I feel a somewhat close connection to the work of Kristin Hersh, from her Throwing Muses days, through her solo albums, and her most recent trio, 50 Foot Wave. It's not just because I've been religiously listening to her songs and buying her ouput for over 15 years, but also because her music is semi-sort-of responsible for my fatefully finding Amie. It was May of 2000, and while the Muses hadn't been a band for a few years, they surprisingly reappeared to play something called 'The Gut Pageant' (named for a KH song) here in Cambridge, MA. Solo songs from Kristin, a 'special surprise guest' (in the form of Mr. Bob Mould), and a closing set from a reunited Throwing Muses that included appearances by former Muses Tanya Donelly and Fred Abong.

It was for the fans, and not only did they show up, they came from far and farther; not just from the west coast, but the U.K., Australia, the Netherlands, even a couple from Japan. There were so many overseas travellers that a get-together was held at Somerville's Abbey Lounge the night before, a chance for some familiar Muses messageboard names to be put with faces, and it's there that I first met Amie. The next night, just before the Muses hit the stage at the Middle East Downstairs, she asked if she could stand in front of me against the upper level railing. And we haven't been apart since.

The whole event was a special one, the stuff of long-lasting memories; there was a real sense of community not just between the fans, but between us and the TM crew as well. My already high respect for K and Billy (her husband, manager, and primary organizer of all TM-related shows) grew quite a bit that weekend, and it probably goes without saying that I'll never forget it. So we were more than a little psyched to hear that the Muses would reunite yet again for a few dates this year, during the same summer as our 5th wedding anniversary, and that one show would be in the very same room we were in six years ago. Not only that, but Kristin and bassist Bernard Georges would be pulling double-duty, as 2/3 of openers 50 Foot Wave.

The long line outside the Middle East was filled with many familiar faces, some I'd seen at other area Kristin shows over the past few years, others not since the Gut Pageant. That whole weekend came rushing back as we headed down those stairs, and yeah, Amie and I stood in our exact same spots for the show, up against the railing where it all began.

While I recorded the night with permission, I learned that Billy was able to pull together a last-minute 'official' recording setup, and would be making the live sets available online at the Throwing Music site. So as not to take away from any possible sales over at TM, I'm just going to offer a couple tracks from each band here on the 'Nac, and encourage you to head over and grab the offical mp3s when they're available (which should be any day now update: official bootleg now available here). Until then, here's a couple live Throwing Muses songs, recorded from the audience at the Middle East on Friday, August 11th, 2006...

Throwing Muses - 'Soul Soldier' (live)
Throwing Muses - 'Shimmer' (live)

The Muses' setlist from that night...

01. Hazing
02. Soul Soldier
03. Start
04. Furious
05. Shimmer
06. Los Flamingos
07. Fear
08. Shark
09. Colder
10. Mercury
11. Pretty Or Not
12. Hate My Way
13. Bright Yellow Gun
14. Speed & Sleep
15. Mexican Women
16. Vicky's Box
17. Bea

encore...
18. Pearl
19. Mania

And two songs from 50 Foot Wave...

50 Foot Wave - 'Long Painting' (live)
50 Foot Wave - 'Clara Bow' (live)

50 Foot Wave's setlist as well...

01. Bug
02. Long Painting
03. Clara Bow
04. Pneuma
05. Hot Pink, Distorted
06. Bone China
07. Fuchsia
08. Lavender
09. Dog Days

For comparisons sake, check out a soundboard recording from the same show, a preview mp3 that will soon be available on that 'offical bootleg' over at the Throwing Music online store...

Throwing Muses - Shimmer (live / soundboard)

And finally, some links before I leave you...

Read this great post on Kristin Hersh's blog, in which she shares a story and email from my drumming hero, David Narcizo, as they decided which songs to play at the summer shows.

Abby was at the show, and took a few photos.

Writer Bobby Hankinson from the Boston Globe was there as well, and provides this glowing review.

Take advantage of all the complimentary mp3s that Throwing Music offers from the Muses, 50'~, and KH at their Free Music page. Grateful customers can make a donation there, or buy something else at the TM online store.

the fine print... If anyone has any issue whatsoever with these live mp3s being made available, just say the word (email link at bottom left). Recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. Mp3s are made available for a limited time, and are will not be available again once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

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