One of my personal favorite bands from the 1980s was Boston group Scruffy The Cat. Sort of retro, sort of rockabilly, kind of twangy, with some very catchy tunes, the band was a WUSC favorite around that time, too. In 1986, the same night REM played the Township Auditorium, Scruffy was set to open a show at Rockafellas for an REM-like band from Athens, Dreams So Real. A group of us from WUSC that went to the REM show actually left early so we wouldn’t miss Scruffy’s set–I’ve never regretted it. Here’s a video of the single from their Tiny Days album, “My Baby, She’s Alright”:
While Scruffy is no more, singer-guitarist-songwriter Charlie Chesterman is still kicking, playing and recording a number of solo albums that are mellower takes on the same simple rock ‘n’ roll riffs of his original band.
