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The Mirror Stage
Lyrical / Indie / Visual

"Is this the man who made the world a desert?"

Saint Louis,
United States

Profile Views:  12637




Last Login:  7/6/2008
View My: Pics | Videos

   Contacting The Mirror Stage

 MySpace URL: 
  http://www.myspace.com/mirrorstage  

   The Mirror Stage: General Info
Member Since6/5/2007
Band Websiteen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_stage
Band Members{James Paul McAnally}
born of rural Mississippi, son of libraries, summer hymns, and racial tension; learned guitar right and left-handed, toy piano and hammered dulcimer; wrote a song a day one summer, memorized Derrida and Lacan, learned he could sing

{Gregg Roberson}
born of graffiti and diy indie; sent home from the UK because they thought he looked like a hooligan; played bass and keys, moved to NYC but came back to STL because he didn't feel the Brooklyn Beat

{Brea McAnally}
born of rural Missouri, daughter of opera and old soul; as a child learned to play psaltry, a kind of violin-harp; over time, it was accordion, piano, zils and xylophone. known to hit everything once to see how it might sound and hum in harmony with it

InfluencesMusicians

The National
Steve Reich
TV on the Radio
John Adams' Opera (Nixon in China)
Arcade Fire
Son Lux
Manchester Orchestra
Mew
My Bloody Valentine
Liars
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Broken Social Scene
The Cocteau Twins
Olivier Messaien
Matmos
Explosions in the Sky
Sigur Ros
Four Tet
Leonard Cohen
Bob Dylan
Bach
Medieval Chant

Writers

Gerard Manley Hopkins
Thomas Pynchon
Samuel Beckett
Ezekiel
Jacques Lacan
Alain Badiou
T.S. Eliot
Don DeLillo
Frederick Jameson
Walter Benjamin
Jorie Graham
Haruki Murakami

Sounds LikeRadiohead and the Edge Revisiting Highway 61

VIDEO OF "ELECTRICAL STORM" AND "THOU ART THAT"

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Record LabelI'll make you a tape in my basement.
Type of LabelNone








   Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Jul 11 2008 8:00P
Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, Missouri
Jul 19 2008 9:00P
Fubar Saint Louis, Missouri
Jul 24 2008 9:00P
Cicero’s: with Red Edmund *filming of "The Set" Saint Louis
Jul 25 2008 8:00P
The Pour Haus: with Brooks Ritter and Chemic Louisville, Kentucky
Jul 26 2008 10:00P
Two Stick: with Wooden Finger Oxford, Mississippi
Jul 27 2008 8:00P
Rainbow Co-op: with Wooden Finger Jackson, Mississippi
Jul 31 2008 9:00P
Flicker Theatre and Bar: with Animal Electric Athens, Georgia
Sep 28 2008 9:00P
The Annex New York, New York
Oct 3 2008 12:00P
O.N.E. Music Festival Greenwood, South Carolina
Oct 4 2008 12:00P
O.N.E. Music Festival Greenwood, South Carolina
Oct 5 2008 12:00P
O.N.E. Music Festival Greenwood, South Carolina

The Mirror Stage's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

Song Sources: Wandering through an American Wilderness  (view more)

Almost, Almost  (view more)

Breaking in to buildings with The Mirror Stage  (view more)

[View All Blog Entries]

   About The Mirror Stage
Electrical Storm


Ten Thousand Tongues EP $6.00

t- shirt thumb

White T-Shirts $10.00

Size

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The Mirror Stage crafts music that is greater than mere notes and lyrics. Its complex and intriguing songs epitomize the marriage of thought and instinct, of letting inspiration lead the way in a quest for perfection. It’s a lofty goal, certainly, yet one they’ve achieved on their debut EP Ten Thousand Tongues—five songs that are more inspired by writers such as Samuel Beckett and T.S. Eliot than musicians or songwriters.

The writing of vocalist/guitarist/wordsmith James McAnally comes from a desire to communicate those moments that usually leave us speechless. “Some people respond sitting at a piano, hearing it resonate, or in front of a symphony, picking out the parts,” he says. “I get it when writing, because I am trying to take all of these disconnected sources and weave them in to a story that attempts to make sense of a world in which the atomic bomb and Lazarus are supposed to coexist. Our best and worst as a society are both present in each of the songs.”

