Miracle Legion parted ways in 1996 following the soft release of their final studio album, Portrait of a Damaged Family, seemingly never to return again. Now, two decades later, Mark Mulcahy’s legendary Connecticut outfit has reunited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that record and his own Mezzotint label.
The celebrated singer-songwriter is back alongside lead guitarist Mr. Ray Neal, bassist Dave McCaffrey, and drummer Scott Boutier for a series of dates across North America and the UK this July. The tour will support the reissue of Portrait of a Damaged Family, which came out April 16th for Record Store Day.
“Getting back with Miracle Legion was something I never thought about,” Mulcahy explains. “We always lived by ‘never say never,’ and so this is some perversion of that shitty motto. Even when we were together, there were many, many times I hated it so much I couldn’t think it would last another day.” “I’ve always had a feeling of unfinished business,” Neal admits. “The wrong business won the first time around. There is still more to do.”
One of the original “college rock” bands, Miracle Legion formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut, rising to critical acclaim from rave reviews surrounding both 1984’s The Backyard EP and their 1987 full-length debut, Surprise Surprise Surprise, both on Rough Trade Records. Following the release of 1989’s Me and Mr. Ray, Mulcahy and Neal found a new rhythm section in McCaffrey and Boutier and signed with Morgan Creek Records, who would issue their third studio album, 1992’s Drenched, in addition to two promotional EPs.
By 1996, Miracle Legion was both without a label and distraught from years of legal cat-and-mouse with Morgan Creek. But they had recorded an album: Portrait of a Damaged Family. And so Mulcahy created his own imprint, Mezzotint, and released the album out of his basement. It was a swan song before the swan dive. The band was done. Mulcahy started Polaris, Boutier & McCaffrey joined up with Frank Black and Neal disappeared to the wilderness of suburbia.
“I’m excited for Portrait to have a proper release,” Neal states. “I don’t think many people knew it came out the first time. I’m not sure I did! Unfortunately we never toured or did anything with it. We were all lost.” The forthcoming reissue of Portrait of a Damaged Family will include the album’s original 11 tracks and one previously unheard song, “The Depot”. Engineer Ian Kennedy (Lemonheads, Letters to Cleo) remastered every recording from the original recording sessions.
“We finally drove ourselves off a cliff, and I thought that was it.” Mulcahy contends. “However, you didn’t see us die, and now we have crawled back up the mountain towards insanity once again. Damaged but operating. I give us a 50/50 chance. Thank you all for watching.”
Consult the full tracklist below and stream an exclusive, never-before-seen performance of “Homer” .
[youtube id=”j67MWVnTCqE” width=”630″ height=”350″]
Side A:
You’re My Blessing
Screamin’
Homer
Say I Had a Lovely Time
I Wish I Was Danny Kaye
The Depot
Side B:
Madison Park
Accidentally on Purpose
KKM
Good for Her
.30-06
Gone to Bed at 21
Tour Dates
July 12 – College Street Music Hall, New Haven CT w/ Guided By Voices
July 13 – Columbus Theatre, Providence RI
July 14 – The Linda, Albany NY
July 15 – Bell House, Brooklyn NY
July 16 – The Ballroom at The Outer Space, Hamden CT
July 17 – The Sinclair, Boston,MA
July 21 – Iron Horse, Northampton MA
July 22 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago IL
July 23 – Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa, IA
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Aug.16 – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton (UK)
Aug.17 – Òran Mór, Glasgow (UK)
Aug.18 – The Deaf Institute, Manchester (UK)
Aug.19 – Green Man Festival, Brecon Beacons, Wales (UK)
Aug.20 – Oslo, London (UK)
Photo: Kenneth Bachor
