Scud Mountain Boys - The Early Year

It seems appropriate enough to start a bio for a release entitled "The Early Year" with a little reminiscing: "Our first gig as the Scud Mountain Boys was at the Bay State Hotel," recalls string-slinger Bruce Tull. "We took simple gear like acoustic guitars. We borrowed the kitchen table from the club. We sat down in chairs around the table, put a lamp on it, and had a convenient place to put our beers and ashtrays. Then we played our set. We have yet to play a gig standing up." That was back in 1993 and though the sit-down strike has since ended, the boys still play songs as warm and friendly as Grandma's house on Easter Sunday.

The impetus for this unorthodox playing style arose from late night gatherings at Tull's house in which the band knocked out unassuming country-flavored tunes whilst sitting around the kitchen table. Though the band enjoyed a good local following playing under rock's usual conventions, their bodies were burning under the hot lights while their hearts were out grazing in breezy lonesome valley. So they answered the call, broke the mold and took the kitchen to the stage. In this newfound state of relaxation and pain-free strumming they quickly found fans where they thought none existed, both in their home town of Northampton, Mass. and on an international level, with their first release being a track on the Hit the Hay compilation on Sweden's Sound Asleep Records. Writing songs with tenacity (roughly one-a-week), they soon released two remarkably warm and engaging albums on Chunk Records, Pine Box, which came out on vinyl only, and Dance The Night Away. The buzz around the Scud Mountain Boys traveled quickly and the majors came calling. Sub Pop grabbed the brass ring, leading to last year's critically acclaimed Massachusetts. Following the release, our receptionist-to-the-stars received an incalculable number of calls asking where one could find those early and apparently scarce Chunk releases. With a terse call from the top, an annoyed "how the hell would I know," was changed to a resounding, "right here!"
The Scud Mountain Boys will be on tour throughout '97 joined by their good friend Frank Padellaro on bass and we hope to have a new release from them early next year. Hell, maybe even sooner. Who can say for sure in this topsy-turvey pre-millennial world?

T R A C K S
The Early Year is a double CD set consisting of 2 previously released Scud titles; Pine Box and Dance the Night Away. Track listings and song samples are listed below.

PINE BOX
Silo [3:45] Reservoir [5:52] Glacier Bay [3:56] Peter Graves' Anatomy - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [5:20] Freight Of Fire [4:05] Sweet Sally [4:24] Oklahoma [4:56] Don't Know How to Tell Her [4:06] Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves [6:18] There Is No Hell (Like The Hell On This Earth) [4:41] Wichita Lineman [4:01] Please, Mr. Please [4:30] Down In Writing [4:47] Closing Time [4:59]

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
Freight of Fire - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [3:49] One Hand [3:36] Letter to Bread [3:26] Television [4:33] (She Took His) Picture - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [3:09] Where's The Playground, Susie [4:24] Combine [4:24] Blood And Bones [3:44] Silo - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [3:41] Sangré de Cristo [4:32] Kneeling [3:50] Fiery Coffin [1:45] Helen [2:51]

The Scud Mountain Boys are:
Joe Pernice - guitar, vocals
Tom Shea - drums, mandolin
Bruce Tull - guitar, lap steel, vocals
joined by friend Frank Padellaro on bass and Keith Levreault drums on "Picture" and "Helen."
Pine Box recorded live in Bruce Tull's kitchen using one microphone. Mixed by Scud Mt. Boys. Dance the Night Away recorded in Bruce Tull's kitchen by Thom Monahan and Scud Mt. Boys. Mixed at Studio .45, Hartford, CT by Mike Deming, Thom Monahan and Scud Mt. Boys. "Helen" and "Picture" recorded and mixed by Pete Keppler at Wendell Recording Studios, Wendell, MA. All songs by Joe Pernice, Bony Gap BMI, admin. by Bug Music except: "There is no Hell" by Pernice/Desaulniers; "Glacier Bay" by Desaulniers/Pernice; "Helen" by Ricci Bonanno, Bony Gap, BMI; "Wichita Lineman" and "Where's the Playground Susie?" by Jimmy Webb; "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" by "Please, Mr. Please" by. Cover illustration by Whiting Tennis. Design by Hank Trotter.

