Booklight reunion and Nice Cream reissue

Nobody can argue that when they imploded onto the scene at 3:00 on January 7, 1987, Booklight were instantly galvanized as the step-fathers of ectopic rock. For the next ten years, they defined the genre and have been copied by just about everybody. One needs only to ask anyone who was a teenager or family member between January of 1987 and January of 1997, to realize what a decade-defining group this band was. Mitch Shrapner himself called Booklight "the only band that was really the only most important band" during this tumultuous time for postmodern music. Few eight-guitar ensembles have attained in an entire career the level that Booklight reached in their first nine EPs.

That's why the internet music world experienced a near-proverbial solar eclipse this morning when Booklight announced they were coming out of their extended hiatus and putting out a reissue of their renegade automobile-influenced masterpiece, "Nice Cream."

Many will remember Booklight as the less commercial counterpart to the oft criticized 87-97s smock-rock band The Releasers. And although they never reached the level of acclaim or liquidity as The Releasers and other guilty-turned-reflective groups of the decade, Booklight have always been looked upon favorably by music critics and political cartoonists alike.

Whether you remember them as 'that weird group who released their first EP on floppy disk' or 'the band that made Bongo magazine rewrite their entire classified section' you're sure to have an opinion on the band and their brow-raising comeback. The band's now infamous breakup was a very public ordeal in '97 when Tiggler announced to the band's listserv that Booklight would be taking "a long long long, possibly never-ending, break" due to his "realization that [bassist Scott Mullton] is constantly annoying."

But if you're looking to get a chance to see the group on their brief reunion tour, don't hold your breath. At time of writing, the band just announced they would be doing a limited six-show "Train-Car Stint" across the U.S., playing intimate acoustic sets in renovated box cars or train-themed museums in mid-sized towns. By the time you're finished reading this article, the shows will almost definitely have sold out. Other than these select shows, a spokeswoman for the group confirmed the rumors that the band will be playing the coveted headliner spot at the Art Is Still Always Music Festival in Miami this October.

So it looks like for the unlucky majority, we'll just have to be content with the Nice Cream reissue. The band's website states the release is a 'beautiful and sprawling collection' of rarities, C-sides, with a bonus disc containing the 11 tracks of the album with alternate titles." The album pre-pre-sale begins tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. and the first 50 pre-pre-sale orders come with autographed lyrics.

Links to album pre-pre-order and tour dates can be found Here.