Several years ago, I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play a show in Philly. The show was great, but almost as good was the opening band, Tall Boys (aka Tallboys). Contrary to the name, the band was made up of three women and one, not particularly tall, boy. But with an absolutely crunching noise that filled the room and blistered eardrums, the band matched YYY for energy and would have stolen the show had it not been for, you know, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The Brooklyn group released an awesome five-track record, Scallywag Tag, and said they were working on a full-length that never saw the light of day. Or maybe it did, but any evidence of it is long gone. Eventually, the band’s website was taken down and Tall Boys were forever lost (Lost Boys??). A google search yields only results to The Tallboys string band (who are apparently pretty popular?).
It’s always disappointing when a band you really latch onto disappears leaving you with only a few songs to remember them by. It’s like a chef dying before he gets a chance to make that perfect dish. A talented young artist quitting after only a few paintings. I’ll hold on to my copy of Scallywag Tag and just remember. I guess that’s all I can do (SIGH).
You can apparently buy their album on Amazon. Check out two tracks from it below.
Tall Boys – “Sects and Strangers” [MP3]
Tall Boys – “Give It Here” [MP3]
(Photo by Melody Nelson)
I feel your pain (although I never saw them live!)
Scallywag Tag is a brilliant EP—I’ve never heard anything quite like it