boston concert preview

sinatras: not dead

boston globe

by jim sullivan
september 20, 2004

The band Trashcan Sinatras has just finished a parking-lot gig in Atlanta, and it is "a bit hectic," says singer Frank Reader. Reconsidering, he adds, "It's better than torpor." The group, formed 17 years ago in Glasgow, has had a lot of downtime -- its last US tour was in 1993 and until the recent "Weightlifting" CD, its last widely available disc was released in 1996. The first song on the new record is a rocker, "Welcome Back." "It would have been obstreperous to put it in the middle of the record," says Reader. "Also, we felt if people wanted an album of slow, peaceful, reflective songs they could just go to track 2 and strike up a cigarette. They wouldn't be lured into five songs of reflection and then suddenly [bang!]." Reader's tongue is a bit in cheek, but the Sinatras are known for their contemplative midtempo dream-pop. Reader says, "We have our boisterous moments, and especially live." The Sinatras are back, says Reader, because "we had bits of songs lying around, chords, couplets, lyrics. It was a pool we could dive into. When we were just avoiding each other and thinking of calling it a halt, we found there were a few things we really liked, we felt like it was our duty. We got together and it had its own momentum. We started to get our confidence back and started to forgive each other, started being nice to each other. And the songs took us along the way." Check out the quartet at the Paradise tonight. Roddy Hart opens at 8. Tickets for the 18-plus show are $14. 967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8800.

Originally appeared in the Boston Globe.