In mid-1992, the world of popular music was freshly ablaze with new sounds and new attitudes; albums like Nirvana's Nevermind, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger and Pearl Jam's Ten were thrusting a rainy northwestern city onto the chart-owning center stage, and New York's Sonic Youth had pretty much been crowned the coolest band ever, having essentially lit the fires that exploded into the "alternative music scene." R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People, Guns 'n' Roses' Use Your Illusion and Sir Mixalot's Baby Got Back were, in addition, indications that the sound of the '80s was far from extinct.
Closer to home, J Mascis et al. were in the studio tracking Where You Been; Barlow, Gaffney and Lowenstein had just put the finishing touches on Sebadoh's classic Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock; and Rob (Free Press) Skelton's Bible-defacing antics had just inspired a Billboard article predicting that Northampton could be "the next Seattle." It was enough to make more than a few hopeful young musicians relocate to the Valley, and it put our little college towns back on the cultural map of America.
Meanwhile, a band of natives was riding high on the wave of their own hard work after having been signed to a major-label deal with Virgin/Charisma, and were no doubt feeling like rock stars as they fondled their just-pressed album backstage on tour, opening for the likes of Dada, Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors. It was the big time for local-boys-done-good Bobby LaRoche, Tommy Pluta, Matt Cullen and Tommy Borawski, and the spotlight was on them and their brand of crisp, perhaps ahead-of-its-time power-pop. The album was What Goes On, and the band was The Sighs.
Tragically, this band became a poster-child for everything that could possibly get fucked up in the music business. Three weeks after the release of their debut (which was garnering gobs of great reviews), Virgin was bought by EMI, and the roster of acts that had been signed through Charisma was drastically downsized. The Sighs were forced back to square one (ironically, the name of a band Cullen was once part of), looking for a new label and support network and eventually dissolving into the undesirable realm of "best bands you never heard." They managed to release a sophomore effort, Different, on the smaller Big Deal label, but in the long run the band seemed to have been mortally demoralized by the time they finally decided to go their separate ways in 1996.
Perhaps largely unbeknownst to its creators, What Goes On lives on in the blogosphere, where devout pop critics continue to consistently rank it high on the list of albums that deserve far more love than they received, and in fact the release fetches as much as $39.99 on Amazon.com as a "pop gem rarity." Maybe because the band has picked up this subliminal vibe and had its wounds sufficiently healed by the anonymous appreciation, The Sighs are reuniting for their first show in more than a decade. Singer/guitarist Bobby LaRoche took some time to answer a few questions from the Advocate.
Valley Advocate: How and when did the Sighs form?
Bobby LaRoche: Tommy Pluta and I started the band in our home town of Holyoke in 1982. My family ran a pharmacy for many years in Tommy's old neighborhood. I got to know him from coming into the store. We became friends and started play gigs.
What are all the members doing now?
Tommy P. is working in radio and continues to write songs. Tommy B. is a master carpenter and still plays his drums. Matt is playing guitar and singing in his own band The Humming Field [see Behind the Beat: "Tattle and Hum," Jan. 24, 2008]—their debut album is a stunner! I'm playing guitar and singing/writing with my wife Patricia Vonne's band in Austin, Texas. We've toured Europe 15 times since 2004.
What inspired the reunion?
The band members have been getting together once a year for a long time to play poker (something we did lots of in the old days). This past summer I was visiting my parents in Cape Cod, and I borrowed my mom's car and drove to Western Mass. for our annual card game. She had The Sighs' What Goes On in her car stereo. I honestly hadn't heard the CD in years, and was pleased that it still sounded strong. I told the fellas I'd be visiting Holyoke for Thanksgiving, and how about doing a gig for fun?
Are there any new songs?
I doubt we'll be doing any new material. I'm having a tough time at the moment just relearning our old songs! But you never know. I suppose it's a possibility.
Any plans to collaborate further in light of this rekindling of musical bonding?
Not really sure about any future musical collaborations. I am sure about the card games continuing, though.
The Sighs perform Friday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. in the Pearl Street Ballroom. The Frank Manzi Band opens. Tickets are $12.50 in advance or $15 at the door, and can be purchased at the downtown Northampton box office or at www.iheg.com.
