Man, I’ve been waiting to let this out for weeks!
On May 27, Seven Days and Higher Ground will present a show that will surely go down in local music history.
Get ready for a performance from Burlington’s long-lost rawk heroes, The Pants. And I’m talking original lineup, too. Plane tickets have been purchased, accomodations arranged. The band is prepared to rock one last time.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with these four geniuses, I’ll try to catch you up.
In the ’90s, there was a musical renaissance in ‘ol B-town. The scene boasted dozens of good bands, and a smaller circle of truly great ones. Smack dab in the center were The Pants.
Featuring Tom Lawson, Neil Cleary, Paul “Pistol” Jaffe, and Eric Hutchins, the group created vibrant, intricate, balls-out rock that lives on in the hearts of fans.
The chemistry between the band, while never as volatile as say, The Police, contributed greatly to their power and presence. Ask anyone who saw one of their shows, and they’re sure to agree.
In fact, a lot of powerful folks took an interest in their career, including members of Phish. Needless to say, The Pants should’ve been huge.
Unfortunately, the band sputtered out before taking their music to a national level. For many, myself included, this was fairly upsetting.
Since then, Burlington has weathered some lean years. Clubs came and went, and for a while, the scene appeared to be on life-support.
But it’s a lot better now. In fact, one local band in particular, The Jazz Guys, remind me of The Pants in their prime. It’s been my long time wish that the new batch of rockers could have the opportunity to see these trailblazers.
Now, after a great deal of negotiation, it’s gonna come true.
Memorial Day weekend ’06 is looking pretty awesome. Make sure to buy your tickets this Friday, ’cause if this first show sells well, they’ll add a second one.
Here’s an excerpt from The Pants’ “Sometimes”for your listening pleasure.
Stay tuned to this blog, as well as my SoundBites column for updates, interviews and behind-the-scenes hullaboo.
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New Year’s Eve of 1996/1997 at Club Toast. The Pants and Wide Wail did an epic show. There were lights, fog, and a “mosh” pit. Does anyone remember it? Casey this is very good stuff. Monday’s can be somewhat boring usually, but not this one.
Lessee, a Pants show at Toast… lights, fog… a mosh pit…Hmmm… Nope. Nothin’.Sorry!
I must have made it up then. Anyhow, you gents put on a good show, and I look forward to the one upcoming.
I seem to recall giant, frothing lizards and Debbie Reynolds, but what do I know?
hehe, Debbie Reynolds. I wonder if the cape was ever returned.
Wow! Who else is playing? My vote is Swale as Wide Wail, didn’t they play a gig like that sometime recently? I was too young to go to shows when the Pants were around, I could only listen to my brother’s CDs and wish I were a few years older. Hmmmm what other Burlington bands could/should reunite? Rocketsled?!?
I was kinda hoping for Rocketsled myself. That’s back when I was kinda afraid of Casey. Now he has a picture of himself up on the interweb next to a kitten. How times have changed.
We already had a reunion, and if I remember correctly, it was a little bit before the Pants Close Toast show. It was a fine evening.And Neil, you have my permission to continue being frightened of me.GRRRRR!
Hmmm. Nope, sorry Casey.Your band did make a big, scary sound though. Plus I think I was high.Additionally, and not to steal thunder from the announcement, but The Pants-close-Toast show in 99 (?) was already in itself a reunion. But this time I swear we’ll never do it again, really really ever. Y’know, unless… I dunno.
Ari — You gotta come back for this!Neil, the next reunion should be at the Apocalypse. Probably not far off, so you should still be in practice.;).
Are The Jazz Guys getting the opening slot?
Opening band is TBA… I personally think Jazz Guys would be a nice fit, no pun intended….
Yeah, from what I hear the Jazz Guys have been fitting into openings all over town.
I’m going to try my best to be there, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my band’s whirlwind summer ’06 tour of Ohio! What about Envy? Have they ever reunited? I apparently missed the Rocketsled reunion… reunite again.
Venus Envy. Hmmm. I think Mr. Hutton burned a few Burlington bridges when he ran off to Boston with that WB contract in his hand.So that was Melanie, Sean, Matt and… What was the drummer’s name?
