Bill Janowitz continues his solo music career with a new EP following his early days as the lead singer and guitarist in Buffalo Tom.

There are three good reasons for me to like this tune by Bill Janovitz. The first is that he was the guitarist and lead singer of Buffalo Tom, of whom I was a fan in the late ’80s and ’90s. The second is that he’s also a journalist; a music journalist no less.

The third and best reason is that this is a great tune.

Buffalo Tom appeared in the late ’80s, inspired by a love of the alternative bands of that era like Hüsker Dü, Mission of Burma and the Replacements – and befriended by J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. who gave them a leg up by lending equipment and producing their debut album.

It was not until their fourth album, Big Red Letter Day, that they really made a mark with the single Soda Jerk.

After that Janovitz recorded a solo album alongside members of Giant Sand and Calexico, two of my favourite alt.country (as it was called then) bands.

Alternating between Buffalo Tom and solo projects, Janovitz’s music moved more towards gentler folk-influenced material, while he also started a second side project, The Bathing Beauties (including Tanya Donnelly of Belly).

His books include Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones,  Leon Russell: The Master of Space, The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told, and the best-selling Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History.

This track, Faithful, comes from his latest solo release, an EP called Way Back To The Dawn. The fact it has only garnered a handful of views on YouTube is a tragedy.