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About this concert
Saturday, June 29
Letters To Cleo with Megasound LIVE at Grog Shop!
Doors 7 p.m. | Show 8 p.m.
All Ages
$30+ $3 at the door if under 21
When Boston alt-rock band Letters To Cleo split after 10 years, 3 albums, and thousands of tour miles together, it was at the behest of a pact that singer Kay Hanley and guitarist Greg McKenna made with each other when they started the band in 1990.We said that wed stop doing it when we werent having fun anymore. says Hanley. I had just had a baby, (lead guitarist) Michael Eisenstein and (drummer) Stacy Jones were recording and touring with Veruca Salts Nina Gordon, (bassist) Scott Riebling was crazy in demand as a record producer, and I know it was frustrating to Greg to be in the shitty position of doing all the work to try and keep the ball rolling. It felt hard all of a sudden, and I hated that feeling.
Soul searching done and tough decisions made, Letters To Cleo called it quits. The band members moved into new careers in and out of the music business, with Hanley, Eisenstein, and Jones migrating to Los Angeles. They all remained friends and sometimes even colleagues, collaborating on a host of movie, TV, and touring projects.Now, for the first time in 17 years, Hanley, Eisenstein, Jones, and McKenna have written and recorded five brand new songs for The EP, are poised to launch a Pledge Music campaign, and will play club dates in Boston, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the Fall. So why reunite now?Because were good and stuff, laughs Jones. To me, the question isnt Why are we doing this now?, the question is, Why didnt we do it sooner and why arent we doing it more?
McKenna adds, Its a blast. I mean, we spent our formative years learning how to do this stuff together. When it was done, we went out and lived our lives and now everyones bringing their experiences back to this at a new level of musicianship, but writing with these guys still feels effortless.
The new material reflects McKennas sentiment. All 5 songs are instantly recognizable Cleo concoctions that fans will devour. From Eisensteins fierce, angular guitars locking horns with Jones roaring locomotive rhythm on Hitch A Ride to McKenna and Hanleys signature melodic ESP on Good Right Here, the Cleo bandmates are in prizefighter form.
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What fans are saying
Craig
November 19th 2023
Fantastic show! Still amazing after 30 years. Great encore, so much fun!!!!
Boston, MA@Paradise Rock Club
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We strive to showcase live music 7 days a week, 365 days a year to people of all ages. The Grog Shop has played host to countless local, national, and international touri...
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Letters to Cleo Biography
Letters to Cleo formed in 1990 in Boston, led by guitarist Greg Mckenna and singer Kay Hanley. The current band features original members Kay Hanley (vocals), Michael Eisenstein (guitar), Greg McKenna (guitar), Stacy Jones (drums) along with longtime collaborator Joe Klompus on bass. Aurora Gory Alice, the band’s debut album, was originally released on CherryDisc Records in 1993. The albums received loads of press attention and local radio play around New England which led to the band signing to Giant Records, and the re-release Aurora Gory Alice in 1994. The album’s song “Here and Now'' became an instant hit after appearing on the soundtrack for the wildly popular 90s TV show Melrose Place. The song reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart, was in the top 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album debuted at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. To this day “Here & Now” continues to be a fan favorite and one of their most popular songs.
The band’s music could be heard on many of the top TV shows and films throughout the 1990s, including the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You, where the band contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack and were featured in the film. The band played their last show in 2000 and each of the members went on to have successful careers working in different areas of music from production, writing, performance, musical directing etc. The band was thrust back into the pop culture spotlight via a cameo Parks and Recreation, playing themselves, the obsession of the show's state auditor Ben Wyatt played by Adam Scott. The band achieved the pinnacle of pop culture validation as a subject in a Sunday version New York Times crossword puzzle. Letters to Cleo reunited in 2016 for the release of Back to Nebraska EP, their first release in 17 years. The accompanying tour and incredible feedback from the elated hometown crowd at the Paradise Rock Club fans is what inspired their annual fall homecoming shows, which is now in its sixth year.
The band is thrilled to be celebrating the album that gave them their start, especially returning to their hometown of Boston. “It’s unbelievable it’s been 30 years since the release of AGA. We expected that album to be our swan song but we ended up finding ourselves creatively and it really changed our lives. We can’t wait to celebrate its 30th birthday!” says guitarist Michael Eisenstein. Aurora Gory Alice, along with Go!, Wholesale Meats and Fish, and their most recent EP releases Back to Nebraska and OK Christmas are available on vinyl at LettersToCleo.net.
Read MoreThe band’s music could be heard on many of the top TV shows and films throughout the 1990s, including the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You, where the band contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack and were featured in the film. The band played their last show in 2000 and each of the members went on to have successful careers working in different areas of music from production, writing, performance, musical directing etc. The band was thrust back into the pop culture spotlight via a cameo Parks and Recreation, playing themselves, the obsession of the show's state auditor Ben Wyatt played by Adam Scott. The band achieved the pinnacle of pop culture validation as a subject in a Sunday version New York Times crossword puzzle. Letters to Cleo reunited in 2016 for the release of Back to Nebraska EP, their first release in 17 years. The accompanying tour and incredible feedback from the elated hometown crowd at the Paradise Rock Club fans is what inspired their annual fall homecoming shows, which is now in its sixth year.
The band is thrilled to be celebrating the album that gave them their start, especially returning to their hometown of Boston. “It’s unbelievable it’s been 30 years since the release of AGA. We expected that album to be our swan song but we ended up finding ourselves creatively and it really changed our lives. We can’t wait to celebrate its 30th birthday!” says guitarist Michael Eisenstein. Aurora Gory Alice, along with Go!, Wholesale Meats and Fish, and their most recent EP releases Back to Nebraska and OK Christmas are available on vinyl at LettersToCleo.net.
Alternative Rock
Rock
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