Bootleg: The Softies – 3.06.96, Neil House, Columbus, Ohio

The Softies reunite at Velouria in Seattle in 2006
The Softies reunite in Seattle in 2006 (credit: Mike Baehr)

Bootlegs of most of my favorite musicians — Wilco, Ryan Adams, Radiohead, even Elliott Smith — are not in short supply. But the Softies never quite gathered that Grateful Dead-inspired fanbase during their brief career as indie pop’s premiere melancholic duo. There is some evidence of their existence in the live music fossil record, though — a crisp 2000 show I posted here, and this, a richly lo-fi recording from the band’s 1996 heyday. Cuddle up with this one, gang.

Download .zip | The Softies – Columbus, Ohio

1. Intro
2. Charms Around Your Wrist
3. My Heaven, My Sky
4. I Love You More
5. Hello Rain:
6. About You
7. Sixteen Months:
8. He’ll Never Have To Know
9. Selfish
10. Alaska
11. Could I
12. Count To Ten
13. It’s Love
14. Perfect Afternoon

Previously: Bootleg: The Softies – The Milky Way, Boston, MA 10.20.00