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "SXSW: Friday In Austin". Stereogum. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  10. ↑ Cashmere, Tim. "Buffalo Tom Announce Australian Tour". Undercover. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review Skins". AllMusic . Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  12. ↑ Valish, Frank. "Buffalo Tom Skins Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Quiet and Peace - Buffalo Tom | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ "We Thought We Were Done". YouTube . Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  15. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Buffalo Tom - Taillights Fade". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  16. ↑ "Buffalo Tom - Chart history | Billboard Alternative Songs". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  17. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Buffalo Tom - I'm Allowed". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  18. ↑ "GOING UNDERGROUND/CARNATION". Official Charts. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.