Yet The Mirror Stage isn’t solely lyrically focused; its thoughtfully constructed words are backed by intricate instrumentation that builds into well-composed crescendos. Each of its members is musically trained, from theory to opera to performance. James studied experimental music in college—including chant theory, which explains the chant and choral parts of Ten Thousand Tongues, as well as the unorthodox instrumentation from hammered dulcimer to unmetered percussion. Through ongoing musical study, Gregg Roberson contributes a variety of sounds to the band, including piano, guitar, bass and synth. And with her background in opera, keyboardist/vocalist Brea McAnally lends a gorgeously artistic touch. As she explains, “Opera training showed me there aren’t any limits to the sounds one can make with the human voice.”

James traces the enigmatic narratives of Ten Thousand Tonguesback to an elegy given by his Methodist-preacher father. He recalled an Irish proverb which speaks of “thin places”— spots on earth in which angels come to watch us and where we can hear them move. “The thin places are people or places,” says James, “certain songs or chord progressions, those unnamable things that change us that we’ve never known how to talk about.”

A fitting rise to the music of The Mirror Stage; you listen, you try to find the words to express your feelings but, ultimately, you just give into them. Good art doesn’t have to be explained to be appreciated. If it moves you, if it inspires you, if it challenges you, somewhere along the line you realize it has changed you ever so slightly and, whether quiet or loud, it is still humming below the surface.

Big Fat Cat PR

If you live in Chicago, check us out in the newest Underlined Magazine!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

"On Ten Thousand Tongues, The Mirror Stage create music which encompasses a wide collection of sound varying from rock, to indie, artsy, and pop. With equally diverse and not surprising musical and literary influences, ranging from The Arcade Fire and Bob Dylan, to T.S. Eliot and Haruki Murakami, the band's music cleverly walks the tight rope of substance and mainstream appeal. Whether you are in the mood for introspection or just rocking out, Ten Thousand Tongues is an incredibly strong debut CD worthy of a listen."- Suresh Mohapatra, Inside STL

"The Mirror Stage has created a very compelling album that dives into a slightly darker indie rock. 'Ten Thousand Tongues' uses some light electronic elements to enhance the sound which fits well with the unique fragmented singing style." -thealbumproject.net

"What do they sound like? If you said indie rock, you'd be right. If you said art rock, you'd be right on target. You could also throw in cerebral, literature-driven and highly visual. The Mirror Stage burst onto the scene this spring with Ten Thousand Tongues. The five songs therein are shimmering, challenging, complex, rich, deep...And yet the songs are accessible and enjoyable...dare I say unlike anything we've heard from a brand new local band?" Stl Sound


   The Mirror Stage's Friend Space (Top 12)
The Mirror Stage has 1378 friends.
 Jacques Lacan 


 J. Robert Oppenheimer 


 Samuel Beckett 


 Lady Day 


 Tower of Babel 


 T.S. Eliot 


 Jorie Graham 


 Tom Brokaw 


 Cain and Abel 


 The Dollar Bill 


 Vishnu 


 James Gleick 





The Mirror Stage's Friends Comments
Displaying 50 of 155 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Eartaster





Jul 2 2008 4:48 PM

The Mirror Stage was featured as a taste of the day at www. eartaste. com today - thanks!!!
The Highway Companion





Jul 2 2008 1:48 PM

Melissa





Jun 24 2008 2:55 PM

I love your sound! Keep up the musical inspiration!
we were wolves





Jun 21 2008 6:54 PM

awesome! sorry to hear about your guitars but it sounds like you had quite a turn out.
we were wolves





Jun 21 2008 6:49 PM

how was the cd release?
Call Me Cupcake





Jun 19 2008 7:27 PM

I truly wish I could be at the benefit show. I have to work all day and then it would be about a 3 hour drive.
Have a great time releasing your CD and performing for such a good cause!
Jamal’s Action Figure





Jun 16 2008 9:24 AM

I like the video. Very cool concept. I wish I could make it to your next show but my wife & I are on baby watch that week so we won't be going out much. I see you are going to South Carolina soon its a beautiful state I used to live in Greer wich is just outside of Greenville. Take care. & let me know when you do a video for "At The Still Point..."

