Gritty Guitars from Down South: "Back of Your Mind" by The Tom Collins

It's Wednesday and I'm struggling with a project for the day job, so I started digging around on eMusic with the idea of listening to something raw and guitar-laden in mind. Something that could shake me out, something that rawwwked, but something that still had melody. Somehow, I wound my way back to the great gritty-but-melodic song, "Back of Your Mind," by a 3-piece out of Athens, GA called The Tom Collins.

TTC is no longer together, but you may know most of the members. Bassist Craig McQuiston has long been the tour manager extraordinaire for The Hold Steady. Vocalist Fran Capitanelli now plays with Butch Walker. Drummer Kyle Spence played with Harvey Milk. Collectively, the band made three records full of thick licks and catchy melodies before calling it quits, but if you're lucky, they do one-off shows together once in a blue moon. "Back of your Mind," from the trio's last record, Daylight Tonight is the one I find I go back to often. It's a perfect song for blowing out the speakers from turning it up to 11 for sure.

Read our 'Men Without Ties' interview with McQuiston here, where he talks about tour managing and musician life.

Give a Listen: Back of Your Mind-The Tom Collins/Buy Daylight Tonight