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The return of Throwing Muses

by Bob Gulla

The way they were: David, Tanya, and Kristen, a decade or so ago

If you ponder this state's musical contributions to the world over the past 15 years or so, what do you come up? You could probably list some great bands -- I won't even open up that can o' worms. But you'd more than likely be hard-pressed to tout many local examples of important, influential music stemming from the region. Why? The problem is that apart from the blues, Rhode Island has few long-standing musical institutions, few bands that have made real and lasting impact on art and artists and audiences alike.

One of the bands that truly helped put Rhode Island on the musical map is Throwing Muses. Kristin Hersh, Tanya Donelly, David Narcizo, and Leslie Langston (who replaced Elaine Adamedes), the band's best-known lineup, added an entirely new perspective to the pop music of the '80s. Bandleader Hersh and stepsister Donelly were mere babes -- all right, 14 -- when they formed the band in Newport and emerged with their primitive reconstructions of pop. Their expression would prove to be as revelatory and as inspired as any pop music in our state before or since. The Muses brought an implicit female perspective to their off-kilter, unschooled tuneage and were whisked out of their hometown, first into Boston, then into the glaring European limelight.

Cuddly and prickly at once, they signed to London's excessively aesthetic 4AD label, a revelation in itself for a Rhode Island group. Soon, they found themselves alongside the Pixies, the Lemonheads, and Dinosaur Jr., among others, as international ambassadors of "Boston" pop music.

Over the first six years, the band released six albums, including their stunning debut, the gorgeous House Tornado, and their greatest artistic achievement, The Real Ramona. The worldwide media made much of songwriter Kristin's colorful psychology and how it related to the band's musical herky-jerk. Their willfully adventurous writing and arrangements never failed to endear them to fans and critics, while their configuration of three women and a man empowered young post-new wave girls to pick up guitars and start writing.

After a few years, Donelly announced a split with the band, choosing to exercise slightly more songwriting control with a new band, the Breeders, an offshoot of the Pixies (Kim Deal) and a Perfect Disaster (Josephine Wiggs). Following her Breeders stint, Tanya eventually tried her hand in Belly, an underrated and overlooked ethereal pop outfit that proved she was just as capable of writing gripping songs as Hersh. Hersh went on to start a family, becoming an even more admired role model in the process, and enjoyed an acclaimed, but lower-key solo career.

Yet before the split they did us proud and did themselves justice by their musical achievements. And because of that, it is with great excitement that we anticipate the band's reunion gig at Lupo's this Saturday.

If you think the whole preceding recollection is because I loved the band dearly and I'd use any excuse to write about them, yeah, you're right. Considering Throwing Muses' unparalleled legacy in the Ocean State, is there really anything wrong with that?

Doors for the Muses reunion open at 7. Clem Snide opens at 7:30.

HURRAH FOR MARAH. Steve Earle hits the Lupo's stage Sunday night with one of his favorite bands in tow, the kids from Philadelphia called Marah. Earle has been championing the band for over a year now. He signed them to his E-Squared label, and released their record, Kids from Philly, back in March. It's easy to see why Earle loves the band. They have the same kind of raw charisma he himself had back in the mid-'80s when he was cranking out anthems like "Copperhead Road" and "Guitar Town."

Since releasing the disc, Marah has been chosen as the opening act on a large portion of the upcoming Black Crowes/Jimmy Page summer tour, which kicked off June 24 in Chicago and will wind up in Texas on August 30. This kind of stage experience should serve the already swaggering rock 'n' rollers pretty well on a smaller platform. Live, they combine Earle's rootsy qualities with elements of the Replacements, even Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion.

Like Earle, singer David Bielanko, the gritty voice that's a dead ringer for Springsteen, populates his songs with down on their luck, working-class characters like waitresses, fishermen, and the homeless. He even name-checks the city's favorite son in "Christian St.": "Where'd you go, Mr. Rocky Balboa?" Philadelphia's urban decay is evoked in "It's Only Money, Tyrone," the story of a pimp who dumps one of his girls in the river. These seedy visions accompany bouncy vibes, the gurgle of a bass, textures of guitar, banjo, and lap steel. A peppery horn section recalls the classic Philly soul of Gamble & Huff. Like their disc, Marah's set is bound to be a burly, blue-collar blast.

Marah takes the stage around 8:15 before Steve Earle and the Dukes on Sunday, July 23.

WANDERING EYE. There's a big weekend ahead at Stepping Stone Ranch. The New England Reggae Festival goes down this Saturday and Sunday (7/22 and 7/23), beginning at noon and ending well into the ganja-permeated darkness. Pass the duchy, mon! $50 for a two-day ticket, $30 for a single day. Cheap for a long lazy span of feelgoodness and don't forget to try the jerk chicken. Call 331-7910 for details.

Frankly, there are few musical things finer than a sunny day full of the irie vibes of reggae, and the line-up across both days promises not to disappoint. On Saturday, beginning with the headliner, you'll get Half Pint, Everton Blender, Ritchie Spice, Alpheus, Dub Station, U.N.I. Shadowz, Holy Smoke, Ital Fire, and Static Crew. On Sunday, don't miss headliners Culture, or Mutabaruka, for that matter. There's also Moja Nya, David Kirton, Natti Lovejoys, Splash, and Black Rebels.

Congrats to Chris, Rob and Pat of Immune, who'll have a tune of theirs on MTV's The Real World on Tuesday, August 8 at 10 p.m. sharp. The track featured on the show will be "Half Made Whole." The song will appear as an instrumental version, but you'll still recognize it as the band.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.