Who
is Thrush?
In 1995, Phil Solem formed the rock band Thrush with bassist John Fields and drummer Michael Bland. Phil had been touring endlessly with The Rembrandts thanks in large part to the success of I'll Be There For You. But while the theme from Friends propelled The Rembrandts album sales and airplay to levels they had never seen, the poppy and peppy nature of the song overshadowed everything else The Rembrandts had done. Combine that with the relentless touring schedule, and Phil Solem was ready for somthing else. With Thrush, Phil had the chance to rock out a bit more than he did with The Rembrandts, while still making meaningful music with friends. The rock trio included Fields, who had played with the Rembrandts on the album 'L.P.' and was a member the funky group Greazy Meal. Michael Bland had already made a name for himself drumming for Prince as a member of the NPG. In The Beginning So by 1997, Phil Solem had left The Rembrandts and was cranking out demos with Thrush. The band also played many gigs in the Minneapolis area. Later that year, the band's website was launched and it offered Phil's fans a chance to see what Thrush was all about. The track 'Mess' was made available online, in the early days of Real Audio. Phil also sent out some of the demos to hardcore fans. The initial five song sample of Thrush included tracks like Mess, Inside Out, Everyone But Yourself, and You---songs that showcased some of Phil's strongest songwriting, with a punk/alternative sound that probably suprised quite a few Rembrandts fans. Rounding out the early demo tape was the song 'On'. At one point, Phil had actually toyed with the idea of changing the bands name to On, but the moniker od 'Thrush' stuck, and that song was left off of the eventual Thrush album. More demos followed, and fans eagerly awaited a Thrush CD. Recording The Album But before a Thrush CD would see the light of day, the trio went back into the studio and re-recorded the orginal demos, as well as many new tracks. The new recordings had a more polished, alternative edge---while still capturing much of the raw, punk sound of the originals. The CD was finally released in 2000 via the band's website. The Thrush album is packed from start to finish with top notch rock songs. 'The Last Minute' is a perfect high octane opener, and Roger Manning of Jellyfish adds keyboards to the moodier 'You.' There are far too many highlights to mention, but 'Worst Best Friend' and 'Now Or Never' come to mind. Longtime pal Michael Tienken [The Rembrandts - Untitled] colaborates with Phil on a few of the songs, and even fellow Rembrandt Danny Wilde helped co-write the lyrics to 'Wait For Me' and 'Feel', which is probably the catchiest song of the bunch. Interestingly, those two tracks were originally intended for The Rembrandts L.P., but ended up not making the cut! What Are They Up To? Into the new millenium, and the members of Thrush were still working together, but other projects forced Thrush ever so slightly to the backburner. John Fields scored a huge hit as the producer for Evan & Jaron's smash 'Crazy For This Girl.' He would go on to produce for Semisonic, Honeydogs, Andrew W.K., Pink, Glen Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket and many others. Michael Bland had been a drummer in high demand before Thrush and continues to be, working with Soul Asylum, Jonny Lang, Prince, Paul Westerberg, Backstreet Boys and more. Phil Solem reunited with Danny Wilde as The Rembrandts in 2000 and released the album 'Lost Together' the following year. That album, perhaps the duo's strongest, was co-produced by John Fields and featured the drumming of Michael Bland on a few of the tracks. All three members of Thrush also played on Mandy Moore's album 'Coverage', another John Fields produced CD. Now, nearly a decade after the band's formation, Thrush still exists, with Solem, Fields, and Bland juggling dozens of other projects at the same time. The rock trio has recorded scores of tracks, so never rule out another album. They also pop up now and then for live shows, most recently in Minneapolis at The Fine Line in November of 2007. ------- Just a handfull of the Thrush tracks NOT included on the self-titled CD include: On, You're No Angel, Damned, So Blind, Falling Down, Real In My Dreams, Look Out, Sunshine, Good Night (an eerie, yet highly enjoyable punk cover of the White Album closer.) |