The Curtain Society
Encyclopedia
The Curtain Society is a band which formed in Southbridge, MA in 1988, and consists of singer/guitarist Roger Lavallee
, Ron Mominee and Duncan Arsenault
. Their stylistic influences include pop
, shoegazing
, Dream pop
and alternative rock & roll.
Their first releases were a series of EPs and cassettes through Apostrophe Records, a label directed by Lavallee. In 1993 the band signed with Washington, DC based label Bedazzled Records
. Their first release with Bedazzled was the limited-edition 7" record "Chelsea", backed with "All Over You". Inertia, the band's first full-length record, appeared in 1995. The band then appeared on various compilations, including the series of art/music compilations from Boston's Castle von Buhler, before releasing their second album, Life Is Long, Still, in 1996. New songs were featured on the 4 song EP titled Volume, Tone, Tempo in 1999, which was also Bedazzled's final release before ceasing operations in 2000.
In 2005, the full length CD Every Corner of the Room was released on Orcaphat Records. The album was featured on multiple episodes of the soap opera
s One Life to Live
and Young & the Restless, on The Rachel Zoe Project
on Bravo and in the movie Still Green
.
Together with Scott Ricciuti (Huck
, Childhood
), the band has also performed as a backing band for Jim Carroll
(as "The Catholic Boys"), and for Shana Morrison
. The Curtain Society has also performed with Mark Burgess
from The Chameleons
.
Roger Lavallee
Roger Lavallee is a founding member of the Massachusetts-based indie rock band The Curtain Society and a recording engineer/record producer. He is based out of the Worcester, MA area studio, Tremolo Lounge...
, Ron Mominee and Duncan Arsenault
Duncan Arsenault
Duncan Charles Arsenault is the drummer for the American rock band The Curtain Society, Sam James, Beg, Scream & Shout!, Scott Ricciuti & Pistol Whipped, The Howl featuring Troy Gonyea from The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Booker T. Jones...
. Their stylistic influences include pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
, Dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
and alternative rock & roll.
Their first releases were a series of EPs and cassettes through Apostrophe Records, a label directed by Lavallee. In 1993 the band signed with Washington, DC based label Bedazzled Records
Bedazzled Records
Bedazzled Records was an American record label, based in Washington, D.C., which existed from 1989 to 2000. It primarily featured dream pop, goth rock and shoegaze bands...
. Their first release with Bedazzled was the limited-edition 7" record "Chelsea", backed with "All Over You". Inertia, the band's first full-length record, appeared in 1995. The band then appeared on various compilations, including the series of art/music compilations from Boston's Castle von Buhler, before releasing their second album, Life Is Long, Still, in 1996. New songs were featured on the 4 song EP titled Volume, Tone, Tempo in 1999, which was also Bedazzled's final release before ceasing operations in 2000.
In 2005, the full length CD Every Corner of the Room was released on Orcaphat Records. The album was featured on multiple episodes of the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
and Young & the Restless, on The Rachel Zoe Project
The Rachel Zoe Project
The Rachel Zoe Project is an American reality docudrama series starring celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe, and her styling assistants, Taylor Jacobson and Brad Goreski. The series premiered on September 9, 2008 on the Bravo television network...
on Bravo and in the movie Still Green
Still Green
Still Green is an American drama film starring Sarah Jones, Ryan Kelley, Douglas Spain, Noah Segan, Paul Costa, Brandon Meyer, Ashleigh Snyder, Michael Strynkowski, Nicole Komendat and Gricel Castineira. The film also features American Idol finalist Vonzell Solomon in her acting debut. The movie...
.
Together with Scott Ricciuti (Huck
Huck
Huck may refer to:*Huckleberry Finn , a character in four novels by Mark Twain*Huckleberry Hound, cartoon character created by animation studio Hanna-Barbera*Bentfield Hucks, an aviation pioneer*Huck Seed, a poker player...
, Childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
), the band has also performed as a backing band for Jim Carroll
Jim Carroll
James Dennis "Jim" Carroll was an author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which was made into the 1995 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll.-Biography:Carroll was born to a...
(as "The Catholic Boys"), and for Shana Morrison
Shana Morrison
Shana Morrison, born Shana Caledonia Morrison, on April 7, 1970, in Kingston, New York, is an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison, and his ex-wife, Janet Rigsbee Minto.-Early life:...
. The Curtain Society has also performed with Mark Burgess
Mark Burgess (musician)
Mark Burgess is an English singer, bass player and songwriter. He was the lead singer, co-founder and main force behind English post-punk band The Chameleons. He currently resides in Germany and the UK.-Biography:...
from The Chameleons
The Chameleons
The Chameleons were an English post-punk band that formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever...
.
Albums
- Where Are You?, Apostrophe Records, 1992 (cassette)
- Inertia, Bedazzled Records, 1995 (CD)
- Life is Long, Still, Bedazzled Records, 1996 (CD)
- 10th Anniversary Celebration, 1998 (4 song CD)
- Volume, Tone, Tempo, Bedazzled Records, 2000 (EP)
- Every Corner of the Room, Orcaphat Records, 2005 (CD)
Singles and compilations
- "Sleigh Ride", A Very Local Christmas 2003, Bedazzled Records, 1997
- "No Wonder", It's Your Local Music, 2002
- "Plaster", Several Bands Galore, Claire Records, 1998
- "Swing/Evanston", Splashed with Many a Speck, Dewdrops Records, 1997
- "Riverful", Losing Today Magazine, 1997
- "Mouthwithout (version 2)", Nigh, Castle von Buhler Records, 1997
- "Mouthwithout", Bedazzled Records, 1997 (7" vinyl) (backed with "Swamp Thing")
- "Ferris Wheel", Radio Hepcats Vol. 1, Antarctic Press, 1996
- "Gravity", Anon, Castle von Buhler Records, 1995
- "Cradle, Woke Up Smiling, Bedazzled Records, 1995
- "Love Ends, Soon, Castle von Buhler Records, 1994
- "Adrenaline, Kindred Spirits, Bedazzled Records, 1994
- "Chelsea", Bedazzled Records, 1993 (backed with "All Over You 7")
See also
- ShoegazingShoegazingShoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
- List of shoegazing musicians
- Dream popDream popDream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
- Alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...