Talk:Mistle Thrush (band)

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This article was nominated for deletion on June 10, 2007. The result of the discussion was Keep.

question for closenplay: isn't Van Elk = Valerie Forgione + Ken Michaels? please look at their website: http://www.vanelk.us/ (Is Ken Michaels from Lockgroove? Not sure- maybe you know more about this than I do.....) thanx Dru007 23:36, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

D'oh! Sloppy editing on my part. There's another band that the two of them (Valerie and Ken) are/have been involved in called Broken River Prophet that does include ex-Lockgroovers. My bad; thanks for catching that. Closenplay 00:10, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Boston Globe article

MISTLE THRUSH ADDS TEXTURE AS BAND EVOLVES

Boston Globe, The (MA) December 28, 2001, D16

Author: Steve Morse, Globe Staff

Many Boston bands battle it out for a couple of years, then disappear and get real jobs. Few stick it out and let their music mature. A nice exception is Mistle Thrush, which has stayed the course for eight years and is about to release its fourth CD - a gem called "Drunk With You," which deals with various romantic twists within music that is the most upbeat of the group's career.

"We're thick-headed and stubborn," says Mistle Thrush drummer Todd Demma. "We've stuck it out. About the only [Boston] bands that are still around from when we started are Powerman 5000 and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones." Here's another revelation: Mistle Thrush, once considered a deadly serious goth band, has lightened up and let a little fun into its life. There are more grooves and dance textures in the new sound - in fact, the group now sounds closer to Garbage, the Sneaker Pimps, and Luscious Jackson than to any goth acts.

"We're all in a different place now," says Demma, who started Mistle Thrush with singer Valerie Forgione (also known for her work in the Boston Rock Opera). "Musically, we want to have fun - not in a blink-182 meathead sort of way, but in a way that makes sense to us."

The new CD, which comes out on Los Angeles-based Ecstatic Records next month, will be marked by a release party at the Middle East Downstairs on Jan. 18. Opening up are Mistle Thrush friends the Pills, Aaron Perrino (from the Sheila Divine), Butterfield 8, and DJ Andrew Payne.

The new album, which - dare we say - has a radio-friendly sound, starts out with a song, "Small," which not only pokes fun at ego-driven people, but bridges the gap from the old Mistle Thrush to the new. It combines everything from a dance beat to a Smiths-like guitar sound courtesy of the talented Scott Patalano, a force throughout. The album has several radio-ready tracks - including "Fanfare Spark" (with Forgione at her ethereal best, singing about a new relationship). But the standout for this listener is "Birdmouth," which Demma likens to "Massive Attack meets Black Sabbath."

The album, which has been endorsed by WBCN program director Oedipus (let's hope his station plays it), has a national-sounding production courtesy of Andrew Schneider, a Grammy-nominated engineer for the Blue Man Group who also has produced Boston discs by Cracktorch, Scissorfight, and Milligram. He helped forge Mistle Thrush's new direction by dropping the reverb that once drenched its sound in favor of a less moody, more naked, in-your-face approach.

The basic tracks (bass and drums) were done at Q Division Studios in Somerville, then the guitars and vocals were added in band members' home studios, then the final mix was done at New Alliance Studios in Boston. The CD is Mistle Thrush's first in four years - and the notoriously fussy band is actually happy with it.

"We were displeased, really, with all our other records," says Demma. "They sounded thin and light, and lacked oomph. But this time, we let the music take its course and we're really glad we did."

[edit] An MT Fan Rants

It's too bad they were displeased with their earlier CD's; all my personal MT favorites were on Silt and Agus Amarach.

"Escapades in Glass", "Shine Away," and "The Honey Trip" are my absolute favoRITE tunes of all time, gee I have been

listening to MT constantly for years and I never get tired of their music. From "Drunk With You" my favorites are

"Enginehead", "Birdmouth," and "God's Enemies," the latter of which also has a Van Elk version which is really great too.

Dru007 01:05, 19 October 2007 (UTC)