'Sandbox' remembers the late, great Mark Sandman
Mark Sandman's name should never be allowed to fade. For many years, he helped define the Cambridge/Boston music scene, whether in the nationally known bands Morphine and Treat Her Right or in the regionally esteemed Hypnosonics, Pale Brothers, and Candy Bar. Sandman was a voracious lover of music -- and the Mr. Cool of bohemian rock -- before he died of a heart attack five years ago onstage with Morphine at a festival near Rome. He was only 46.
Sandman's passing left a large void in the local scene, but he's being remembered through a remarkable box set, ''Sandbox," which comes out Tuesday. It consists of two CDs of previously unreleased songs and a DVD that collects club performances in such local rooms as the Middle East (his home away from home, since he lived right up the street), the Plough & Stars, the Rat, and Nightstage.
There also are quippy moments of banter with him (notably when he's walking in Austin, Texas, and talking to anyone along the way) and a segment on his underrated artwork.
''Sandbox" was prepared by Morphine survivors Billy Conway (drums) and Dana
''There were 120 unreleased titles to go through. And our aim was to really show Mark as a songwriter," Conway says, explaining why the new box spans all of Sandman's various groups, not just Morphine.
Sandman's sound came to be known as ''low rock" or ''beat noir" or ''noir jazz-rock." He stripped his guitar down to a one-string slide bass, then a two-string slide bass, then a ''tritar," featuring one bass string and two guitar strings.
''We would always be asked what 'low rock' was," says Conway. ''Basically, Mark was all about the baritone world. His voice was a baritone, and he added a baritone sax [played by Colley]. And he'd go everywhere to find guitars for $50 and customize them to see what sounds he could get."
Sandman, who grew up in Newton, was also an adept linguist (''We'd go to different countries, and he would immediately learn a few foreign phrases and use them onstage that night," says Conway) and a wry social observer. The new box is highlighted by the Tom Waits-like ''Born Again" (with Sandman noting, ''I don't need absolution for my sins/I'd only sin again") and the country-spiced ''Patience," with the line ''Down in the graveyard they're listening to the underground." And ''Imaginary Song" is quintessential Sandman: ''I'm living in an imaginary time . . . and I play in an imaginary band and I strum my guitar with my imaginary hands."
The Treat Her Right songs are more bluesy (with Jimmy Fitting on harmonica), while the Pale Brothers tracks are more country-inflected, thanks to Jimmy Ryan on mandolin. It adds up to an astonishing range of work from one artist.
''Mark would get up every day like a carpenter or plumber and start working," says Colley. ''He'd get a groove going and start plunking away. Writing was just a way of life for him."
Keeping it Boston: Singer/drummer Tom Hambridge left Boston six years ago for Nashville, where he launched a sterling career as a songwriter for everyone from Susan Tedeschi and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Jonny Lang and Billy Ray Cyrus. But Hambridge still records under his own name -- and returns to Boston to use local players in the studio, among them Duke Levine, Kevin Barry, Sal Baglio, and Tom West. Much of his new ''Bang n' Roll" CD was also cut at Ducky Carlisle's Room 9 From Outer Space studio in South Boston (which has since evolved into Ice Station Zebra studio in Medford).
''Even though I'm living in Nashville, I love the Boston guys," says Hambridge, who plays straightforward, almost Bon Jovi-esque rock with country and R&B elements. ''The Nashville players wonder what I'm doing back here, but I've got to have the Boston beans in my music."
He's also got a couple of them in his Tom Hambridge Band (guitarists Baglio and Jim Scoppa), which headlines Johnny D's Thursday, then the Sea Note in Hull Dec. 10 and the Grog in Newburyport Dec. 12.
Caught in passing:
The World's Greatest Sinners at the Lizard Lounge: How can you not love a band with this name? It's even easier to love in concert. This is an extremely high-energy soul revue with a female singer named Jordan Valentine who rips through classics by Ray Charles, Johnnie Taylor, and others. Valentine is among the most dynamic singers, male or female, to hit town in a while. If you love music for the pure joy of it, check the Sinners out tomorrow night at 9:15 at T.T. the Bear's Place, where they're on a bill with the Classic Ruins and the Konks.
Bits and pieces: The Taste of Chaos Tour, organized by Vans Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman, will land in Boston on Feb. 28, but no venue has been announced yet. The bands include the Utah-based the Used, My Chemical Romance, Killswitch Engage, A Static Lullaby, Senses Fail, Converge, and others. The tour has its own website, www.tasteofchaos.com. . . . Midge Ure, who helped mastermind the Live Aid concerts with Bob Geldof, told the British media recently that there may be a 20th-anniversary Live Aid next year. . . . Carla Ryder, who has a new album out, anchors a Tuesday residency this month at the Lizard Lounge as part of its ''Soul Low" series. Aimed at early birds, it runs from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. . . . Longtime Boston scenester Martin Doyle is now booking the Overdraught Pub. . . . Tonight: The Good North at the Middle East Upstairs, Isis at the Middle East Downstairs, Badfish (a tribute to Sublime) at Harpers Ferry. . . . Tomorrow: Stan Martin's honky-tonk at the Plough & Stars, the Scissormen Big Band at the Overdraught Pub. . . . Sunday: Better Than Ezra and the Pat McGee Band at Avalon and a breast cancer benefit at the Abbey Lounge with Blacklisted, Girl on Top, Rosie Hunter, and Valhalla Kittens. . . . Tuesday: Butch Walker and American Hi-Fi at the Paradise. . . . Thursday: FLUTTR, the Wandas, and others at the Embassy (next to Avalon) to benefit music education for public school students.
