When they released their first album in 1989, the Boston-based trio Buffalo Tom was written off as Dinosaur Jr. junior. Admittedly, their debut was in debt to J Mascis' thundering guitar and folk-tinged songs and it didn't help that Mascis produced the record, either. Over time, Buffalo Tom stripped away their grungier influences and developed into a straight-ahead rock group of the early '90s, capable of throttling rockers and beautiful ballads. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Bill Janovitz, bassist/vocalist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis, Buffalo Tom began to develop their own style with their second album, 1990's Birdbrain, which featured a noticeable improvement in songwriting. In 1992, Buffalo Tom released Let Me Come Over, a gritty set of driving rock and achingly melancholy ballads; several of its tracks became alternative radio staples, including the gorgeous ballad "Taillights Fade." Despite an increased amount of critical praise and some radio airplay, the album didn't sell. The follow-up, 1993's Big Red Letter Day, featured a more polished, radio-ready production, but the album received only a small push from radio and MTV. "Soda Jerk," the first single from the album, became a minor alternative radio and MTV hit. After a year-long tour, the group returned in the summer of 1995 with Sleepy Eyed, a return to the more direct sound of Let Me Come Over. Smitten followed in 1998, and two years later a best-of, Asides from Buffalo Tom, arrived. Almost a decade of inactivity followed, but things weren't over for Buffalo Tom; they returned in 2007 with an appearance at SXSW and a new full-length album on the New West label, Three Easy Pieces. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Buffalo Tom is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in the 1980s. Its principal members are guitaristBill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer, who is the shyest of the three. Combining the two is something of a joke among the members.
Dinosaur Jr. guitarist/frontman J Mascis assisted with the production on the band's first two albums. J Mascis also played lead guitar on the song "Impossible" from Buffalo Tom's self-titled debut. Based on Mascis' input, early on the band was sometimes called Dinosaur Jr., Jr.
Buffalo Tom's albums received increasing popular and critical acclaim in the early-mid 1990s. See critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine's biography of Buffalo Tom on Allmusic for a typical example of the excellent reception "Let Me Come Over" (1992) received. Buffalo Tom became one of the more popular alternative rock bands by the mid-1990s: "Big Red Letter Day" (1993) peaked at #8 and "Sleepy Eyed" (1995) peaked at #4 on the Heatseekers chart.
They were the final musical guest on Jon Stewart's The Jon Stewart Show wherein he showered the band with moderate enthusiasm for their sound and their musical integrity.
Buffalo Tom is a perennial performer at the Hot Stove Cool Music concerts that benefit Theo Epstein's Charity, Foundation To Be Named Later.
During 2007, Buffalo Tom performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival and went on a mini Summer tour with shows in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, and a few other cities. A new album, Three Easy Pieces, was released on July 10, 2007 through the New West label. The band has played shows in D.C. Chicago, and Minneapolis. A tour of Australia was booked as well as dates in Europe and in their home state of Massachusetts.
