While it would be easy to fill this column with the likes of Pearl Jam, Phish and the Grateful Dead every week, we’d also like to introduce you to some bands you may not have heard of or completely forgot about. So as promised, this week’s Grousing The Aisles looks at four bands that have flown under the radar. We start off with an incredible recording of the newly reunited Buffalo Tom, and then check out shows from Railroad Earth, Toad The Wet Sprocket and Lima Charlie. Clear some room on your iPod, and give these bands a chance to impress ya…

Buffalo Tom 7/13/2007 MATRIX (FLAC):

Photo via Chromewaves

Boston’s Buffalo Tom is back with a vengeance this summer. The boys released a stellar album, entitled Three Little Pieces, and are following it up with a few record release shows. This past Friday night, Buffalo Tom played a precise set of power pop at the Bowery Ballroom that showed they haven’t lost a step, despite basically nine years off. The band and a taper named Christopher Jones have teamed up to offer a matrix recording of that show for download.

I first heard of Buffalo Tom when I saw the video for Sodajerk on MTV’s 120 Minutes. Sodajerk, still my favorite Buffalo Tom tune, is a rock tune that mixes the jangle of The Byrds with the emotional depth of The Replacements. While the Tom played a terrific version of Sodajerk and a few other tunes from the old days, the songs from Three Little Pieces were the main meat of their set. CC and Callas, You’ll Never Catch Him and September Shirt all sound terrific in concert. Also of note were the multiple diatribes by singer and huge Red Sox fan, Bill Janovitz, directed at all the Yankee fans in the room. Buffalo Tom continues their tour on July 25th at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

Read on after the jump for three more GTA downloads…

Railroad Earth 07/13/2007 DAUD (FLAC):

Photo by Mike Davis

It’s been a few months since we’ve talked about Railroad Earth, but they continue to play their unique engaging brand of music at gigs across the country. This past Friday night Railroad Earth played at the historic Sellersville Theater 1894 in Sellersville, PA. The audience recording of this show is one of the best RRE audience recordings I’ve ever heard, which is terrific because the last three I’ve downloaded sound like shit.

The band starts strong with a Drag Him Down/Brown County Breakdown opener that shows off the talents of fiddle player Tim Carbone and mandolin player John Skehan. Throughout the night the energy level stays high with terrific versions of Loving You, Fiddlee and Like A Buddha. Singer/songwriter Todd Sheaffer is in great voice throughout the night, and even strapped on a banjo for a sizzling version of Daddy-O. Railroad Earth has plenty of tour dates scheduled for the next few months, so do yourself a favor and check them out.

Toad The Wet Sprocket 8/14/2006 DAUD (FLAC, MP3, STREAM):

Toad The Wet Sprocket is one of my favorite bands of all-time, and I’ve ignored them in this column because I’ve always had a hard time describing their music. As I was putting together this week’s Under the Radar edition of GTA, I saw that one of their reunion shows from last summer had been uploaded to the Live Music Archive. After listening to the show, I just knew it was time to give Santa Barbara’s finest some love.

I guess the best way to describe Toad’s music briefly is folk-pop with a splash of alternative rock. Singer/Songwriter Glen Phillips crafts melodic pop tunes that gain so much energy and verve from guitarist Todd Nichols’ soaring leads. Check out Brother and Fall Down for examples of how Toad makes Phillips’ simple folk tunes into triumphant rock anthems.

Toad achieved quite a bit of success before breaking up in 1998. They played all their big hits on the reunion tour, including All I Want, Somethings Always Wrong and Walk On The Ocean. All of those songs got a great reaction from the crowd, prompting the band to stretch them out a little bit. I was really hoping the reunion tour will lead to them recording some new material, but so far that has yet to happen. Toad The Wet Sprocket is scheduled to appear on January’s Rock Boat cruise, which is certainly a positive sign for the band’s future.

Lima Charlie 06/28/2007 DSBD (FLAC, MP3, STREAM):

Lima Charlie is a multi-dimensional band from Connecticut that is really making a name for themselves with their dynamic live shows. Recently the band played a gig in the hipster capital of Williamsburg, and a soundboard recording of the show has been uploaded to the Live Music Archive.

Lima Charlie’s music is all over the place, in a good way. The first tune, cleverly titled Menopause Graduate, is a funky rave-up featuring some fine clavinet playing by Jim O’Mahony. After hearing the first tune, you might think Lima Charlie is just another jamband. Bazooka, the second tune, shows where these guys differ from the norm. Pete Van Leeuwen’s vocals in the song are more Johnny Rotten than Bill Nershi.

Lima Charlie can play songs with ‘tude better than many other bands in the scene. Other standout tunes from this set include Sorry Sarah and Creepy. Sorry Sarah is an incredible tune that features a nice mix of beautiful melodies and bold lyrics. If you are looking for a band with a new sound, be sure to download some Lima Charlie.

What have you been listening to this week? Fill us in by leaving a comment…