Throwing Muses Release First New Album in 10 Years - Album/Art book 'Purgatory/Paradise' out Nov. 11th on Harper Collins' It Books imprint

DOWNLOAD: Throwing Muses - "Film" (from http://throwingmuses.cashmusic.org/)

This album has been in the works for some time as the following was posted to Kristen Hersh's website in Jan '12: "Throwing Muses is in the process of mixing their new record, which, for now at least is coming in at 38 songs(!) This one is entirely listener-funded thanks to Kristin’s subscribers (Strange Angels) and other generous contributors via CASH Music."

In addition to the track "Film" (above), there are eleven other tracks from the new album available from Throwing Muses' CASH Music site.  I believe that all of these tracks are demos and they are available in MP3 (320K), FLAC and Apple Lossless format

Purgatory/Paradise looks similar in concept to Kristen Hersh's 2010 book/CD Crooked which was also published by It Books,  Purgatory/Paradise is being released as a deluxe 64-page book containing: * the full studio album on CD * photographs and artwork by Dave Narcizo and Kristin Hersh * lyrics for each song * stories and essays by Kristin Hersh to accompany each track * instructions on how to download exclusive content The exclusive content will only be available with this special book edition. 

Purgatory/Paradise is currently listed on Amazon for the pre-order price of $18.35.

Purgatory/Paradise Tracklist:
01 smoky hands
02 morning birds 1
03 sleepwalking 2
04 sunray venus
05 cherry candy 1
06 film
07 opiates
08 cherry candy 2
09 freesia
10 curtains 1
11 triangle quanitico
12 morning birds 2
13 lazy eye
14 blurry 1
15 folding fire
16 slippershell
17 bluff
18 blurry 2
19 terra nova
20 walking talking
21 milan
22 curtains 2
23 folding fire 1
24 static
25 clark’s nutcracker
26 dripping trees
27 sleepwalking 1
28 smoky hands 2
29 speedbath
30 quick
31 dripping trees 2
32 glass cats

Throwing Muses last came through town in 2011 for a show at Bowery Ballroom, touring behind their greatest hits/rarities compilation Anthology so you would assume the band will be touring later this year or early next year behind Purgatory/Paradise.



Links:
Kristen Hersh  (Strangely, there doesn't appear to be a Throwing Muses site out there outside of a splash page at ThrowingMuses.com)

Kristin Hersh Releases Memoirs - "Rat Girl" (Penguin Press)

DOWNLOAD: 50 Foot Wave - "All 4 EPs, instrumentals, live recordings and a few other goodies"

"Kristin Hersh (born August 7, 1966) is an American singer/songwriter who performs solo acoustic concerts; she also has performed as lead singer and guitarist for alternative rock group Throwing Muses and currently leads the hardcore punk-influenced power trio 50 Foot Wave." - Wikipedia

Kristin Hersh is one of the most critically-acclaimed, pioneering female rock musicians of the past two decades. The New York Times called her “a truly fear-inspiring rock innovator,” Rolling Stone dubbed her band, Throwing Muses, “trailblazing” and “one of alternative rock’s most influential but underappreciated groups.” Over the course of her career, she has released over 20 albums, including 9 solo records. Penguin is thrilled to be publishing Kristin’s first literary effort, RAT GIRL: A Memoir (A Penguin Books Original; On-Sale Date: August 31, 2010; ISBN: 978-0-14-311739-1; $15.00; 224 pages), a look at the tumultuous year that transformed her from a precocious and rebellious teenager into a rock star – and mother.

In 1985, Kristin Hersh was eighteen years old and just beginning to find her place in the world. After enrolling in college at an early age, where she befriended the larger-than-life former box office sensation Betty Hutton, she made her home squatting in various apartments around Providence, Rhode Island, hanging out with artists, musicians, addicts and other local characters. Sometimes she would sleep in her car and spend the early morning hours swimming in strangers’ backyard pools, being careful not to wake the owners. Throwing Muses was just getting off the ground; Kristin and her bandmates spent their nights gleefully driving from venue to venue in their dilapidated car, the Silver Bullet, trying to convince the bouncers at clubs that they weren’t just underage kinds trying to get in the bar—they were actually the band.

