Local Heroes: A Review of Baker Thomas Band

On November 10th, 1969, two historic events occurred: (1) the first-ever episode of Sesame Street premiered, and (2) Tom Bianchi was born. As it turns out, the TV show is part of what made Bianchi — the bassist, songwriter, and leader of Baker Thomas Band — into the successful musician he is today. “I grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppets — some of the best fucking music there is, because they always had the best special guests,” he claims. Drawing inspiration from these musical guests; his parents’ vinyl collection, which included artists such as Simon & Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, and Cat Stevens; and his sister’s love of ’80s new wave music like The Cars and The Pretenders, Bianchi decided to pick up the electric bass. From there, he’s had all kinds of music-related jobs: busking in Boston subway stations, hosting singer-songwriter nights, doing session work, and running the soundboard at The Burren in Somerville, to name a few. In addition to all of these roles, Bianchi makes sure he has time to play his own music with his friends — a.k.a. Baker Thomas Band. 

As Bianchi described it to us, “The idea is just to surround myself with great friends and great musicians, and that’s what Baker Thomas Band is.” Their inspirations and styles are countless, spanning classic rock, rock ‘n’ roll, country, and blues. What’s more, their instrumentation is vast and includes a 3-person horn section, accordion, keys, and several background vocalists, alongside the classic electric bass, guitar, and drum kit. Their robust sound and wide range of instruments allow them to adopt whatever style they choose for a given song. “It’s a rock band if we’re playing a rock song; it’s a jam band if we’re jamming; it’s a bluegrass band if we’re playing a bluegrass song,” explains Bianchi, “and the beauty of that is it can sound like anything.”

On “Tell Me That Life’s Gone By,” Bianchi sang quickly over the bluegrass-infused 2-step beat in a rap-like fashion, while the band’s emotional cover of Jimmy Ryan’s “John Brown” featured Jake Bush singing lead vocals and a melodic bass solo from Bianchi. The band performed classics, such as David Bowie’s “Young Americans” and Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue,” as well as originals like “Party on My Street,” which had audience members up and dancing, and “Across That Line,” which featured a trombone solo to close out the first set of the night. Although Bianchi is the leader of the band, different members sang lead vocals at various points in the show and even played some of their own originals, such as keyboardist Eric Schwartz’s comedic soul tune, “Who’s Gonna Fuck the Singer?” As Schwartz jokingly commented, “this is what every soul song is really about.”

Despite the fun the band is so obviously having on stage, Bianchi acknowledges that the music business is not an easy one. “As far as original music goes, there’s no money in it. Zero money,” he tells us. As a result, musicians often have to get other jobs, such as hosting or doing session work, to be able to do what they truly love — perform. Bianchi, whose musical career started in Boston’s subway stations, joked, “Some days you could come home with hundreds of dollars and a grand to play a guy’s private party. Some days you come home dusty, dirty, with a little bit of a sinus cold, and a homeless guy pissed on your shoe. That’s the music business right there.”

Still, Bianchi and his band continue to play and have experienced countless memorable moments on stage. Baker Thomas Band’s first residency was at Toad in Cambridge, which closed last fall after 30 years of hosting live music. Recently, the band’s connection to the venue came full circle, as they were the last ever band to play there. “We played till 2 or 2:30 in the morning, the place was jammed with people, it was like the sum total of 30 years of Toad. That was a spectacular night — it was all a blur. It was really just a nice, feel-good show,” Bianchi recalls.

Now, the band has started a new residency at the Burren, where they play every third Sunday. With members and setlists changing each time, often even mid-show, no two performances will be the same! But one thing is for sure: each show will bring humor, energy, and fun, reflective of the close friendships within the band.

The Burren, 5/19/24