Matt & Sean who took off to Boston together, and from what I heard that Warner Brothers contract turned out to be more curse than blessing (score one for Steve Albini). They became the Red Telephone, which I think they still are.http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/cellars/documents/00439627.htmThe drummer in Venus Envy (or just Envy, as it came to be called) was Anne Mindell, who since married Sean, so I guess no bridges burned there.
A band I was in played a dozen or so shows with Red Telephone in and around Beantown. That was years ago, though. I thought they had finally called it quits. Matt’s brother Shawn told me he was writing a book…
Honestly, I just hope nobody from Phish gets involved.
Not unless they start being nice to me. 😉
Aaaaahaha.
Yay Pants!
Here’s a cool letter one of my bosses just got re: The Pants show:Dear Paula,Don’t know if you will remember me, but we met at Club Toast, at a Pants show! I was soooo excited to pick up a copy of Seven Days yesterday to see that you guys had somehow convinced them to get back together! I have been dreaming of this moment for years! I was there at their last show on New Year’s Eve. 🙁 Losing Cub Toast and The Pants at the same time–well, let’s just say-everything has paled in comparison ever since then. I have their albums Fred Sex and Eat Crow, and I even sent them a fan letter once. Thank you from the bottom of the hearts of all of us that remember . . . even if all the years of booze, drugs, and getting hit on the head slam dancing, make the memories a bit foggy. . .”sharper than a kitchen knife, but duller than a wet rock. . .”I remember The Vermont Times, and how uptight they were, I am amazed at where you and Pamela have brought 7 Days in these last 10 years! Happy Anniversary and Congratulations!You have proven your talent for tuning into the changing current, staying relevant.Heather HabichOwner Opulent Interiors (formerly Sweet Jane’s Tailor)
Huh.All of this is weird considering that upon considering the offer of the show, all of our responses, to a man, were Who the hell is gonna show up?I still maintain that it’s gonna be about 50 people that I know by their first name, but still that’s nice to hear.
Yous guys.
YES! The Pants! Thank god for some good music! The show will be amazing but such a tease. I won’t want it to ever end.yes I remember that New Years Eve show.
as the bass player of the original lineup of rocketsled, it would be cool for a show in the future. casey’s reunion show that he speaks of should have had me in the lineup despite any of our differences.its really a shame how the whole band just crumbled after my dissmisal by drummer greg beadle.the band had complete potential for something close to stardome and anyone who heard rocketsleds music would agree.
Voting in protest because “process” while simultaneously praising Mr. Spencer’s record and professing confidence in him as “a good choice to lead Public Works” is too cute by half. This reads as though it’s self-righteous indignance. Why should Mr. Spencer’s race and gender have anything to do with this conversation if he’s a current employee of the city and he’s a good choice to lead Public Works? In succession planning, should the city of Burlington conduct searches because of the gender and race of the prospective person eligible for promotion, as Ms. Siegel and Mr. Brennan appear to be implying with their “diversity” protest votes? Put another way, would either of them be calling for a nationwide search were the incumbent employee being considered for promotion female or non-white?
Bob Kiss and his nationwide search for an airport director was a fruitless exhibition of incompetence. The nationwide search for police Chief to replace Chief Scully in my opinion was a progressive led movement by Mayor Clavelle as he tried to discredit the accomplishments of Chief Scully turned out farcical with Chief Elana Ennis. PD was put 5 years behind with that appointment, as Clavelle was deathly afraid Chief Scully would run against him for Mayor and kick his behind. Chief in my opinion played the trump card and said I fooled you Peter. After that rant my two concerns with the appointment of Chapin Spencer are we will seemingly have to now re-foot the cost of a Chief Engineer, and #2 is I hope we do not cut down travel lanes for vehicles to one lane in each direction, while expanding bike lanes to four in each direction
Mr. Spencer does not currently work for the City, he’s the ED of Local Motion a local non-profit advocacy organization. He has been a DPW commissioner for years, but this is a volunteer position only.