Easy does it
BuffaloTom are a band who have stood the
test of time. Songs like 'Taillights Fade', 'Sodajerk' and 'Summer'
sound as good, thunderous and meaningful today as they did when
they were released. Born of the Indie rock epicentre that was
Boston in the late 80’s/early 90’s alongside acts
like The Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jnr., Buffalo Tom albums Birdbrain,
Let me Come Over and Big Red Letter Day garnered
huge praise upon release.
After a nine year hiatus, the band released
Three Easy Pieces in 2007 and played a handful of shows,
which sold out in the blink of an eye, and by all accounts they
haven’t lost their magic. On the eve of their return to
Australia, Ruth Bailey caught up with Chris Colbourn
from the band.
So
after your 10 year break, the magic is still there - what made
you want to reunite and revisit Buffalo Tom?
Ha – magic. We always prided ourselves in
being a very practical rock band, without any gimmicks, magic
or retirement plans. So - there was never any real planned break
for us per se after the last CD - Three Easy Pieces has been
a work in progress for 7-8 years. In the middle of all of this,
we had about six babies, got married - started living regular
lives. Buffalo Tom recordings were kept to late at night after
the kids went to bed - or on weekends. Recording in our spare
time was how we originally started our group way back in college,
so it felt right – and was productive. I think the next
CD will be better though, as we've toured a bit this year - and
our playing chops are sharper now.
What's different this time around for you guys?
We're looking at life from middle age, as parents with kids of
course, but I think the same themes and pre-occupations hold true
now as when we started the band. A romantic kind of look at life
and how to live it, ups and downs. We're still mates and battling
brothers at the same time in this band...Bill and Tom married
and remain with the same girls from 20+ years; we all have two
kids, houses near each other... wait, maybe nothing has changed
- only now we're supposed to be the parents and not the kids..
hmm
You've all got 'real jobs' and families how
do you find the touring side of being in a band these days, especially
with such a following as you've created?
When we started the band in college we had to create
songs and play shows in our spare time - much the same as now
with kids and jobs. It makes the playing time a bit more special
then the long touring/recording cycles we were in a few years
back. I've noticed lot of our fans are coming to these recent
shows - and reuniting with each other for a night out, babysitter
etc...we're sort of a thread through their lives - same as the
band is through ours. We bond on that.
You
have a melancholic sound that lasts the test of time (in my opinion)
where does inspiration come from for your songs, and most importantly
the latest album, Three Easy Pieces?
It's kind of interesting how similar themes, inspirations
– have followed us around all our lives so far. Nostalgia
of course, a certain New England outlook, a confessional point
of view, from the dark woods that we grew up in here. Very cold
and dark for parts of the year, then very light and sunny - constantly
changing seasons. Wet leaves, autumn is in our bones. *Always
influenced by the classics too: Astral Weeks, As
I Lay Dying, Chelsea Hotel, The Bell Jar,
Husbands and Wives, Twin Peaks, Visions
of Johanna, coffee, Between The Buttons, 'My Sweet
Lord', Repulsion, Anne Sexton, Moma Roma...
Are you excited about returning to Australian
shores?
Yes, we've always loved flying to Australia in January
from snowy Boston, arriving in mid-summer sunshine. We once toured
Australia with Superchunk and Fur, probably my favourite tour
ever. Our best friend and tour manager Anthony Treuer is from
Sydney as well as great mates like the Knievel band - who we met
on our first tour here about 15 years ago *gulp*... my kids are
fans of New Buffalo, and also that Black Sandals - Starbucks CD
girl Sia who are both from Australia, I think. Nick Cave is one
of our all-time heroes too of course, there's always amazing rock
bands over here like You Am I. We once played at a rock school
for girls once. They were better guitarists than we were.. Looking
forward to hearing some new bands.
The Golden Plains Festival is playing in a natural
amphitheatre in Meredith outside of Melbourne, do you plan on
camping in a yurt? Do you like camping?
I'm with the Lemonheads on camping/outdoor life.
I need to wake up with a hot shower, the New York Times and an
espresso and God forbid if there's something on TV I would miss
and 'it's never played again'. A yurt does sound enticing... though
it sounds a bit like Altamont too, and that didn't turn out too
well in the end.
What's a great memory you have of visits to
Australia? Your best gig or show here - funny story?
I love the rock pools in Sydney - we don't really
have those in Boston. I was once warned not to swim at one of
these pools at Bondi Beach because there were "blue bottles"
in the water that morning. I thought they meant 'blue bottle dolphins'
for some reason, so I jumped in the pool and promptly got bit
on the bum by a jelly fish. It really hurt - and then they told
me to pee on the sting to relieve the pain. I thought, this is
a strange place...
Ruth Bailey
