The quiet man

Wherever you look, Mike Leahy is there in the background

by Brett Milano

Guitarist Mike Leahy might be called the John Entwistle of the local circuit. True, his hair hasn't gone gray yet, he's still got his hearing, and he doesn't even play bass. But he is local rock's perennial "quiet one." Having logged in 10 years of band life, he's been in five groups with some degree of national following: the Blake Babies, Dumptruck, Tackle Box, an early line-up of Tracy Bonham's band, and, most recently, the instrumental band Pell Mell. But he's never had the visibility given to bandleaders, since he's one of the few local players who prefers to settle into a background, guitarist-at-large role.

"I get called band mercenary, I get called rock-and-roll-band whore," he notes. "Basically, I'm just into playing. If people I like ask me to do something with them, I'll seldom say no." He also seems to prefer situations where somebody else is upfront getting the attention and taking the heat. "It's a nice protective shield. If something goes wrong, you can quietly step aside and find another project to move into."

Over the next week Leahy will perform in town with two different bands. Tomorrow (Friday) night he plays the Middle East as a member of Star Hustler, the group fronted by Jason Hatfield. (Although this band's first album was straightforward pop, Leahy says that the new one, recorded in a mere two days, is a more countryish project.) And a week from Saturday (November 9) he plays T.T. the Bear's Place, opening for Buffalo Tom with Buttercup, the bubbly pop outfit he recently joined. Meanwhile he's done session work on Juliana Hatfield's forthcoming album and has a cover band called the Bathing Beauties going with Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom -- this one hasn't played out yet but will probably be fun when it does. "It's been an imaginary band of ours for a long time, but we've been rehearsing over the past year. We do lots of guilty pleasures -- everything from Dan Penn to the Monkees."

Finally, there's an outfit that looks to be the most promising of the lot: Shelf Life, who made their vinyl debut last week with a single, "The Object," on the Cambridge-based Cassiel label. (They play T.T.'s on November 14.) The line-up reunites Leahy with longtime partners bassist Brian Dunton and drummer Shawn King Devlin -- the same trio who've been three-quarters of Dumptruck and Tackle Box in the past -- and adds Pell Mell member Dave Spalding as lead singer/guitarist.

It wouldn't be a stretch to call the resulting sound Pell Mell with vocals -- in fact, Leahy says, "I wouldn't be surprised if some of our songs wound up on the next Pell Mell album with the lyrics gone" -- but you do hear a cross of Pell Mell's moodiness with the pop bounce that these players are known for. In Pell Mell fashion the songs tend to float rather than resolve into hooks, but it doesn't get boringly ethereal. If the members' schedules can allow Shelf Life to develop -- not a sure thing at this point, with Dunton managing Fuzzy and Devlin still in Helium -- that outfit will be a headliner in its own right.

BOSTON MUSIC AWARDS

And now, a list of all the exciting, unpredictable things that happened last week's Boston Music Awards . . . all right, let's move on. It doesn't pay to rag too heavily on this event; the thing's an institution by now, and this year's addition of the NEMO showcase (where out-of-town visitors were actively encouraged to check out the clubs) was a turn for the better. But it's safe to say that the annual awards ceremony, held this year at the Orpheum, is geared to the folks who aren't inclined to spend much time checking out local bands and would rather take it in bite-sized doses -- a small bit of local music, a few overhyped celebrity sightings, and a lot of manufactured suspense over who's going to win what (all three of the local newspapers who take turns sponsoring this event have proven more than willing to provide the latter).

My resolve not to get cynical this year was severely challenged after I was told, the afternoon of the awards, that Aerosmith would be making a pre-show appearance and that I'd need to turn up early and pick up my credentials. Having done so, I wound up in the front of the Orpheum, where security guards had apparently spent more than an hour herding a crowd into a tight line along Hamilton Place. Finally, at five minutes before eight, the crowd was rewarded with the sight of a nonplussed Aerosmith walking down the street and through the door.

