The Innocence Mission
| The Innocence Mission | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie pop, dream pop, folk rock |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Badman/L.A.M.P., A&M, Kneeling Elephant/RCA, W.A.R.? – What Are Records? |
| Website | www |
| Members | Karen Peris Don Peris Mike Bitts |
| Past members | Steve Brown |
The Innocence Mission (stylized as the innocence mission on all releases since 1995) is an American folk rock band centered on husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Karen and Don Peris. The group, including Mike Bitts (bass guitar) 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 main writer.
Before being signed to a record label, the band originally played local clubs, events and even a prom at Lancaster Catholic High School (the alma mater of the band members) under the name Masquerade. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1989 on A&M Records and was produced by Larry Klein, then-husband of Joni Mitchell. Recorded in the couple's Los Angeles recording studio, the album spent 10 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at #167 in 1990, with the album's lead single "Black Sheep Wall" peaking at #22 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Klein also produced their 1991 follow up, Umbrella.
Their third and final A&M album, Glow (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 10,000 Maniacs with their moody keyboards and layered sound, 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 at #33 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks. After the band completed the recording of a follow-up album to Glow, A&M Records was bought by Universal Music Group. The group decided to mutually part ways with the label, shortly before it was merged with other companies to form Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The album recorded during this period remains unreleased.
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