Lovina Falls celebrates music and movement with debut live performance
‘An Evening With Lovina Falls’ delivers Valerie Forgione’s art-pop project to the stage December 2 at The Rockwell Theatre in Somerville
Debut album ‘Calculating the Angle of Our Descent’ is available now
LISTEN: Lovina Falls on Spotify x WATCH: Lovina Falls on YouTube
Two new Lovina Falls visualizers to arrive in November (11.22 + 11.29)
For Review Consideration: ‘Calculating the Angle of Our Descent’ private listen
Photo Credit: Joan Hathaway
HOMEPAGE . SPOTIFY . BANDCAMP . INSTAGRAM . FACEBOOK . YOUTUBE . LINKTREE
BOSTON, Mass. [December 2, 2023] -- Lovina Falls’ debut album, the enchanting Calculating the Angle of Our Descent, is a record about experiences – both ones we’ve endured and how we prepare for what’s ahead – set against an acute awareness of time. So it’s only fitting that the release party, set for Saturday, December 2 at The Rockwell Theatre in Somerville’s Davis Square, serves as not only a proper celebration of the album, but also the first-ever live performance for Valerie Forgione’s blossoming art-pop project.
Billed as an event to celebrate music and movement, “An Evening with Lovina Falls” marks Forgione’s first appearance on stage with a live band since her former project, ‘90s-era alt-rock luminaries Mistle Thrush, last reunited nearly a decade ago, back in 2014.
The show caps off an exciting inaugural year for Lovina Falls, which after releasing Calculating the Angle of Our Descent in the spring, both digitally and on limited-edition vinyl, has released a pair of Joan Hathaway music videos (for July’s “On Your Side” and September’s “Vaulted”). They are followed by a pair of Forgione-created visualizers in November – first for the swirling, piano-led escapade “Today” on November 22, which echoes the slinky song’s exploration of the human psyche; and a vibrant Peter Max-inspired visual for the electronica-driven “Too Bright To Burn,” featuring more than 1,000 hand-drawn illustrated frames set to music, on November 29 – to further highlight deeper cuts on the 10-track record.
Those four songs, as well as the six others on the album, help craft Lovina Falls’ cinematic world, which assembles moods and emotions that are further defined by the listeners’ own interpretations. It’s how the conflict between self-preservation and letting go can vary from person to person, how knowledge and the unknown can shape ideology, and elements like madness and deception can influence recollection and foresight.
Lovina Falls has so far presented these works in recorded versions, but is now excited to allow them to breathe and evolve in a live setting, where her panoramic origins of the songs give way to the feelings of those hearing them. It’s fitting Forgione has chosen an intimate theater setting for this debut show, which draws on various layers of artistic performance and fosters community between performer and attendees. But with that comes a bit of risk, especially for a project conceived as a solo endeavor.
“I am very excited… and I suppose a little nervous, too,” Forgione says of The Rockwell show. “Writing and recording the album was a kind of solitary experience; I’m really looking forward to sharing the music with both the folks on stage and those in the audience.”
Throughout Calculating the Angle of Our Descent – it’s title suggesting a notion of how both jumping and falling can elicit a similar sensation – Forgione provides a creative core and overarching singular musical vision, one that dances freely across avenues of dream-pop, synth, indie, dark cabaret, baroque-pop, nu-goth, and indie-pop, all tied together by her mystical melodicism, introspective lyrics, and unmistakable alto singing voice.
The record was co-produced by Forgione with David Minehan and recorded at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, Forgione performed all of the album’s instrumentation, with some assistance from those in her creative orbit.
“I love writing, recording, and performing music, and have spent most of my life doing so,” Forgione admits. “Since Mistle Thrush, I've been scoring for theater, independent film, and podcasts, and while it can be rewarding to work with the directors and actors to set the tone or mood for a scene, so much of it is done in isolation. I miss being able to connect with people directly. And I really miss singing with a group of like-minded people. The experience is unmatchable.”
