{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
Influences
Musicians
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
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!
"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
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!
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..."
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.
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.
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.
