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MP3 the Mudhens - Vinyl
6 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, POP: Power Pop
Details:
The Mudhens are a five piece Boston band whose sound has been described as a cross between rock, pop, jazz. The band has played continuously throughout the northeast and has amassed an ever growing following. In 1997 the Mudhens played several dates upon the HORDE tour, sharing the stage with the likes of Neil Young, Ben Folds Five, Toad the Wet Sprocket and others. Fronted by the sultry vocals of Emily Fontano, the groups CDs continue to chart the evolution of the band while challenging and engaging the listener. Billboard Magazine called the band ''one of the most adventurous bands'', take a listen and find out why. The group''s new EP "Vinyl" was produced by Anthony J. Resta (Collective Soul, Shawn Mullins, Duran Duran) and was released in November....check it out if you get a chance.
https://www.tradebit.com February 2001
Artist: The Mudhens CD: Vinyl
-Erik Deckers
Intro/general thoughts: It''s always exciting to receive a repeat CD from a favorite artist, so I was extremely enthused when The Mudhens latest CD, "Vinyl," showed up in my mailbox. But it wasn''t the same Mudhens! They had a new singer, Emily Fontano, formerly of Soupbaby, who replaced previous lead singer, Carla Ryder. I was shocked! I was surprised! The Mudhens without Carla Ryder? I wasn''t so sure I would like these new Mudhens. Would they even sound as good? Happily yes. The Mudhens sound just as good with Fontano as they did with Ryder. Where Ryder''s voice was high and clear, Fontano''s is deeper, but just as clear, powerful, and soulful. And when you hear her, you''d swear she was born to be singing this music. Trust me, Mudhens fans will not be disappointed with Emily Fontano...
Highs: It''s hard to pick a best track on the whole album, even if it only has six tracks on it (see "Lows" below). However, my two favorites are "Must Be America" and "Four-Leaf Clover." The first one rocks, and the second one is sad, but sweet. And both immediately went onto a mix tape for the car.
Outstanding Performance: Without a doubt, Emily Fontano. And not just on one track. She''s hot on all of them. Fontano sounds like she could excel whether she''s singing rock, folk, opera, or Gilbert & Sullivan musicals. She''s a natural talent, and one I think we''ll be hearing from a lot in the future.
Lows: Only six tracks?! This music rocks! I want WAY more than six tracks. Sure it''s five tracks, plus a secret bonus track, but it''s just not fair. Their next CD better have at least 17 tracks...
Fans: If you like Crash Test Dummies, Yvonne Doll & The Locals, or Dave Matthews Band, you''ll love the Mudhens...
The Worcester Phoenix - February 1- 8, 2001
Name a few Massachusetts cities that have spawned more than their share of good bands: Boston, Worcester, Northampton, and . . . Framingham? Not likely on that last score.
...The Mudhens shared a stage on the 1997 H.O.R.D.E. tour with the now-disbanded Ben Folds Five, another unlikely group to see at such a major groove-rock gathering. "That was a really eclectic H.O.R.D.E. bill," says Mudhens bassist Pete Chandler, who adds that, like Ben Folds, the Mud Hens shy away from extended improvisation. "We''ve always felt that everyone in the band can play, but it should serve the song rather than show that good players we are."
Hanging with jam bands was working out, though, for the Mudhens. So when their good friends in Apartment 3 approached them to play in Framingham, they readily agreed. "One of the things with jam bands is that the audiences tend to be receptive to various styles of music. It''s not our main thing, but we''ve always been able to play to that crowd," Chandler says. What is their main thing? Strong melodies and catchy choruses, and the players'' common love for the Beatles and Aimee Mann.
Named after the Toledo, Ohio, minor-league baseball team, the Mudhens recently recorded an EP titled Vinyl with two new members, keyboard player Steve Trenouth and lead vocalist Emily Fontano (formerly of Soup Baby), who grew up in Framingham. While this edition of the Mudhens might have been new at the time of the recording, you''d never know it by listening to Vinyl, thanks in part to producer Anthony Resta, whose credits include CDs for bands like Collective Soul and Duran Duran. The group recently hired a new manager and a radio promotion staff in hopes of landing a new label contract. "We''ve been approached in the last two months by three different entertainment attorneys," Chandler says. "We''re talking to them, trying to decide what would be the best direction to go in. . . . We went around that block once before [under previous management], and one thing we learned was not to make any rash decisions. We still have a lot of work." ...
- Don Fluckinger
Jam Music Magazine - January 2001
It''s never an easy task to take a good thing and make it even better. With their new release, "Vinyl," the Mudhens have done just that.
On their first CD following the departure of vocalist Carla Ryder, the Mudhens have rebounded with a rich, new, more powerful sound on this five-song (really six, but there are two versions of one song). The old Mudhens, especially on their last release "Crickets," had a mellower, 10,000 Maniacs kind of sound. New vocalist Emily Fontano emerges from Ryder''s shadow to make the ‘hens her own.
Fontano, a bouncing dynamo on stage, transfers that big ball of caffeinated energy to the studio on "Vinyl." She rips through "Must Be America," and then rips your heart on "Four-Leaf Clover."
Musically, the tune "A Whole Lot Better" sounds like a love song, but lyrically it''s really sort of an anti-love song with lyrics like "He said the only thing I hate is the time that I lost, from between the time we met and when I left." Ouch.
Recorded at Bopnique Musique Studio in Chelmsford, MA., "Vinyl" is chock-full of musical and studio magic. Guitarist Michael Gauvin Smith spices the album with subtle flashes, careful not to overplay and overshadow the songs, which are brilliantly crafted little pop gems.
Keyboardist Steve Trenouth and the rhythm section of bassist Pete Chandler and drummer Tom Groleau are rock solid and, like Smith support the songs instead of squash them with overplaying. Trenouth''s playing on "Real" add a nifty 80''s pop feel, especially on the intro and breaks between lyrics. Chandler''s upright bass work particularly drives the bopping "Better."
Producer Anthony J. Resta, who has worked with Elton John, Duran Duran and Collective Soul, utilizes the studio as another instrument, adding lush textures to the Mudhens'' well-crafted pop songs. Some of the niftier touches include adding scratches and pops from a real vinyl record behind the music in the first version of "A Whole Lot Better," and a guitar solo played through an old Moog synthesizer which ends up sounding almost underwater on the same song, which is repeated on the last track as a more understated, acoustic version.
If there''s a major beef with "Vinyl," it''s that it''s just too damned short. At five songs (again, six, if you count the two versions of "A Whole Lot Better") the disc runs just shy of 25 minutes. It leaves you wanting more and looking forward to a full-length effort soon. With playing like this though, the next disc might just be on a major label.
- Dan Moran
https://www.tradebit.com
The Mudhens Rootsy pop rock. Hearing the warm, melodic, folk-inflected pop of The Mudhens, one wonders why they aren''t all over nationwide AAA radio. Often compared to 10,000 Maniacs, The Mudhens feature the vocals of Emily Fontano over the adept musicianship of guitarist Mike Smith, drummer Tom Groleau and upright bassist Pete Chandler. Their clever, effervescent, roots-rocking pop has gotten them on bills with the likes of Guster and Rustic Overtones, as well as a few dates on the 1997 H.O.R.D.E. tour. It''s also earned them a vast and devoted New England following; yet, mysteriously, a dearth of airplay. Any fan of late-era R.E.M. or Barenaked Ladies would do well to seek this band out while we wait for the radio programmers to see what they''re missing.
- Jonathan Ruhe
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