through - Tues. Dec. 29 

 If you’re unsure as to whether the Mighty Mighty Bosstones still exist, don't feel out too of the loop. They do exist. They’re just not that visible. They sprang back to life this during the summer, playing a WBRU-sponsored show in Providence and a Hampton Beach Casino in New Hampshire. And, now, to the surprise of no one, they have announced their annual Hometown Throwdown. It’s been at the Middle East Downstairs of late, but this year, for the first time, it’s at the House of Blues. Bigger house; fewer nights. The skein is three nights, Dec. 26-28. Another show, though, was added, one night, Dec. 29, at their old haunt the Middle East Downstairs. Doors are at 7 and, if it’s like previous years, the Bosstones will have different, like-minded bands as support each night. The Middle East doors are at 6.
     But the band is not a full-time pursuit for any of the eight members.
   “That’s what makes the Bosstones thing still amazing,” says bassist Joe Gittleman. “That it still can be there. We’re treating it like it deserves to be treated. This isn’t weekend bowling night.  We’re putting a lot of energy and effort into it and we work hard rehearsing before our shows.”
    “I love the band and the way we've been operating,” adds singer Dicky Barrett, in a separate interview. “Everything we do now is not watered down or sluggish. A fistful of really great shows a year, is better than lots of mediocre ones.”
     Also, they are in the midst of doing something they haven’t done since 2002: They’re making a new album, produced by Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, etc.)to be called either “Gin Joints and Pin Points” or “Pin Points and Gin Joints.”
     “We have worked as hard on this as any other,” says Gittleman. Barrett “and I have been writing songs for a year and a half.”
    Gittleman says they caught the buzz while doing the 2007 Hometown Throwdown. 
   “That got our gears going,’” says Gittleman. “Then, Dick and I were back living in L.A. and started working on songs. Dick writes all the lyrics and they seem fairly personal and reflective. He can get creative and paint some pictures with stories and characters. We’ve written 30 complete tunes at this point and we’re going through it. We’ve got all the other guys on board. We really want to make a fun, upbeat record with a lot of cool ska uff. Songs I look forward to playing at shows.”
    Expect at least one new one, “Na Na Na Na Na.” Gittleman calls it a song in “a dancehall style, with a big gang sing-along.It has a traditional ska sound. It’s uplifting and emotional, with slightly darker reflective lyrics.”
    “I wrote like I always do from my head, and from my heart,” says Barrett. “My skewed and slightly distorted look at our world and life in general.”
     The Bosstones two main songwriters are Barrett and Gittleman. Barrett is most noticeable, these days, as he announcer for “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” And Gittleman will be following a family path into education. This fall, he’ll be teaching at Lyndon State College in Lyndon, Vt in the Music Business and Industry Department.
    “ I have been through 25 years of up, down and sideways,” says Gilttleman, “and I was lucky to have crossed paths with a Department Head that values this hard-fought, hands-on experience.  It's going to be fun sharing what I have learned and I hope to instill a healthy dose of the Boston DIY spirit me and my friends had when we started.”
    Gittleman says he “stumbled” upon the job while browsing college websites. He and his wife were already thinking of moving to Vermont. Gittleman used to visit his uncle, a University of Mass. professor, on his farm in Lyndon. On line, Gitttleman spotted a new music business program at Lyndon.
     “That coincidence led me to the moment,” he says. “I thought ‘This is unbelievable!’
    Department Head Beth Norris hired him. “Joe’s presence will bring a new kind of credibility,” she said.
     Tickets for the Throwdown: $25.
    (This is a version of a story that ran in the summer of ’09 in the Boston Herald.)

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