For the Rockwell Theatre show, Forgione has pulled in the creative forces around her, assembling an eight-piece performing ensemble via a mix of longtime collaborators and trusted friends. Lovina Falls will be the only band performing live that night, headlining an art-and performance-based lineup that features two notable circus artists: Chels Errante, who works with the lollipop lyra and aerial hoop; and contortionist Judith as Twisted Elegance. It all helps shape a certain type of mood that is reflected within the music of Lovina Falls.
“The audience will experience the album reinterpreted by an eight-person band, with (hopefully!) some big dynamics,” Forgione promises. “Ensuring the mood matches the intended emotion is crucial, and with so many creative sound-manipulators in the group, we’ve been working hard to establish a distinct variation from song to song. We will also be performing some yet to be released material and perhaps even a song or two that may be familiar to some…”
Joining Lovina Falls to bring the recorded album to performative life are Forgione’s Mistle Thrush bandmates Scott Patalano on guitar and Matt Klain on bass, as well as Chuck Ferreira on drums (Eddie Japan, The Shang Hi-Los), Laura Klain on backing vocals (The Daylilies), Marnie Hall on violin (Boston Music Award nominee), and Boston music veterans Brenden Cobb on guitar and Carrie Ingber on keys.
“It’s kind of like taking a book and rewriting it with a group of incredibly talented wordsmiths,” Forgione says. “From the first rehearsal, it’s been incredible to hear the songs take new shape while still retaining the core. While we were mixing it, I was sure performing the album live would not be doable. But thankfully, in working the live show with such gifted musicians, I think we may be able to pull it off.”
It’s an important moment, both celebrating the album and welcoming Lovina Falls to the live stage. But in the end, it’s really just another experience.
Media Contact: Please direct press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@knyvet.com,
and reach Lovina Falls directly at lovinasounds@gmail.com.
***
‘Calculating the Angle of Our Descent’ production credits:
Written and performed by Valerie Forgione as Lovina Falls
Recorded at Woolly Mammoth
Produced by Lovina Falls and David Minehan
DO WE NEED MORE ALBUM CREDITS HERE?!?!?!?!
***
Show poster for The Rockwell, 12.02.23:
Photo by Joan Hathaway; poster by Valerie Forgione
***
Lovina Falls artist bio:
Welcome to Lovina Falls, the latest musical project from veteran indie singer/songwriter Valerie Forgione. Valerie first made her name as the lead singer of Mistle Thrush, a band whose combination of indie rock drive, dreamy textures, and sparkling pop song craft made them a beloved fixture in their native Boston and beyond throughout the late 1990s and into the 2000s. Through their existence, Mistle Thrush shared stages with such luminaries as The Strokes, Spiritualized, Sonic Youth, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lush, and Slowdive; won numerous Boston-area music accolades; were featured in Billboard Magazine, charted on the CMJ charts; and saw their music on TV show soundtracks. Steve Morse of The Boston Globe wrote that Valerie has “some of the most versatile pipes since the dream-pop heyday of Kate Bush.”
In the present day, Valerie has released her first solo album, Calculating the Angle of Our Descent. All songs are written, arranged, and produced by Valerie, as she accompanies her distinctive voice with piano, analog synths, guitar, bass, organ, and drums. From the harpsichord-driven “On Your Side” to the harmony-laden baroque-pop of “Back of My Heart” to the percolating synths and ‘90s-style alt rock of “Vaulted”, Lovina Falls is truly the work of a singular musical vision. Valerie’s intimate and instantly familiar alto will make Lovina Falls welcome to fans of her previous work, while her new sonic and songwriting explorations will endear her to fans of such contemporary indie voices as Fiona Apple, Bat for Lashes, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen.
Welcome to Lovina Falls.
