Throwing Muses, hands down the greatest band ever to come from Newport, RI, will join the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 29th, with a performance at The Met in Providence.
On the strength of two well-received indie releases – an EP and a cassette which spun off a major college radio hit – Newport’s Throwing Muses were signed to the prestigious UK label 4AD in 1986. Stepsisters Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, both guitarists and songwriters, formed the group while at Rogers High School with bassist Leslie Langston and drummer David Narcizo, Hersh emerging as the band’s principal composer. Their post-punk sound and songs were hailed as highly original and the album was a critical success. The next three records, “House Tornado,” “Hunkpapa,” and “The Real Ramona” (with Fred Abong) continued the streak, then in 1992, Kristin, Leslie and David released “Red Heaven” as a trio. Bernard Georges joined as bassist for the Muses’ most successful albums, “University” and “Limbo,” and this lineup remains to this day. The Muses’ most recent release at the time of their induction was 2013’s groundbreaking book/CD, “Purgatory/Paradise.” Throwing Muses are considered pioneers – and their recordings considered milestones – in the development of the genre which became known as Alternative Rock.
