The Innocence Mission
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Innocence Mission | |
|---|---|
 The Innocence Mission (from left to right)
Don Peris, Karen Peris, Mike Bitts |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Genre(s) | Alternative, Folk, Dream Pop |
| Years active | 1985 – Present |
| Label(s) | A&M Records Badman Recording Co. Umbrella Day Music |
| Website | www.theinnocencemission.com |
| Members | |
| Karen Peris Don Peris Mike Bitts |
|
| Former members | |
| Steve Brown | |
The Innocence Mission is a musical band centered on husband-and-wife songwriters Karen and Don Peris. The original group, including Mike Bitts (bass) and Steve Brown (drums), was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1980s when the members met during a Catholic school production of Godspell. Although all members of the band have contributed musically, Karen Peris is its principal writer.
Contents |
[edit] History
Their debut EP, Tending The Rose Garden, was released in 1986 on local independent record label LLIST. Limited to 5,000 copies on vinyl and cassette, the record garnered significant attention when it fell into the hands of local radio stations, with the song "Trust" becoming a hit on Christian radio, while "Can't Anybody Stay Together" made the playlists on mainstream Adult Contemporary and CHR stations. Their eponymous debut album, released in 1989 (A&M Records), was produced by Larry Klein, then-husband of Joni Mitchell, and recorded in the couple's basement recording studio. The album spent 10 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at #167 in 1990, while the album's first single, "Black Sheep Wall", peaked at #22 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album's fifth track, "Clear to You", was used on the soundtrack of the pilot episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Klein also produced their 1991 follow up, Umbrella.
Their third and final A&M album, Glow, released in 1995, was produced by Dennis Herring, who had previously produced two records for Camper Van Beethoven. This album is a departure from Klein's heavier production style. Whereas the first two releases may have brought to mind The Sundays and The Cocteau Twins with their moody keyboards, Herring's lighter touch gave more emphasis to the group's guitar work and to Karen's vocals and lyrics. 'Glow' contains songs that appear on the soundtracks of the films Empire Records and Dream for an Insomniac, as well as the television series Party of Five. The album's second track, "Bright as Yellow", peaked on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks at #33.
In 1999 the band recorded for a new label, Badman. Additionally, drummer Steve Brown left the band to pursue a career as a chef. On the subsequent album, Birds of My Neighborhood, Brown played drums and brushes on "Snow," but otherwise the group became a trio. Now bereft of drums, their sound took an even more acoustic direction. Some songs featured just Don and Karen, and a few, such as "She May Turn Around", featured only Karen's voice and instrumentation.
The 2000 release of Christ Is My Hope, featuring religious music that had inspired them over the years, was independently released on their own website. Small Planes, released in 2001, featured outtakes from Glow and Birds of My Neighborhood. Befriended was their next "proper" album, in 2003. Now the Day Is Over followed in 2004, a collection of lullabies, standards, traditional and classical songs. Except for "My Love Goes with You," all songs are cover versions, such as a stripped-down vocal and piano rendition of Henry Mancini's "Moon River". We Walked in Song was released in 2007.
A new EP, "Street Map" was released independently on December 3, 2008, through their website. The EP contains a number of tracks that will be found on their next studio LP (due Spring 2009).
Don Peris has recorded three solo albums, 'Ten Silver Slide Trombones' in 2001, 'Go When the Morning Shineth' in 2006, and an instrumental solo guitar Christmas album, 'Brighter Visions Beam Afar', in 2007.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1989: The Innocence Mission
- 1991: Umbrella
- 1995: Glow
- 1999: Birds Of My Neighborhood
- 2001: Small Planes
- 2003: Befriended
- 2007: We Walked In Song
- 2008: Street Map
[edit] Singles
- 1989 "Black Sheep Wall" (#22 on US Modern Rock Tracks chart).
- 1989 "I Remember Me"
- 1989 "Wonder of Birds"
- 1991 "And Hiding Away"
- 1991 "Sorry and Glad Together"
- 1995 "Bright as Yellow" (#33 on US Modern Rock Tracks chart).
- 1995 "Keeping Awake"
- 1995 "Everything's Different Now"
- 1999 "The Lakes of Canada"
- 2001 "Today"
- 2004 "One for Sorrow, Two for Joy"
- 2007 "Song from Holland" (available on iTunes)
[edit] External links
- Official Homepage
- The Innocence Mission Discography 4.0 -- An extensive discography, news and fan site.
- The Innocence Mission: A fansite.
- The Innocence Mission's "Courtyard" (Fansite).
- Official Homepage for Don Peris.
- Lily's On Main - Steve Brown's Restaurant in Lancaster, PA.
- The Innocence Mission at Allmusic