***
Recent media praise for Lovina Falls:
“Some sleek modern production values serve to reassure us that we are not, in fact, forgetting ourselves, and that ‘Vaulted’ is truly brand new: a delightful amalgamation of old-school songcraft served up with a modern character.” _Rumor Control
“Captivating and colorful like the song itself, the visual [for] ‘Vaulted’ sports a series of scenes in settings ranging from a magic show, a carnival, and an abandoned playground which, under the watchful eye of Hathaway, adds greatly to the Lovina Falls mystique.” _Rock & Roll Fables
“From the haunting sound of the harpsichord on ‘On Your Side,’ to the exquisite fusion of baroque pop harmonies on ‘Back of My Heart,’ Lovina Falls is truly the reflection of a unique musical vision.” _Oleada Indie
“The breathtaking video was directed and produced by Joan Hathaway, and is the perfect visual companion for Valerie Forgione and her new musical vision.” _The Whole Kameese
“‘Too Bright To Burn’ is a trippy, instantly sticky and bass-driven vibe with Forgione’s crystalline voice flowing all over it. It’s part of her notable debut longplayer Calculating The Angle Of Our Descent.” _Turn Up The Volume
“Mistle Thrush are one of those bands I keep forgetting about, and then rediscover every few years. If you’ve wondered what members have been up to lately, we now know that singer Valerie Forgione has a new musical project. Lovina Falls sees Forgione going in a new sonic direction. The latest single from her new album, ‘On Your Side,’ is more baroque pop than alt-rock. There are still the basic elements of 90's indie rock sprinkled throughout “On Your Side,” and even some of the more pop focused side of trip hop. It’s an interesting new direction for one of our favorite Boston 90's artists, and we’re looking forward to seeing what other directions Lovina Falls goes in.” _If It’s Too Loud
“The track itself, appearing on Calculating the Angle of Our Descent, which dropped in May, has so many elements within that will easily appeal to fans of Forgione’s former band but also bears a plethora of new aural layers that reveal themselves upon each fresh listen. And when you think you have a handle on what’s to come, one of Boston’s original Goth Goddesses/Witchy Women swerves some more to take you on a sort of Baroque Goth meets Electronica journey replete with ethereal vocals to make sure the track never dwells in any one genre for too long. Through Joan Hathaway’s lenses, fans also get a fitting video accompaniment that’s part performance, part visual voyage, and constantly captivating.” _Rock & Roll Fables
***
The music of Lovina Falls can be heard on:
The music of Lovina Falls can be heard on Banks Radio Australia, Bay State Rock, Belter Radio UK, Boston Emissions, BumbleBee Radio, CHMR, Christian’s Cosmic Corner on Mark Skin Radio, CJUM, CJSF, Click Roll Boom, CMFU, Everything You Know Is Wrong on Salem State WMWM, FEMMUSIC, Freim TV, If It’s Too Loud, ingrown Radio, KECG, KFFP, KGLT, KLMU, KMSC, KRCB, KRKQ, KUPR, KWVA, KXLU, KXCI, Marc’s Alt Rock Playground on Mark Skin Radio, Moosic Entertainment, Oleada Indie, On The Town with Mikey Dee on WMFO, Original Music Showcase on Mark Skin Radio, PipiloPop, Pod Duck, Re:Gen Magazine, Revival Synth, Rock & Roll Fables, Rumor Control, Sweet Sunday Sounds on Valley FM, Teco Apple, The Retweeter on Zeno.FM, The Sound Lab UK, Turn Up The Volume, UncertainFM, WAHS, WDWN, WGDR, WGSU, White Lion Radio, WHFR, WIIT, WPCD, WRIR, WSPN, WWPV, WXVU, WZBC, Your First Listen on KNNZ and Eardrum Buzz, and other fine stations, shows, and platforms…
***
Press Contact: michael@knyvet.com
Artist Contact: lovinasounds@gmail.com
HOMEPAGE . SPOTIFY . BANDCAMP . INSTAGRAM . FACEBOOK . YOUTUBE . LINKTREE
