T.T. the Bear's 25th Birthday Party
by Joe Harvard
Bonnie seems to be remembering all the great times as she watches Three Colors' set. It was an emotional night for T.T.'s head honcho.
Happy Hour...
T.T. the Bear's began life as a local bar and restaurant, located on Brookline Street in Cambridge, across the street from the wonderful Brookline Lunch dinerette (now defunct) and upstairs from Central Square Lanes bowling alley (that's gone, too- it's now the big room at the Middle East Restaurant). Operated by a very cool woman named Bonnie, T.T.'s featured a somewhat cutesie decor with dozens of- you guessed it -stuffed bears, including one gigantic speciment that watched over the bar benignly. I was working as a janitor at the Joy of Movement Dance Center (now ALSO defunct...geez, how things do change) back in those days. It became an instant tradition for a number of dancers and instructors to head over to T.T.'s for the best Happy Hour in town (yes, those too are now extinct- this is starting to make me feel old!). Many the tasty hors d'ouvre and generous drink was quaffed amidst the onlooking bear population, and later when I started dating a dance instructor we made it our habit to hit T.T.'s after work. When I changed my janitorial hours, so I could work late (ten P.M. till dawn) and hold a second gig during the daytime, I would still schlepp over to Brookline Street to catch that great Happy Hour. So when the State, in it's infinite wisdom, dealt a body blow to the bar business by making Happy Hours illegal, it was a sad day for many T.T.'s patrons. We talked about how much of the bar's trade was done in that time slot, and there was talk that the place was going to shut it's doors under fiscal duress, joining a number of other establishments that lost their Happy Hour lifeblood. Then one day I went by and saw a sign advertising live bands. T.T.'s didn't seem like rock club material to me, and I had my doubts as to the potential for success. I didn't factor in the tenacity and willpower of the tough cookie of an owner, though. Bonnie was not about to throw in the towel without a fight.
...to Days of Glory
Like most new clubs T.T.'s went through it's growing pains, but as time passed the booking policy and physical layout were changed to adapt to the times and to the needs of their public. That booking policy was so sound that during a temporary lull, caused by the transition to a new booking agent, a career fan by the name of Billy Ruane thought he'd pick up the ball and run with it. As part of his 30th birthday party Billy asked Greg "Skeggy" Kendall and I to MC the event. He had hired over a dozen bands, and with T.T.'s as the 'A' room we asked the owners of the Middle East Restaurant next door if we could have bands play there as well. Based on the success of that night we formed Helldorado Productions, and the Music at the Middle East series began. With T.T.'s already drawing folks to the Brookline Street area, and with Bonnie's goodwill, the venture was a resounding success, eventually spawning an establishment that could support three stages. The two clubs shared an unspoken cooperative arrangement whereby neither would book shows at odds with the others' schedule. When the Rat closed in 1997 the transformation was complete, and Central Square became the focal center of the entire Boston rock scene. So it is indisputable that Bonnie and T.T.'s pioneered and made possible the Central Square Rock Renaissance, and in doing so literally played (and continue to play) a crucial role in providing a home for the entire Beanscene. Had she thrown in the towel back in 1984, I seriously doubt that there would have been a Middle East rock club, or that scene would have retained anywhere near the vigor that is enjoys today. Thank you, Bonnie (that's Billy standing with Bonnie in the picture to the right)!
Happy Birthday!
To celebrate their fifteenth birthday T.T.'s hosted a week's worth of shows, with many of the bands that called her club "home" returning to the scene of their previous triumphs. Groups that had disbanded, such as O-Positive, Miracle Legion and Three Colors got together again especially for the shows, and bands like Letters to Cleo that had moved on to bigger halls and major label success came back to pay their tribute. The series was sponsored by Newbury Comics, and true to form it was indeed a "Wicked Good Time". I was unable to attend several of the shows that I wanted to go to because they had sold out days in advance, and I was disappointed to be turned away on Thursday and Friday. Saturday, however, I was able to catch the show featuring Wooden Leg, and the Band That Changes- an amalgamation of most of the main members of Miracle Legion and Three Colors, with the ex-Dumptruck rhythm section, Wooden Leg's violinist and former Blood Oranges' heavy Jimmy Ryun thrown in for good measure. I was too late to catch the always-great Wooden Leg, but managed to be there for the segments fronted by Hub Moore, Chris Harford and Mark Mulcahy. Regrettably I was called away on a family medical emergency just as the gals started their set, and had to miss the evening's climactic O-Positive set. There were a number of shutterbugs present, though, and if I can schmooze some photos of the sets I fanned on I'll post them post-haste.
Three Colors
Three Colors were arguably one of the most talented group of individuals to play on the Beanscene in the 1980's. They also functioned as a genuine team, a trait sorely lacking in many bands that are made up of a frontman (or woman) and a bunch of supporting players. I loved Three Colors gigs, because it was always evident that they were having a really good time up on stage, and their segments of the Band That Changes carousel was no exception. Old fans were rewarded, and those who'd never seen the group were in for a treat (after their set a guy came up to me and asked "who were those guys, they were great?"- and I thought to myself yeah, they sure were). For Chris Harford's contribution the band played "Next", the popular Three Colors tune that got heavy radio airplay during the band's lifetime. Sounded good as ever. Chris played guitar, with the other Colors assuming their former roles: Max on keys, Hub on Bass, Dana on sax and xxx on drums. The crowd responded enthusiastically to the trademark joyous, upbeat, sound that had made the band a local institution. The first dancing of the evening broke out.
Hub Moore and Chris Harford traded intruments after that, and continued their set with Hub on guitar. Chris strapped on a lovely salmon Danelectro bass, and both musicians showed the crowd that they had considerable skills whether they were playing six skinny strings or four fat ones. There was only one point when Chris couldn't handle the bass gig- literally.He was stirring up the crowd and had both hands raised over his head. Midway into his exhortation the strap popped off its' button, and that pretty Dano bass went plunging to the stage, boucing off the monitors with a none-too-lovely sound. Fortunately there was no permanent damage- beyond possible psychological scarring -and the set continued apace (try that with a Gibson bass and you'll wind up with a two-piece!)