Then everything changed. Kristin found herself in a very dark place, setting off a series of episodes that culminated in a suicide attempt, after which she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As she slowly began to resurface, Throwing Muses relocated to Boston, where they were celebrated in the local music press and subsequently courted by record labels, both indie and major. Then an even bigger surprise came: Kristin discovered that she was pregnant. Now, instead of wondering what cities in Europe she’d be touring, Kristin found herself wondering if she could afford diapers, whether anti-depressants can be mixed with pre-natal vitamins, and how to balance a guitar on her stomach in her third trimester.

Written in lyrical, evocative, and often hilarious prose, RAT GIRL is the story of one year in a young woman’s life, a year that marked a turning point for her in countless ways. Essentially a love story, the book is brimming with passion for the conflagration that is Hersh’s songwriting process. Filled with indelible characters, from the artists who share her flophouses to the aging movie star who gave her advice on fame, this memoir offers a unique and arresting account of Kristin Hersh’s experience of growing up—much more quickly than she had planned.

Links:
Kristin Hersh

Tanya Donelly & Friends: Live Photos from Joe's Pub, NYC June 13, 2010

"It smells like beer and children in here" -- Jenny Owens Young

Yesterday, American Laundromat Records hosted an all-ages benefit show for The Valerie Fund at Joe's Pub which featured Tanya Donelly, Jenny Owen Youngs and Julie Peel.

The Valerie Fund is a NYC-based charity that supports the comprehensive care of children with cancer and blood disorders. Established in 1976 in memory of nine-year-old Valerie Goldstein, The Valerie Fund Children’s Centers, located at 7 major hospitals, comprise one of the nation’s largest networks of health care facilities for children with cancer and blood disorders.



It was a great show for a great cause. It was also refreshing that none of the artists "dumbed down" their set to play to the kids in the audience. (Any adult who has every sat through a kid's show will know exactly what I mean.) Julie Peel kicked off the afternoon with a five song set that concluded with The Little Mermaid's "Under the Sea". After some face painting for the kids, Jenny Owens Young took the stage. She seemed a bit surprised to see so many small faces right at the edge of the stage looking up at her and made a crack about not playing songs about divorce and cancer. After her set, American Laundromat Records gave away prizes to all the kids. (It made my 6-year-old's day to get a pack of Silly Bands and a Webkinz Warthog.)

Tanya Donelly wrapped up the afternoon with a set that included duets with her daughter and friends and Julie Peel.

Here is the set list:
- Two songs that Tanya said she wrote for her kids (Titles unknown)
- Moon River
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Laluna The Loon
- Everythings Gonna Be Alright
- Heart of Gold (Neil Young cover with Julie Peel)
- Days of Grace

Links:
Tanya Donelly
Julie Peel
Jenny Owen Youngs
American Laundromat Records

Tanya Donelly & Friends Play Joe's Pub on June 13, 2010 // Pre-Show Interview

“This is a rare no-brainer tribute LP. Not only do the proceeds enrich the Valerie Fund, benefiting kids with cancer and rare blood disorders, but also musically it glows like a night-light.” – Jack Rabid (The Big Takeover)

Last night I had the pleasure of talking with one of my musical heroes - Tanya Donelly. She is coming to town on Sunday, June 13th to play a show at Joe's Pub which benefits the Valerie Fund. This show also marks the release of the CD Sing Me To Sleep; a disc of lullabies from a diverse range of artists that include Tanya Donelly, Julie Peel, Dean and Britta, Stars, The Leisure Society, Jenny Owen Youngs and more.

Here is a link to the MP3 of the interview with Tanya Donelly.

