For Tim Thomas of Babe the Blue Ox

 

By SoDak

There are always those bands that you hear about that you intend to check out, but for whatever reason fail to do so. Babe the Blue Ox is one of those bands for me. In the 1990s, I remember seeing a record or two, hearing they were good, but quickly forgot about them. Fortunately, this past year, this changed, when Five-Inch Taint and I got to see them open for Alice Donut. I was completely engrossed by their performance. While they had strong pop-sensibilities, their songs were very eclectic, with funky bass and percussive foundations, angular guitar parts, and complex timings. Both Tim Thomas and Rose Thomson sang lead and harmony vocals, adding a rich dynamic interchange and playfulness to their songs. Five-Inch Taint and I stood immediately in front of Rose, feeling the thump, pounding, and bounce of her bass parts. We felt the joy she had while playing. The percussion set up was captivating as Hanna Fox played on a kit, throwing down the beat, while constantly throwing in quirky parts with the shifting dynamics. Eddie Gormley stood up, playing an assortment of percussive toms, saw blades, bells, and odd fixtures. Tim masterfully explored the guitar, creating a wide range of experiences. His angular riffs were delightful. He brought the crunch as needed to add power, but he also included gentle, beautiful, finger-picked, and strumming parts. The whole band operated with exquisite precision. Their performance gave me goosebumps. Following this show, I managed to pick up all their 1990s records, which are strangely named after Barbara Streisand albums. Babe the Blue Ox remind me of Firehose, not as far as the specific sound, but regarding the creativity, innovation, abstract elements, and diversity of sounds within and between songs. Unfortunately, Tim recently died. By all indications, he was a generous and kind human being. He certainly created an impressive collection of songs with his bandmates. I am very glad that I finally got properly introduced to the band and experienced their live show.