The Giant Panther

Give yourself a pat on the back if you can recall these guys. Think Tree was an eclectic Boston band that used to play places like Chet's Last Call and The Rat in Kenmore Square. They were really tough to get a handle on. In those days nobody was labeled an "Indie" band per se, but if there was such a designation these guys deserved it. There isn't a heckuva lot of information about them on the web, but I wanted to post this song anyway. I have some kind of masochistic streak in me when I post I think. I want to post under the radar chestnuts that push folks to post comments, but sometimes I guess I go too underground. I'll probably have 25 people download this song, but I don't care. Somebody somewhere will go; "oh yeah." I only need one person to make the post worth my time.

Think Tree put out an EP in 1990 called 8/13. I was reading an interview posted on the web somewhere and lead vocalist Peter Moore claimed the 8/13 had a cryptic meaning that couldn't be revealed for some reason. He did offer that electronic drummer Jeff Biegert once lived at 813 Terrence Wood Drive in Colorado, but that seemed designed to throw us off the trail. They came and went inside of five years, at least based on their releases, but they were definitely part of the local rock scene in the early 90's. I first heard "Hire a Bird" on WFNX that first year and took to the song right away. It's quirky and the lyrics can be indecipherable at times, but that didn't stop me. I see that they published the words in the CD now that I look into it, but I don't recall ever actually reading them at the time. I just taped the song onto one my cassette mixes and off I went. "The Lovers" and later "Rattlesnake" from their 1992 release Like The Idea (on Caroline Records) also made later tapes for me. This band blended all kinds of odd noises and they definitely weren't Slaves To The Rhythm that's for sure. I saw them play at Avalon on February 18, 1992 at a Nomination Party (my ticket was ripped, but I'm guessing it was related to The Boston Phoenix somehow), but I don't recall anything about the show. I know they were headliners, but I'm guessing there were other good bands there that night as well. My memory of the early 90's isn't so hot I have to admit. It's really kind of sad.

Unfortunately, they disbanded around 1995, but then again they never could quit their day jobs. Caroline didn't fund their tours they way they would have liked so they actually toured Europe more than North America by the time they were done. There is a story that Nine Inch Nails honcho Trent Reznor heard "Hire a Bird" in a Burger King restaurant and took Think Tree backstage after warming up a Peter Murphy Boston gig at Citi way back when. There was talk of Reznor performing a song with Think Tree at one their shows at some point, but it never did materialize. It's a shame these guys never found their place in this tough business, but it's a story told a thousand times. They can be proud of "Hire a Bird" though. It's kind of amazing how little information is available about these guys, but maybe that only bolsters their legacy. A little mystery never hurt anyone.

Think Tree - Hire a Bird.mp3 YSI