Listen Up: Bury the Bone

Bury the Bone — the Southern rock band — will reunite Saturday for the first time since the mid 1990s.

Drummer Anthony Barrasso said he kept running into people asking him, “Do y’all ever think about doing that again?”

So, he contacted the former members — lead singer Matt McCormack, who lives in Texas; bass player Steve Holley, who is in Colorado; and fellow Memphians lead guitarist Brian Overstreet and rhythm guitarist Lance “Stax” Oliver. Everyone except Holley, who wasn’t able to make it, will be at the show at Neil’s. Landon Moore will fill in for Holley.

Bury the Bone in 1993: From left, Brian Overstreet, Lance Oliver, Anthony Barrasso, Steve Holley and Matt McCormack.

Bury the Bone in 1993: From left, Brian Overstreet, Lance Oliver, Anthony Barrasso, Steve Holley and Matt McCormack.

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McCormack, Overstreet and Barrasso formed Bury the Bone in 1992. “We wanted to have a band,” McCormack said. “When you’re a kid you idolize Aerosmith and the Beatles and the Stones. That’s what I wanted to do. So, I got (three) other guys and we did that. I didn’t think about being cool or not cool.”

They played Southern grunge, dirty rock. “We played to the harder-edged folks,” Overstreet said.

“I don’t think we had the total girl appeal,” Oliver said.

They chose “Bury the Bone” from a list of band names. “It was either that or ‘Greasy Little Toes,’” Oliver joked.

Their first gig at a club on the Highland Strip drew 300 to 400 people. “We set records on many nights on the Highland Strip,” Overstreet said.

They recorded one EP — Harvest of the Earth. Everyone wrote the music, but Oliver wrote the lyrics to their originals, including their most popular song, “Daylight.”

“All the songs are about what we were about back then: staying up until 2 a.m., hanging out with people and smoking a lot of cigarettes,” Oliver said.

Their high point was opening up for Blind Melon at The New Daisy in 1993 right before that band’s hit song, “No Rain,” came out.

Since deciding to reunite for one show, Bury the Bone members have been sharing stories. Like the time they played at a club in Oxford. McCormack decided to fly instead of drive and was still late. Holley punched Oliver in the eye before they went on, Oliver said. He had to play the show wearing sunglasses. “I don’t know what I said backstage, but it was pretty rude,” Oliver said.

Oliver was the first to quit the band. “I just felt like I’d run my course being a musician. I just don’t think I was writing Abbey Road.

He got rid of all his equipment except an acoustic guitar.

Bury the Bone lasted another six months. Overstreet joined FreeWorld and Barrasso went on to join other bands, including the Pawtuckets, and to perform with the late Corey Osborn.

McCormack moved to Austin, where he performed solo, played with the Rock Bottom Choir with Mike Thompson from the Eagles and wrote songs with Gene Simmons from KISS.

Blind Melon recently asked him to send them some songs because they’re looking for a lead singer, McCormack said. “It’s weird how it came full circle,” he said.

Oliver now is a managing partner in Lawrence and Russell practicing health and benefits law. “They’ve grown as musicians and I’m probably still stuck back in ’93. Which is fine,” he said. “Everyone should come to this show ’cause it’ll be the last time they’ll see Stax ever perform live.”

Bury the Bone at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Neil’s, 1835 Madison. Cover: $7. Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.

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