Please join us for a very special day of music to celebrate the release of Sing Me To Sleep on Sunday, June 13th (noon-2:30pm) at Joe’s Pub in NYC. During this child-friendly show, Tanya Donelly, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Julie Peel will perform their lullabies alongside many original favorites. We'll have special door prizes, and lots of fun stuff for everyone. All proceeds from this wonderful project are donated to The Valerie Fund, a non-profit organization that provides for the comprehensive health care of children with cancer and blood disorders. Buy tickets today! This is a rare musical experience for the whole family... and all for a very worthy cause. We hope to see you there!
- American Laundromat Records

Links:
Tanya Donelly
Joe's Pub
American Laundromat Records

Tanya Donelly - Legal Music Download

Who says that you can't go home again? When I lived in DC, Belly was one of the staples on WHFS during the mid-90s. I hadn't heard anything from Donnelly after 1997's Lovesongs for Underdogs and had (incorrectly) assumed that she had left the music business.

I just ran across Donnelly's website and she has some great mp3s posted for downloading (please notice and use the 'tip jar' on the site). I downloaded the 10-track Star demos (which became Belly's first CD) and have had them playing on my iPod non-stop. Very simply - this is a "must have"! This is Tanya playing mostly by herself and the songs take on different arrangements than what ended up on the final CD. It is fascinating to hear these work-in-progress demos.

Here are Tanya's comments on these demos (as posted on her website):

A mere 16 years later, here are the demos for Star (Belly's first), recorded with Joe Harvard at Fort Apache. (Thank you, Ivo, for having the original mixes on cd so I didn't have to mess with the tapes.) They were originally meant to be the second Breeders album, so Kim plays on a couple. She plays the high solo on White Belly and the counter-lead stuff on Feed the Tree. That's what I recall.

White Belly was co-written with Fred Abong, but for some reason he didn't play on it. I think possibly because it was intended for the Breeders, and we weren't planning to start a post-Muses band together at that time. It wasn't long after these demos were recorded that I decided to start my own thing and form Belly, and Fred came along. To be honest, I'm very fuzzy on my own chronology and some details.

Some of the vocals are oddly low -- I think that was my taste at the time, which is too bad. And I was very self-conscious about my voice, sometimes justifiably. And it is all extremely spare, mostly just electric guitar and vocal. But I think in general, these are pretty good, and at least interesting if you liked Star.

Re: Slow Dog -- Mariah Carey hadn't surfaced yet when I wrote this song. This is a very old song that I sat on for a while. The first time I heard her name was when a couple of the Pavement guys (who got the demo from someone who worked at 4ad at the time) said they liked the song I wrote about Mariah Carey. So Mariah became Maria. I always missed Mariah.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these demos. I'm taking my sister's lead (copying her, in fact) and leaving a virtual tip jar. I'm also planning on putting up an additional live Windham set of mostly old songs that we did on one of the Hungry Life nights. Hopefully in a few months, a song or two at a time. That will be fun.

Kristin Hersh (50 Foot Wave) - Legal Music Download

After a few acoustic solo tours, Kristin Hersh formed 50 Foot Wave in 2003 as an electric power-trio. Even though the band features Muses bassist Bernard Georges, 50 Foot Wave is a departure from the Muses' sound (but not in a bad way). Lyrically, Hersh's themes are the same as the past (emotional and confrontational) but her singing style has shifted to a throaty growl. This is pretty interesting stuff and worth the time to download.

The "FreeMusic!" EP was released in late 2005 via Hersh's main website. Below are links to the songs and the cover art.

FreeMusic!
1. Hot Pink, Distorted
2. Vena Cava
3. Pretty Ugly
4. Animal
5. The Fuchsia Wall
FreeMusic Cover Art [Link]

There are a couple other interesting 50 Foot Wave live performances and downloads that I have found on the net.

- Streaming video of 50 Foot Wave Live @ Twist and Shout (Record Store) [Link]
- Downloadable audio of 50 Foot Wave Live @ Mercury Lounge, NYC 6-14-2005 [Link]