Sure, you Portlanders are used to cool things like live in-store appearances from your favorite local bands, but those of us who get our pipeline of culture from the Windham Bull Moose are rarely as lucky. So it was absolutely shoulder-to-shoulder this past Saturday as Rustic Overtones kicked off a tour to support their new Velour Records release, Light at the End (it’s what they released ’round these parts this past summer, minus “Black Leather Bag” and plus “Valentine’s Day Massacre”) here in the Windham shopping plaza that is also home to Dave Gutter’s Meat Market, where you could occasionally find Rustic’s lead singer slinging meat back in the day.
Kate Allen, a long-time Bull Mooser who was on duty Saturday, confirmed that this is the first in-store Windham has seen since Sum 41 “years ago,” which may have explained by why half the population of the Lakes Region showed up (including some toddlers).
After a half-hour set, Rustic took a quick break and then proceeded to sign anything put in front of them. And “we did sell a lot of stuff,” confirmed Allen. “Mostly their CDs, Long Division, the re-release, and the new one.”
The band now embark on an extended tour of the East Coast that will take them to Baltimore, Atlantic City, a couple of Virginia stops, then back through upstate New York (including the Haunt, a killer Ithaca venue), NYC, and most of New England. Finally, they return with a pair of dates at the Asylum, April 25 and 26.
Already, fans are singing along with all of the new tracks, so expect a heavy dose of the new material. “Light at the End” was a big hit in Windham. Now the band will see how it plays outside of the Pine Tree State.
