I don't think I've ever been to a "reunion tour" show before, but after experiencing my first one I think there's just something fantastic about getting to see a band that you never, ever thought you would see play again.

And I'm not talking about the Eagles, or Kiss or the Rolling Stones or any of those massive bands that are virtually guaranteed to tour ONE MORE TIME when they need a few million more dollars/pounds/euros.

I'm talking about those smaller bands that randomly made an impression on you, the ones where you can point to a specific year or summer, or period in time, and remember with vivid nostalgia specific events or friends that were a part of your life.

For me, getting to see Letters To Cleo yesterday was that type of goodness. Setting aside that I never thought the band would reform, I couldn't believe that a band from Boston, who's members currently live in various States (none of which are Texas) where actually playing a 4 city mini reunion tour, and 3 of the cities where in Texas. And best of all, they were closing out the entire thing in Dallas. Awesome.

For those who may not know, Letters To Cleo was/is a band from Boston who got big in 1994 with a break out hit, Here and Now, a song from their Aurora Gory Alice album which became wildly popular after appearing in Melrose Place and then garnering massive airplay on MTV and radio.

Aurora was followed up with Wholesale Meats & Fish in 1995, which yielded another breakout hit, Awake. 1997 brought Go! which was just a perfect power pop album full of hooks, hooks and more hooks. If you're a fan of 90s rock, or girl singers, or both, be sure to pick up this record. It does not disappoint, you'll be singing along in no time.

The band went on to release another EP of demos in 1998, then were prominently featured in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, and contributed two (excellent) covers to the soundtrack, Cruel To Be Kind, and Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me. In mid 2000 came the break up and the individual members all went onto various careers in the entertainment business.

End of story? Obviously not. In late 2008 the various Letters To Cleo members found themselves together in the same room for the first time in nearly 8 years at Boston night club T.T. The Bears at a benefit concert for an old friend and supporter of the band. Next thing you know an impromptu reunion occurred as the band got on stage and ripped through Here & Now and Awake.

Good time ensued and the band put together a 4 show reunion last winter in Boston, NYC and LA. This was followed up with this weeks 4 city show in New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Dallas.

I was fortunate enough to get to go see soundcheck, interview lead singer Kay Hanley for 40 minutes on the band and her solo career and then get to see a completely rocking set that proved that even though Cleo haven't been a band for 8 years, they still got their chops and if anything are even tighter then they were in 90s.

Over 80 minutes the band tore through 19 songs, 18 rockers and 1 ballad for the love birds in the crowd. My personal favorite from the show had to be Veda Very Shining, which is a near perfect example of both the bands poppy hooks and blistering musicianship. Check out the MP3 below to hear the crashing drums, crazy guitar riffs and all around head bobbing goodness.

In an act that was sure to make their day, Kay invited up the lead singer from opening act Cruiserweight to sing with her on Co-Pilot and Here & Now, and Letter's drummer Stacy Jones (who also serves as Miley Cyrus' music director) gave up his seat to ex-Cruiserweight drummer Yogi Maxwell for the track, Disappear.

For those of you who are interested, the band played everything shown on the setlist below and "Step Back", "I See", "I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song) and "I Want You To Want Me".

I'll be putting together a separate post on the Kay Hanley interview in the next week or two, so more to come there. For now, enjoy a few live MP3s and photos (and setlist) from the show and let's keep our fingers crossed for some more Letters to Cleos show in the future.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Laudanum
Awake
Because of You
Veda Very Shining
Here & Now
I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song)

Labels: dallas, indie, kay hanley, letters to cleo, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, the loft

It's been a quiet last few months for good shows, as most winters are. In fact in January I only made it out to one concert and one spoken word event, both on the same day - January 24th. It was a pretty damn good day - saw Thomas Jane and the rest of the Raw Comics guys in the early afternoon at the 12th annual Dallas Comic Con, then went to see Erin McCarley open for Brett Dennen at the Loft in downtown.

Erin's record, Love, Save the Empty just came out a few weeks ago, but I first heard of her in November 2008 when her record company sent me a 3 track sampler for the upcoming record. Now I get a lot of music that I don't really enjoy, and when I dropped in Erin's sampler I thought it was just going to be another over-produced pop record - in the vein of Sara Bareilles or A Fine Frenzy. And then something strange happened, I couldn't get the sampler out of my car's CD player.

It basically stayed there for a month and a half, with the 3 songs on constant repeat. The album's title track got especially abused, with me often hitting the back button to hear it one more time. Long story short, I was ready for the whole record to come out in January, and picked it up the day it was released. It did not disappoint, building on the strengths of the sampler - Erin's gorgeous voice and lush layered production that complements well written and catchy songs featuring traditional pop structures.

Of course, for me a good record is just a prelude to seeing a performer live to see if the potential lives up to the reality. Fortunately, though the record features some sweet production, there's absolutely no trickery needed to make Erin's voice magical. The live set was basically Erin playng guitar and singing, backed up by a piano and drums, it featured the best songs from the record and an unexpected and entertaining cover of Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega.

Unfortunately for all of us, my recording of the show did not come out due to some technically difficulties at the show. I have a gorgeous recording sans Erin's voice. Hopefully I get to rectify this problem the next time she comes through town.

Be sure to check out Erin's studio tracks at her MySpace, and pick up her record Love, Saves the Empty here. She's got a couple of dates coming later in February in Kentucky, Tennesse and Ohio - check out details here, and then she's touring with the Nashville Singer/Songwriter troupe, Ten out of Tenn. A pretty cool concept, a bunch of songwriters touring together to showcase their tracks, and back up their friends. Looks like there's going to be 2 shows in Dallas, and Ill be checking them out. If they come through your town, drop in to check out a bunch of upcoming artists.

First photo: Reidrolls (Erin's husband). Second photo: Lullabyes

Erin McCarley Tour Dates:
Feb 17 2009 Southgate House Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 19 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Feb 20 2009 The Square Room Knoxville, Tennessee
Feb 21 2009 Gerstles Louisville, Kentucky
Feb 28 2009 3rd & Lindsley - Benefit Show Nashville, Tennessee

Ten Out Of Tenn Tour Dates:
Mar 12 2009 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 13 2009 Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 14 2009 Meridian Houston, Texas
Mar 15 2009 The Loft Dallas, Texas
Mar 22 2009 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 24 2009 Troubadour West Hollywood, California
Mar 25 2009 The Independent San Francisco, California
Mar 26 2009 The Red Room Kennewick, Washington
Mar 27 2009 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Mar 28 2009 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Mar 29 2009 The Red Room Kennewick, Washington
Mar 30 2009 Knitting Factory Spokane, Washington
Mar 31 2009 Knitting Factory Boise, Idaho
Apr 1 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 2 2009 Belly Up Aspen Aspen, Colorado
Apr 3 2009 The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado
Apr 4 2009 Bluebird Theatre Denver, Colorado

Labels: dallas, erin mccarley, major, ten out of tenn, the loft