The last few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for Menage fans. The group lost their CD release gig at the Orange Peel to the Smashing Pumpkins (read more here, just in case you haven’t hear enough about it yet), and has since been scrambling to find a new venue. Yesterday the group announced that they will be releasing their new album Tell Me with a big blowout on Sunday, July 1, at the Westville Pub.
The CD release will be something of a homecoming for Menage, as the group’s formation is largely due to the existence of the Pub. Founding members Mary Ellen Bush, Sarah E. McDonald and Rhett K. Thurman (who has since left the band, and now serves as vocalist to Led Zeppelin tribute act Custard Pie) were all employed at Westville, and the group began performing together during the Pub’s regular open mic night in 2002.
Tell Me is Menage’s second full-length studio recording (a follow-up to their 2004 album Miss Conduct), and their fourth official release (The Honey’s on the Porch debut demo and their 2006 EP 7 Songs. The album was produced by Bill Reynolds (formerly of The Blue Rags and DrugMoney, currently the bassist for Donna the Buffalo) at Echo Mountain Studios.
—Steve Shanafelt
