TANYA DONELLY

*THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN TWO PARTS, BUT IS COMPILED HERE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE*

IN THE FIRST OF A REMARKABLY OPEN TWO-PART EDITION OF THE MOUTHCAST, TANYA DONELLY REVEALS THAT HER NEW SERIES OF EPs – HER FIRST RELEASES FOR ALMOST A DECADE – ARE, IN FACT, “A LITTLE RETIREMENT PARTY”.

A founding member of the hugely influential Throwing Muses (with step-sister Kristin Hersh) and The Breeders (with Kim Deal of The Pixies), Tanya looks back at her time fronting ‘alternative college radio’ favourites Belly through the first half of the 1990s and no nonsense hit single FEED THE TREE. She discusses the end of that band and the subsequent release of her first solo album, LOVESONGS FOR UNDERDOGS.
She also reflects on the concept of memory – something intrinsic to two of the key moments on VOL.1 of THE SWAN SONG SERIES: the stirring glow of CHRISTOPHER STREET, a bitter-sweet love-letter to chances not taken, and the quirkily euphoric lead track MASS AVE, about recognising those chances when they come… 

IN THE FIRST PART OF A DOUBLE EDITION OF THE MOUTHCAST, TANYA DONELLY REVEALED HER INTENTION TO RETIRE FROM MUSIC FOLLOWING THE SWAN SONG SERIES, A RUN OF COLLABORATIVE EPs.

In this second part she describes working with Rick Moody (author of GARDEN STATE and THE ICE STORM) on the VOL.1 track METEOR SHOWER, explaining the inspiration behind lyrics concerning the spiritually recalibrating act of looking up; whether to witness “sky events” or, in an age of electronic devices, “into each other’s faces”.
Tanya also offers an amusing insight into family life, plus candid reflections on her early experiences of motherhood – and how they led directly to her beginning a fulfilling career away from music by becoming a doula.