Other than that, the show went on as usual, including a handful of clueless nominations (Fuzzy's Electric Juices -- their second major-label album and third overall -- was in for Outstanding Debut) and the playing-up of big-name acts with dubious Boston connections (Medeski Martin and Wood, who won as best jazz act, have no discernible one other than recording for Rykodisc). MC Steve Sweeney still doesn't seem to know a lot about local music (including how to pronounce people's names, notably that of best-instrumentalist winner "Reeves Gerbils"). Yes, it was a pleasure to see some less-established people get recognized: Deb Pasternak, Gravel Pit, and Jules Verdone all deserved the thrill they visibly got as they were named, respectively, new folk act, new rock act, and female vocalist (this in a tie with Laurie Sargent). And yes, Aerosmith's eventual on-stage appearance to be named "act of the decade" -- where Steven Tyler admitted to being "strung out on Morphine, but I liked their first album better" -- was a quintessential Aerosmith moment, and damage control at its finest.

Morphine, Gravel Pit, and the Dambuilders sounded good in their brief live appearances. But the hands-down highlight was the twistedly theatrical Bentmen, who performed a song about shaving one's head and did just that to two on-stage volunteers. Since they'd spent much of the previous week asking reluctant local folks, including myself, to undergo the shaving, I was wondering who they finally got to agree. "Beats the hell out of us," said frontman Dez afterward. "Just some kids we grabbed out of the audience. I hope we don't get sued or anything."

LATE-BREAKING NEWS

A few updates on stories we've run in these pages recently . . . Morphine's new Like Swimming is being reworked, and the album that Rykodisc releases in January will have different songs and mixes from the one it sent to reviewers last month -- meaning that the original promo copies are now collectible . . . On the subject of money, Candy Butcher Mike Viola, who wrote and sang the hit title song, isn't the only Boston-associated musician sitting pretty from the success of Tom Hanks's film That Thing You Do! The Gigolo Aunts also have a song on the soundtrack. And the Gigolos hit T.T. the Bear's Place tomorrow, Friday, for what they say is their last local show of '96. Coming soon is a self-released EP of material from last year's abandoned RCA sessions.

The new Mighty Mighty Bosstones album is called Let's Face It and due for release in February. The title track, "Royal Oil," and "1-2-3-8" will all be familiar from recent gigs . . . Two of our favorite pop bands, Fuzzy and Velvet Crush, have parted company with their major labels (Tag/Atlantic and Creation/Epic, respectively). In Velvet Crush's case, that apparently means that their sessions over the past year with producer Mitch Easter are unlikely to see the light of day . . . Letters to Cleo members Kay Hanley and Michael Eisenstein, who denied they were a couple when interviewed in Rolling Stone last year, are engaged . . . Keyboardist Jen Smith, late of Velveteen, has joined Chainsuck . . . And yep, Van Halen did get themselves a new lead singer. Which means there's now a local tie-in for the all-Boston Van Halen tribute album that CherryDisc is putting together for release next year.

COMING UP

Halloween options tonight include Luscious Jackson at the Middle East (assuming you have a ticket, 'cause it's sold out), Turkish Delight at T.T. the Bear's Place, Brad Delp's Beatle Juice at Mama Kin, the Love Dogs at Johnny D's, Chuck at the Phoenix Landing, and the Chainsaw Kittens at Bill's Bar . . . Pooka Stew are at the Rat tomorrow (Friday), Club Bohemia's got the Darlings and the Fliptones, and the much-liked Railroad Jerk are at the Middle East.

One of the first great EPs to come out of Boston punk was a 1979 split seven-incher called "Boys Life vs. the Outlets." Lo and behold, that very bill -- with the lately reconvened Outlets and a one-off Boys Life reunion -- plays Mama Kin Saturday. Richie Parsons also put one of his many former bands, Band 19, back together for the occasion. While you're there, check out Superfly in the club's front room. Meanwhile Semisonic and Gravel Pit are at T.T.'s, the Curtain Society play the Middle East, the great New Orleans bluesman Walter Wolfman Washington plays Johnny D's, and celeb guitarist G.E. Smith brings his pop project Generic Blondes to Harpers Ferry . . . Thornetta Davis, a powerful gospel/soul singer signed to Sub Pop (yes, you heard right), is at T.T.'s with Random House of Soul (on their last show) on Sunday . . . Susanna Hoffs, whose new album is better than you're probably dreading, is at the Paradise Monday . . . And the Vic Morrows play Axis Wednesday.