New Throwing Muses Song "Bluff/Blurry" Posted Online

Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses have been recording new tracks lately that you can stream and download. Photo:  Seattlequest.

Throwing Muses founder Kristin Hersh announced today through her Twitter account that a new song by the band has been posted online. You can stream the new Throwing Muses song "Bluff/Blurry" here, and also at the Throwing Muses website, where you can download the song and make a contribution to pay for the download. You can also stream and download other recent Throwing Muses songs.

Hersh has been recording new material with the band over the last couple of months, at least. This is good news for fans of the influential band, which had broken up a number of years ago because of a lack of funds to keep going as a band. (Speaking of which, Kristin Hersh gives an interesting interview here in which she talks about record labels, getting funding from fans, and related issues.)

It's kind of amazing that Kristin Hersh has found time to record with the Muses, considering all the other irons she has in the fire: she recently came out with a memoir, "Rat Girl," and has been making appearances to promote it, in addition to her solo recordings and performances. She also came out with a recent album, "Crooked," which was released as a book.

Kristin Hersh Holds Online Chat About her Memoir "Rat Girl" Tonight

Kristin Hersh, co-founder of the highly influential band Throwing Muses, has never been one to take the conventional path in her musical career. She came out with a memoir a few weeks ago and, not surprisingly, it's not your conventional rock-and-roll autobiography.

In fact, "Rat Girl"looks at just one year in Hersh's life, but it was a critical one: she was 18 years and and Throwing Muses was starting to get noticed, but Hersh was suffering with systems of bipolar disorder -- and had gotten pregnant. Her psychological condition led her to create lots of amazing, creative music, but also took a huge toll on her day-to-day life.

I've been a big fan of Hersh ever since I first heard of Throwing Muses in the mid-1980s, and have always enjoyed the twists many her music has taken over the years, whether with the Muses, her solo albums, or her most recent band, 50 Foot Wave.

I haven't read "Rat Girl"yet, but hope to soon. In the meantime, I hope to check out an online chat she's doing today at the website of Penguin, her publisher. The Kristin Hersh online chat will be at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Hersh continues to put out music in various forms. She still records songs with 50 Foot Wave, regularly releases new songs and demos on her website, and last week said on her Twitter feed that she had been recording new Throwing Muses material.

If you're not familiar with Kristin Hersh or Throwing Muses, I'd definitely recommend checking out their music.

I was out of town when Hersh did a reading and appearance for "Rat Girl"at Barnes & Noble in New York the day the book was released (Aug. 31st), but hope to catch her when she returns to New York for a book tour event on Oct. 28th. (See Kristen Hersh "Rat Girl" tour dates at the Penguin website.)

Read the Introduction and first three chapters of "Rat Girl"
Listen to a Kristen Hersh interview about "Rat Girl" on NPR (also includes an excerpt from the book).