“We wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t satisfactory” (Exclusive)

• Buffalo Tom kicks off his latest tour this weekend
• Their new album, Jumping ropewas released on Friday
• The music video for their song “Autumn Letter” premieres on PEOPLE

Alternative rockers Buffalo Tom head out on their “middle-aged man” tour.

“If you talk to our fans, they’re just outraged that we’re only doing 10 shows or something,” remarks Buffalo Tom frontman Bill Janovitz, 57, in a recent interview with PEOPLE. “We haven’t reached the northwest yet and we haven’t been to Texas in a long time.”

It’s just the reality of the band continuing to age, but a band that still finds itself in a very different musical landscape than the one it entered in 1986, when they were just three kids, playing in their college town in Massachusetts.

“It’s still a little difficult to put together a series of really satisfying dates in the States,” Janovitz says of his ever-changing schedule and his bandmates Buffalo Tom, Chris Colbourn and Tom Maginnis. “It really has to do with the three of us having a conversation and trying to understand where we all are in our lives and when we can step away from work and family. We haven’t done that complete time for one long time.”

In fact, it’s been three years since the group that became cult with songs like “Taillights Fade” went on tour, and six years since the release of its last album. Calm and Peace. “We never broke up,” Janovitz says. “There were always different things happening.”

But no matter how many years have passed, the fans have always remained.

“There was one time we played in Massachusetts, and it was a really hot day,” Janovitz recalled. “There was a guy in front of the stage who passed out. They gave him an EKG, and then he brought his EKG to me to autograph. That’s the kind of fans we have.”

And Buffalo Tom continues to deliver new music to these fans, having released his tenth studio album. Jumping rope. “I mean, I don’t know how much Buffalo Tom fans will even care that there’s anything new,” Janovitz laughs. “I’m always pleasantly surprised when people listen closely enough to realize it’s new.”

Certainly, Jumping rope doesn’t stray too far from the melancholy yet optimistic sound that Buffalo Tom has long been known for.

“We wanted to make an acoustic record, sitting around a campfire, but it turned into a Buffalo Tom record by default,” says Janovitz of the album that includes the breathtaking track “ Autumn Letter”, whose music video premieres. on the people. “The way we write is always acoustic-based. And that kind of dictated the tone of the album that we were going for. We wanted to lean a little bit more into acoustic guitars.”

But maybe there was another reason.

“Honestly, we’re all a little worried about our audition,” Janovitz laughs.

He’s still joking, but Janovitz is the first to admit that with age comes a lot of things, but most of all, it comes with wisdom.

“I think I was really a control freak back then,” Janovitz says. “Bands usually break up because of ego conflicts, or just insecurities. And I feel like there was a time where maybe I needed too much. I think I had the “Feeling a little out of control. I wasn’t in control of my destiny.”

The art of starting over is a trait that runs through Buffalo Tom’s creative thread, especially when we think about how far we’ve come.

“Having the same three guys, all healthy and still friends, it’s really cool,” he says. “Is it boring sometimes? Yes, it’s really boring, but we wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fulfilling. We wouldn’t subject ourselves to all the compromises and artistic committees. It’s it’s just all about perspective and that dreaded word maturity.”

US TOUR DATES

May 31 / AMHERST, MA @ The Drake

June 29 / LOWELL, MA @ The Boarding House

August 8 / CHICAGO, IL @ Metro

August 10 / OMAHA, NE @ Outlandia Festival

August 13/ PIONEERTOWN, California @ Pappy & Harriet’s

August 15 / LOS ANGELES, California @ Teragram Ballroom

August 17 / SAN FRANCISCO, California @ The Independent

SEPTEMBER 13 / PORTLAND, ME @ Portland State Theater

SEPTEMBER 14 / PROVIDENCE, RI @ FETE

NOVEMBER 1-3 / BOSTON, MA @ Please Come to Boston Festival

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

September 27 / DUBLIN, IE @ Whelan’s

September 28 / GLASGOW, UK @ SWG3 Warehouse

September 30 / LONDON, United Kingdom @ Lafayette

October 3 / ANTWERP, BE @ De Roma

October 4 / SNEEK, Netherlands @ Het Bolwerk

October 5 / EINDHOVEN, NL @ Come As You Are Festival

October 7 / COLOGNE, DE @ Luxor