Dumptruck - Live at CBGB's '86 & '88

For a fan of the Boston music scene, I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with Dumptruck. Formed in 1983, the band is considered to be one of the original college rock bands (I have such a bizarre fondness for that label.) After a string of bad luck, the band broke up in 1991, and released their final album in 1994. Seth Tiven released a couple more albums under the name Dumptruck in 2000 and 2001, and Rykodisc reissued the band's first three albums, and a compilation was released in 2006. Not much has seemed to happen since then.

That's why I was so pleasantly surprised today, when way down at the bottom of an email from Noisetrade I saw a link for a free live Dumptruck album. Everyone knows how much we love free music here at If It's Too Loud..., and this album is no exception. I always meant to check out the reissues when they came out, but for some reason they just slipped my mind. Live at CBGB's '86 & '88 is the perfect way to introduce yourself to the band, or reacquaint yourself. Hailing from the days of REM, Dumptruck remind me a ton of what we now would call alt-country, and they paved the way for Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo. Basically, if you read this blog, you'll need to hear this. In other great news, this is to prep us for a new Dumptruck album due this spring!

To get your copy of Live at CBGB's '86 & '88, head on over to Noisetrade. For more info on Dumptruck, check out their Facebook.