This Boston, Massachusetts, USA-based melodic alternative rock trio features Bill Janovitz (vocals/guitar), Tom Maginnis (drums) and Chris Colbourn (bass). The trio began playing together in 1986 at Massachusetts University, taking their inspiration from bands such as Hüsker Dü and Soul Asylum. Their first album was simply called Buffalo Tom in the UK, and the producer was Dinosaur Jr's J. Mascis. His involvement led to similarities between the two bands being regularly overstated by critics (some nicknamed them Dinosaur Jr Jr). Birdbrain (1990) and Let Me Come Over (1992) were licensed to Beggars Banquet Records in the UK, by which time the band had established a healthy reputation among both critics and live audiences, touring with the Wedding Present, among others. The latter album marked a major shift in direction as the band unplugged and eschewed their grunge roots.
Generally acknowledged as being of a superior hue to many members of the underground US rock movement, Buffalo Tom had yet to escape critical comparisons to inappropriate sources. 1993's Big Red Letter Day saw the band undertake a more polished, orchestrated approach to songwriting, which contrasted with the three-week sessions for 1995's Sleepy Eyed. The limited time afforded this album was explained by Maginnis' impending fatherhood, but if anything, the sense of urgency this engendered added to the band's song craft. Janovitz then released a country-styled solo debut with Joey Burns and John Convertino of Giant Sand. Buffalo Tom reconvened for 1998's Smitten, a more polished collection of songs that lacked the charm of their earlier work.
Buffalo Tom was put on hiatus at the start of the new millennium. Janovitz collaborated with Phil Aiken on the solo album Up Here and a side project called Crown Victoria, the latter outfit releasing Fireworks On TV! in 2004. He reunited with Colbourn and Maginnis in 2007 to record a new Buffalo Tom album.
