Working on roofs is dangerous. So much so that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) keeps handing out huge fines for roof safety violations. The most recent was just announced this week when OSHA slapped a Maine roofer with a $1.6 million fine for exposing workers to roof hazards at multiple work sites. With that in mind, the latest EHSDA Song of the Week is an underrated alt-rock classic from the great Buffalo Tom, “Velvet Roof.”
While it doesn’t have anything to do with fall prevention or roof safety, “Velvet Roof” is a propulsive, guitar-driven rocker that is certainly worthy of being highlighted for any reason. The song was the second single released from the Boston band’s 1992 album Let Me Come Over. Amidst the grunge explosion going on in the early ’90s, Buffalo Tom’s Stones-influenced indie rock never got its due, but it was featured on MTV’s 120 Minutes program and is still revered by fans. The band still releases new material every few years and plays shows occasionally, and “Velvet Roof” never fails to bring the house down (pun intended).