Mudhens finally find a good fit in Emily Fontano

The Mudhens are still rocking, and yes, there is life after Carla Ryder. Local rock fans can catch the new Mudhens lineup on Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving, at the House of Blues in Harvard Square, or on Nov. 24, the night after Turkey Day, at The Beachcomber in Quincy.

The Mudhens, named after the fabled Toledo Mud Hens of minor league baseball (Klinger's favorite team, if you're an old M*A*S*H fan) had established themselves as one of Beantown's best rock bands since their mid-90's inception, even scoring a national Kahlua commercial soundtrack. The sextet had opened for such notables as Morphine, 10,000 Maniacs, Beck, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Neil Young and Bob Dylan on the 1997 HORDE tour.

But when lead singer/lyricist Carla Ryder of Braintree decided to strike out on her own solo career last year, loyal fans could be forgiven for wondering what would happen to the band. Ryder's cinematic imagery and uniquely affecting vocals were such an identifiable part of the Mudhens that it was clear she'd be very difficult to replace.

It did take the band a couple of false starts to find the right vocalist, and along the way they also bid farewell to euphonium player Dave Ford. The tubalike euphonium had given the original Mudhens a delightfully quirky sound, but Ford had moved more than two hours away from Boston, and commuting to gigs became impossible. Steve Trenouth, a Millis native, has joined the Mudhens on keyboards after stints in several bands ranging from Broadway to the blues. But the bigger news is vocalist Emily Fontano, formerly lead singer with the Boston rock band Soupbaby, who has come aboard as vocalist.

"Soupbaby had actually opened a bunch of shows for the Mudhens", explained guitarist Michael Gauvin Smith, "and we had thought she was a great singer in that band. We intentionally tried to take a step forward, with both these additions, and hopefully we've achieved a more progresive sound."

"I think we had exhausted a lot of avenues with the euphonium, for instance, and to continue doing that stuff we would run the risk of becoming just a Mudhens cover band. Steve on keyboards, joining us at the same time as Emily, really allowed us to move in a new direction. He's an amazing musician, who can also sing, so that now we have four potential vocalists. Steve is able to use rhythm loops and some other more progressive effects that have helped us move forward."

"Carla definitely had her own style", Smith added, "and we're still doing a bunch of the old material, and most of it works well with the new band." Smith also noted that all the band members have contributed material through the years,and most of the new work is collaborative. The other remaining original Mudhens include bassist Pete Chandler and drummer Tom Groleau.

The Mudhens have just released a five-song EP, "Vinyl", on their own label, featuring all new songs done by the new band. Smith said a full-length album is in the works, but the new quintet wanted to have some tangible product of their own available as soon as possible. (You can buy the new disc at shows or check the web site "www.themudhens.com").

Fontano is originally from Framingham but grew up in Orlando, Florida. She came back to the Boston area to attend the New England Conservatory of Music and became ensconced in the local music scene.

"This is definitely a great situation for me to step into", she said. "The styles of the Mudhens and Soupbaby were very similar; along the same pop genre/borderline alternative lines. When I joined the group they already had quite a few songs written. I only wrote the lyrics to "Real" on the new EP, but I've been writing a lot more, and you can expect to see much more of my writing in future Mudhens music."

Fontano is thoroughly a rock singer on "Vinyl" and she's a bit more of a straight-ahead lyricist than the often mysterious Ryder.

The Mudhens have just returned from a tour through the East and Southeast, and their reputation is still strong enough to provide plenty of bookings. The near future will be divided between the studio and the road, and that suits everyone.

"We were so happy to be out on the road, it felt great", Smith said. "We always love coming back home to The Beachcomber ­ we've been playing there for four years at least, and no clubowner ever treats us as well as Jimmy McGettrick does. The Beachcomber is, by far, our favorite club."

Fontano hasnšt played The Beachcomber yet, but she's looking forward to the experience.

"Every night with these guys, there's a crowd waiting for us to play, and I'm not used to that", she said. "Every show so far has been just a great response. I can't believe how lucky I am to become part of this."
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© 2000 The Patriot Ledger, transmitted November 16, 2000