Talk:Mistle Thrush (band)

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)

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."

MIscellaneous Notes
Should we perhaps have a separate page for Valerie? She has been involved in a number of major bands besides Mistle Thrush, including: Salamandra Glass, Funeral Party, and Van Elk, not to mention Twelve Tone Failure.

Also I am baffled by the comparison in the opening lines between Valerie and Kate Bush. How can a bland, mainstream commercial singer be compared with the likes of Valerie, a real flesh-and-blood musical personality? (I have also heard equally baffling comparisons between Bush and Annette Farrington another stellar voice from the 90s Boston Goth scene, although Annette's style was quite distinct from Valerie's. ) &lt;&lt;((:-:))&gt;&gt;0X0&lt;&lt;((:-:))&gt;&gt; (talk) 01:58, 20 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't really think Valerie musters enough notability on her own to pass WP:MUSIC. None of those other bands are "major" nor would any of them pass WP:MUSIC. She did garner some coverage for her turn in Jesus Christ Superstar but I doubt an article on her would pass AFD. And really, how much information about her can be dug up from reliable sources? Enough for a reasonable article? I doubt it. That said, however, if the article was created, I wouldn't try to have it deleted. Closenplay (talk) 18:09, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

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