THE JASON
we were wolves





Jun 15 2008 9:29 PM

<3
Jesse James Wax Museum





Jun 13 2008 12:04 PM

Hi, hi, hi.
My Other Side





Jun 12 2008 8:45 PM

My Other Side
the Virginia Co.
Tobi Kai and the Strays

friday at cicero's
The Jovian Chorus





Jun 11 2008 11:46 AM

hey, it went pretty well. we'll hook up a show sometime i'm sure. talk at ya's later,
-s
Max X





Jun 11 2008 12:33 AM

Happy to be added as a friend. Enjoy the music! - Max X Max X Blogs- feed://blog. myspace. com/blog/rss. cfm?friendID=165184859
danny





Jun 10 2008 8:59 PM

I was just about to comment to you guys that I got it handmade cd, I love the quality of it, especially the inserts for each song. Ten Thousand Tongues is such a rich song, I'm really digging the disc...

And, that's so awesome about the artist group. I was just telling my wife tonight that I wanted to start going out the luminary on wednesday nights to work--methinks this a sign that I ought.

Whensit start?
Love and a Sidearm





Jun 6 2008 9:24 AM

Please come out to our June 17th show @ Cicero's. It will be the last show you see from us for quite a while.

Love,
LaaS
IWantTØKissAndTuckHerInSayGØØdnight





Jun 5 2008 11:11 AM

Please play OHIO !!!!! Thank you : )
VERLAINE





May 30 2008 1:13 PM

absolutely, when are you gonna be here?
The Fairgrounds





May 29 2008 1:34 PM

Thanks. You guys were great, I'm surprised we had never heard you before. Maybe if Suresh can work something out with can play together again sometime.
Whats the info for your CD release show? It would be great to come see you guys again.

The Fairgrounds
The Fairgrounds





May 29 2008 10:05 AM

it was great playing with you last night. it was a lot of fun, and you guys were really good.
The Underground





May 29 2008 4:27 AM

thanks for being part of a great show last night. you guys rocked. See ya at the cd release show.
Ryan has a tree!





May 28 2008 3:21 PM

I'll be there with bells on...
Ryan has a tree!





May 28 2008 12:30 PM

Alas, not this evening, but I was thinking about poking my head in anyway...
The Fairgrounds





May 28 2008 12:08 PM

we look forward to playing with you guys as well. the blurb was at http://www. stltoday. com/blogzone/rock-candy/rock-candy/2008/05/people-noise-brings-fuzzed-out-sound-to-off-broadway-tonight/
Jamal’s Action Figure





May 28 2008 8:28 AM

Are you guys still planing on doing a video shoot?
Kelly





May 27 2008 2:03 PM

Hope you plan on attending!

STL Sound Magazine
we were wolves





May 21 2008 3:02 PM

thanks for the request. lets do some shows :)
-christian
Weeping Shade [Soon on iTunes]





May 21 2008 10:28 AM

guys thanks so much youre so sweet!!
Living wish


Is Online


May 20 2008 10:09 AM

Grateful for friendship


Image and video hosting by TinyPic
The Lives of Famous Men (PLAYING IN ALASKA)





May 18 2008 2:17 PM

Thanks so much for the add. We would love to play St. Louis with you guys sometime!

If you like our stuff we have 2 CD's available on smartpunk. com for $5 each, or you can get our stuff on iTunes. Please hit us back. We would love to hear from you.

Take care,
LOFM
Wonderfullymade a/





May 18 2008 1:39 AM

Thanks4 add (the request), preciate it.
overview.





May 17 2008 2:39 PM

hey thanks for adding us
My Other Side





May 16 2008 2:20 PM

cd show was great! good turn out fun bands regular ole pawty!
donny
IWantTØKissAndTuckHerInSayGØØdnight





May 16 2008 10:02 AM

hey thank you guys so much for the add, you guys are honestly one of my fav.
bands now, absolutely incredible stuff!
The Underground