Once signed to the legendary Sub Pop Record label and silent for nearly a decade and half, seminal Valley alt-country rockers Scud Mountain Boys have signed for a handful of reunion shows, including a Jan. 15 engagement at the Pearl Street Clubroom.
The Crawler caught up with Scud percussionist Tom Shea a few days prior to the auspicious occasion. Here’s some of what went down.
Crawler: How did this all come together after all this time? Did the planets align?
Tom Shea: Joe [Pernice, the band’s primary songwriter] contacted us last winter and over the course of a few months—through emails—things kind of progressed into a reunion thing, with possible shows. In August 2011, Steve [Desaulniers] and I played a set in Cambridge with Joe at one of his solo shows. Bruce [Tull] is in Oklahoma, so he missed the show, but would’ve played if he could’ve. The Cambridge show sounded great, like the old days—minus Bruce, of course. Joe’s brother Bob sat in for Bruce.
Are these few shows a celebration of the past, or the starting point for a new chapter in Scud Mountain history with new discs, more dates, etc., to come?
The shows are more of a revisiting of friendships and playing those great songs again. As far as future recordings, shows, et cetera, we will take it one step at a time.
We are re-releasing The Early Year on Ashmont Records. We should have them for sale at the shows. It’s the first two Scud Mountain Boys records: Pine Box and Dance the Night Away.
What can we expect at the Pearl Street show in terms of set list or special guests?
The set list will cover everything from Pine Box through Massachusetts. Going to resurrect as much as possible. Lots of tunes. We are working on a hefty amount of songs. Ray Mason is opening solo at the Pearl Street show. Stephen and I play in Ray Mason Band. That’s pretty special for all of us, to have Ray play that night. John Cunningham is also doing a solo set. He has a great record out on Ashmont Records.
What would you consider to be your top Mountain memory/highlight?
Lots of highlights—been such a long time it’s hard to remember. London was fun, playing on BBC radio. Lots of great bands we got a chance to play with throughout the U.S. and Canada.
What do you think of the current state of affairs with regard to the music industry? So much has changed since the Scuds disbanded, yet your music still sounds fresh and of the moment, and you’ve always had a DIY vibe. Do you think a Scud Mountain Boys band could have been successful now, in 2012?
I don’t have much to say about the biz these days. It seems driven by downloads, and made-to-order music. I think the Scud Mountain Boys could definitely make a living these days. Lots of stuff being released now that has a relation to what we do. Good songwriting is what we have, and that translates into fans at any level—whether you play to thousands or tens of people, they will come.
Tickets for the Scud Mountain Boys reunion show are $15 in advance, $18 at the door and available at iheg.com.
In other news, Eric Arena checked in to report that Zing Studios in Westfield (for which he produces recordings, along with owner Jim Fogarty) will deliver the decibels both digitally and live Friday, Jan. 13.
“We’re releasing our first-ever compilation CD—an assortment of all sorts of tracks recorded here—and throwing a show at Maximum Capacity that night to celebrate it,” Arena explains. The disc will be available for free download at zingrecording.com by the day of show. Wolfman Conspiracy, The Raft, Danny Pease & The Regulators and the Chris Piquette Band are among the scheduled Max Cap performers.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email: garycarra@aol.com.
