US – Friday, July 30

'Here and Now' but for a limited time only

Better catch the Letters to Cleo reunion while you can

PROFILE. Best catch Letters to Cleo while you can. Right now, says the Boston-formed rock group’s singer, Kay Hanley, there are no plans to extend the current mini tour beyond a three-city,  four-date trek.  

“This is nice, it isn’t a huge deal for us to play four shows. If we did a full tour it would take away the fun,” says Hanley from her home in Los Angeles.

Up until a year ago, there were no plans at all for Cleo, which split in 2000, to perform together again. But when band members gathered at a benefit for an old Boston music scene colleague last year, hopping onstage for an impromptu set seemed totally natural.  

“When you play those songs every day for all those years, they don’t go away,” Hanley says fondly.

But, she’s quick to point out that she isn’t into a trip down memory lane.

“I’m not one of those people who clings to the past and says, ‘Do you remember when?’”
Besides, all the band’s members have busy musical careers. For the past year or so, Hanley, along with drummer Stacy Jones — who also does duty in Boston/L.A. split rock band American Hi-Fi — have anchored Miley Cyrus’s backing band.  

“It’s a nice little day job,” laughs Hanley, who sings back-up for the “Hanna Montana” star.
Hanley’s nine-year-old daughter thought so too.

“She thought it was really cool for a while; she got to hang backstage with Miley. But, now, because of all the touring and me being away so much, it’s getting a little old. That’s the hardest part, being away.”

Following Letters To Cleo’s split, Hanley, who just turned 40,  released a stunning debut solo album, 2002’s “Cherry Marmalade,” which was followed by the “Baby Doll” EP in 2004, and her second full-length, “Weaponize” in May. But it seems, the Dorchester native prefers her behind-the-scenes roles, these days.

“I’m weird,” she says. “I write songs all the time and I like to record them, but when it comes to promoting myself, it just makes me uncomfortable. I have a production company and I have no problem promoting other people. But it just doesn’t feel right pushing myself out there.”   

Letters to Cleo
With Midatlantic (Mon) and Modern Society (Tues)
Monday and Tuesday, 8 p.m.
The Paradise
967 Comm. Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green B Line to Pleasant St.
18+ Mon. sold out, Tues $25, 617-562-8800
www.thedise.com