It seems appropriate enough to start a bio for a release entitled "The Early Year" with a little reminiscing: "Our first gig as the Scud Mountain Boys was at the Bay State Hotel," recalls string-slinger Bruce Tull. "We took simple gear like acoustic guitars. We borrowed the kitchen table from the club. We sat down in chairs around the table, put a lamp on it, and had a convenient place to put our beers and ashtrays. Then we played our set. We have yet to play a gig standing up." That was back in 1993 and though the sit-down strike has since ended, the boys still play songs as warm and friendly as Grandma's house on Easter Sunday.
The impetus for this unorthodox playing style arose from late night gatherings at Tull's house in which the band knocked out unassuming country-flavored tunes whilst sitting around the kitchen table. Though the band enjoyed a good local following playing under rock's usual conventions, their bodies were burning under the hot lights while their hearts were out grazing in breezy lonesome valley. So they answered the call, broke the mold and took the kitchen to the stage. In this newfound state of relaxation and pain-free strumming they quickly found fans where they thought none existed, both in their home town of Northampton, Mass. and on an international level, with their first release being a track on the Hit the Hay compilation on Sweden's Sound Asleep Records. Writing songs with tenacity (roughly one-a-week), they soon released two remarkably warm and engaging albums on Chunk Records, Pine Box, which came out on vinyl only, and Dance The Night Away. The buzz around the Scud Mountain Boys traveled quickly and the majors came calling. Sub Pop grabbed the brass ring, leading to last year's critically acclaimed Massachusetts. Following the release, our receptionist-to-the-stars received an incalculable number of calls asking where one could find those early and apparently scarce Chunk releases. With a terse call from the top, an annoyed "how the hell would I know," was changed to a resounding, "right here!" `The Scud Mountain Boys will be on tour throughout '97 joined by their good friend Frank Padellaro on bass and we hope to have a new release from them early next year. Hell, maybe even sooner. Who can say for sure in this topsy-turvey pre-millennial world?`
T R A C K S The Early Year is a double CD set consisting of 2 previously released Scud titles; Pine Box and Dance the Night Away. Track listings and song samples are listed below.
	PINE BOX Silo [3:45] Reservoir [5:52] Glacier Bay [3:56] Peter Graves' Anatomy - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [5:20] Freight Of Fire [4:05] Sweet Sally [4:24] Oklahoma [4:56] Don't Know How to Tell Her [4:06] Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves [6:18] There Is No Hell (Like The Hell On This Earth) [4:41] Wichita Lineman [4:01] Please, Mr. Please [4:30] Down In Writing [4:47] Closing Time [4:59]
	DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY Freight of Fire - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [3:49] One Hand [3:36] Letter to Bread [3:26] Television [4:33] (She Took His) Picture - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [3:09] Where's The Playground, Susie [4:24] Combine [4:24] Blood And Bones [3:44] Silo - (??K .WAV or RealAudio) [3:41] Sangré de Cristo [4:32] Kneeling [3:50] Fiery Coffin [1:45] Helen [2:51]
The Scud Mountain Boys are: Joe Pernice - guitar, vocals Tom Shea - drums, mandolin Bruce Tull - guitar, lap steel, vocals joined by friend Frank Padellaro on bass and Keith Levreault drums on "Picture" and "Helen." Pine Box recorded live in Bruce Tull's kitchen using one microphone. Mixed by Scud Mt. Boys. Dance the Night Away recorded in Bruce Tull's kitchen by Thom Monahan and Scud Mt. Boys. Mixed at Studio .45, Hartford, CT by Mike Deming, Thom Monahan and Scud Mt. Boys. "Helen" and "Picture" recorded and mixed by Pete Keppler at Wendell Recording Studios, Wendell, MA. All songs by Joe Pernice, Bony Gap BMI, admin. by Bug Music except: "There is no Hell" by Pernice/Desaulniers; "Glacier Bay" by Desaulniers/Pernice; "Helen" by Ricci Bonanno, Bony Gap, BMI; "Wichita Lineman" and "Where's the Playground Susie?" by Jimmy Webb; "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" by "Please, Mr. Please" by. Cover illustration by Whiting Tennis. Design by Hank Trotter.