One of the pioneers of American indie-rock, Throwing Muses makes a stop in Santa Cruz on Saturday at Moe’s Alley as part of a world tour in support of the band’s new album Moonlight Concessions. Together for more than three decades, the band has been touring since the early days of alt-rock commercial success, throughout the U.S., the U.K.
As Kristin Hersh, the band’s singer, guitarist, and songwriter describes them, “Touring Muses” is Freddy Abong on drums, her son Dylan on bass, and cellist Pete Harvey, who played on Moonlight Concessions.
‘This band has never stopped working because, as David Narcizo, the original drummer put it, ‘Throwing Muses is a kind of music, not a group of people,’” Hersh said. “We’re whoever picks up an instrument and feels like playing along.”
She added, “I should say though, that this particular lineup is absolutely killing it on this world tour. We’ve done the UK and Europe twice and we just got back from Australia and New Zealand, where they called it, “A shattering team.”
Since Santa Cruz is a smaller city situated between several larger ones; what led to its inclusion on this tour? “Santa Cruz is especially dear to my heart,” Hersh said. “My youngest son is a pro surfer and we’ve done many surf competitions together in those beastly and beautiful waves.”
Released March 25, the new album Moonlight Concessions showcases Hersh’s edgy guitar riffs and alt-rock roots. Her past projects with iconic bands like REM, the Breeders and the Pixies means Throwing Muses shared a musical journey with the cream of the crop of indie rock.
As co-founder of Muses, Hersh is also a prolific songwriter known for her personal, poetic style. Hersh draws her lyrics from deep personal feelings, observations, insights …. “As shy as I am, it’s a real honor to add songs about my life pictures to people’s personal soundtracks,” she said.
She uses an elaborate assortment of guitars to bring the tone of each project into her songwriting process. “Throwing Muses songs are written on my Tele or my Strat because they do ‘tangled’ really well,” she said. For her more raucous band 50 Foot Wave, she writes songs on a Les Paul or her SG “because those guitars are heavy and rooted,” Hersh says. Her three touring guitars include a Supro baritone, an ESP X-tone and a Penguin.
What began with a little airplay on now-defunct college radio station WBRU, Throwing Muses reached mass global success in the early 90s, receiving regular rotation on MTV, touring with the Pixies, a record deal and international tour. Formed in high school, Throwing Muses was initially fronted by step-sisters, Hersh and vocalist Tanya Donnelly, both freshmen at Rogers High School in Newport, RI, along with a bass player and a drummer (recruited from the school marching band).
After relocating to Boston, the trio signed with British record label 4AD to record their first album. A 1986 U.K tour followed, supported by the Boston-based Pixies as their opener.
By 1991, Throwing Muses achieved critical success with singles “Not Too Soon” and “Counting Backwards” from The Real Ramona, the band’s fourth studio album. 1995 ushered in their first national hit “Bright Yellow Gun” on the Billboard charts.
Throwing Muses briefly disbanded in 1997 as Hersch and Donnelly left to pursue other musical projects. Donnelly went on to form the successful pop band Belly, although they reunited briefly in 2003. Hersch heads across the pond for an extensive U.K. solo tour in the fall.
Having navigated major labels, indie releases, and direct-to-fan models, Hersh feels that recording and live music are both “attempts to recreate a moment of inspiration.”
In an unusual twist, listeners called “Strange Angels” now cover much of the cost of Throwing Muses recording costs. It’s “a subscription that offers fans free guest list spots for concerts, free downloads and exclusive content ($30 every 3 months).”
“I had to wait for the paradigm to shift in regards to the music business. I went wholly DIY to see what would happen and it was intriguing,” she said. “Luckily, the entire industry was collapsing, and streaming was helping the listening public educate themselves to their own musical response. Now people can explore music through era and genre and try to remember that they have opinions that marketing shouldn’t replace. And they can do this even if they don’t have much money.”
“Now I work with a record company in a very hands-off manner because their involvement means that I no longer have to earmark funds for production, distribution and promotion. This symbiosis is perfect for me.”
Hersh says her connection with the audience matters as much today as when she started playing at 12 years old. “Listeners are the whole point,” she said. “It’s hard for a shy person like me to admit, but performance is important, I think, because these songs aren’t for me. Just like my children, trying to keep them at home would stifle their life experience.
“I never wanted ‘fans’ who put you on a pedestal then try to knock you off of it. I’m averse to the whole concept of attention, but I know that my job is to give this stuff away, to share songs. Just like my children, they never belonged to me anyway.”
Throwing Muses w/Artsick, Sat., April 18, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, 8pm Ticketweb.com, $36.95
