"Originality Isn't A Four Letter Word" by John Lewis December, 1986 Pennsylvania Musician Magazine --Part 1 of 2-- It's hard to imagine a band starting out of the blocks as fast as INNOCENCE MISSION did last March, only to seemingly disappear from the central Pennsylvania music scene by the beginning of the summer: dates at METRON with Level 42 and the Sharks, a calendar that rivalled the more established acts in the area, glowing review from Ken Tucker (Music Editor of the 'Phildalphia Inquirier') as well as central Pennsylvania music editors Tony Perry, Jon Ferguson and David Hawkins. Yet as quickly as INNOCENCE MISSION appeared on the scene, it seemed to vanish. Such are the trails and tribulations of an original band trying to establish itself in a non-original music market. Largely on the strength of Karen Peris's extraordinary voice, and strong original material, INNOCENCE MISSION quickly made believers out of musicians and music critics. But the band met with resistance from many of central Pennsylvania's club-owners because of its distaste for playing covers, and quickly headed east to one of the country's strongest original music markets -- Philadelphia. The band learned very early that Philadelphians expected to see an original band, and liked what they saw and heard in INNOCENCE MISSION. The focus on Philadelphia allowed the band to concentrate on writing new songs, rearranging some of the older ones and dropping some of their weaker material. The result is a musical maturation in eight months that some bands never achieve. INNOCENCE MISSION'S more recent material compares favorably with the work of some of the most creative accessible musical artists - artists such as Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. INNOCENCE MISSION has chosen its direction for purely musical reasons. Using exotic sound textures and ethnic drum rhythms along with the more familiar ringing of electric and acoustic guitars, underlined with an ever present articulated jazz/funk bass line, INNOCENCE MISSION has created a sound which is fresh in musical ideas, yet extremely accessible to the album-oriented-rock club goer. Technology plays a major role in the band's musical presentation. In recent months, the band has incorporated drum machines into the show, a step that has created a poly-rhythmic tapestry-sampled and live drum sounds weaved together in a multi-dimensional presentation. Although the use of drum machines can conjure up a negative connotation in some minds, the effect is the truly real sound of a live drummer, an effect that complements the percussive efforts of Steve Brown, INNOCENCE MISSION'S drummer. Digital sampling is very important in the overall makeup of the band's sound. Digital sampling, simply is a process by which an event (an acoustic sound or other sound source) is recorded or digitized on a computer chip and stored in digital memory. The event stored is then capable of being played back through the sampler's keyboard at any pitch. Karen spends many hours each week sampling everything from pots and pans in the kitchen, to camera shutters clicking, to various ethnic instruments such as tabla drums and sitars, all of which appear in various forms within INNOCENCE MISSION'S music. "I'm trying to stay away from ordinary synth sounds and concentrate more on acoustic and organic sounds," notes Karen. The effect sampling creates helps underline and further convey the message or mood of their songs. Unlike many young bands, the INNOCENCE MISSION is as tight a performing unit as more established acts. The very significant reason for this is the relationship that keyboardist/vocalist Karen Peris and guitarist Don Peris enjoy. The partnership between the two does not end when the band loads out at the end of the night, for Don and Karen Peris were married last may. "It has truly strengthened the working relationship between us," according to Don. "the two of us rehearse together everyday and we work on new material together as well. When you live together, you always have someone there to bounce a creative idea off of. You don't have to wait until the next band rehearsal. It's all spontaneous." --Part 2 of 2-- The Peris's drummer, Steve Brown and bassist, Mike Bitts have been performing together since the four were students at Lancaster Catholic High School in the early 1980's. Last March, before they ever performed their first live show as the INNOCENCE MISSION, the band recorded and released a five song Ep on Llist Records, the Sharks' spawning ground. It was in fact, Sharks' drummer and music business entrepreneur, Doug Phillips, who initially recognized the immense talent in the band. "Doug was the first person in the music business that told us we were good. It really helped us develop some confidence," notes Karen. Phillips co-produced and engineered the bands' Ep, as well as the three demo tracks recorded last summer that the band is using to shop a record deal. Interestingly, Phillips and Shark bassist, Shea Quinn, stopped in to the CHAMELEON to see INNOCENCE MISSION recently while the Sharks were between sets at the neighboring VILLAGE NIGHT CLUB. An excited Phillips beamed, "This is one of the few bands that I think stands up to repeated listenings. I could listen to this band a hundred times and not get tired of them. I'd say that even if I didn't know them or had no part in their music. They're very musical, very original and Karen Peris' voice is one of the best in the business." It is interesting to note that Phillips' comments were made months before the band's potential began to manifest itself. While the Ep exhibits a strong musical orientation with good pop sense, it is the material that the band has written since the Ep was released that makes this band something special. The band's manager, Tim Motzer, of Artistic Integrity Management, is excited about his client's progress: "When the band whent into the studio a year ago, it was apparent they had three major strengths; they had an incredible lead vocalist in Karen Peris, the band was very young (the band members range in age from 21-23), and the songs they were writing showed a lot of creative talent. Now, in just ten months, that creativity is manifesting itself in a very exciting way; this is truly a maturing band defining it's musical direction and pursuing it." The results of the band's maturation is evident in the demos the band recorded since the release of the Ep. In August, the band recorded three songs at Phillips' Dan Studios - "Black Sheep Wall", "Ragdolls In Reverie", "Winning (Isn't What It Is)". "Winning" recalls the tragic injury that college track star Kathy Ormsby suffered in the NCAA National Track Championships last May. Driven by an apparent fear of of failure and an obsession with "being first", Kathy Ormsby left the track in the middle of a race, ran down a road and jumped off a bridge, suffering full body paralysis that will likely last for life. "Winning" recalls the incident and the lesson: And we lose our heads To be the very best... What of the value of human life Hey, Watch out for the bridge Winning isn't what it is (Copyright 1986 Briar Rose Music) The entire INNOCENCE MISSION repertoire carries with it an overriding theme: one of hope and positiveness. "Black Sheep Wall" tells a story that was written by Karen about her younger brother, and the presures, trials and tribulations of growing up. "Giants and Windmills" reminds us that each of us can learn from those around us. Karen and Don who collectively write all of the band's material, follow the philosophy of producer Rupert Hine, who has produced suck artists as The Fixx and Howard Jones: "Everytime you open your mouth in public, you should have something to say, something with purpose, some relevance, some meaning." INNOCENCE MISSION is a truly original and creative act, always trying new possibilities in music and never content to fit the mold like so many other acts. There is a very real and definied risk in holding fast to an original musical philisophy. It is a risk that looms larger when you consider that INNOCENCE MISSION is basically trying to break into an essentially cover music market. However, by taking this risk, the band is able to push their creative limits and pursue their own place within the music scene. No doubt, as their cult following demonstrates, they are grabbing the ears of listeners looking for something new and exciting musically and not just a rehash of old ideas. The future of INNOCENCE MISSION looks very bright. With continued hard work and perseverance, the potential of INNOCENCE MISSION is limitless.