Band

Band's mission: unaffected beauty

BY LAURA SYLVESTER

IF you've never heard of the Innocence Mission, don't feel bad. Though they've been together since 1986 and have seven albums and four EPs to their credit, they keep a low profile. In an industry dominated by hyper-sexual images and outrageous behavior, the Innocence Mission are a bit like the shy girl who sits in a corner at the party. You might not notice her right away, but if you take the time to talk to her, there's a treasure to be unearthed. Still waters run deep.

Consisting of husband and wife Don and Karen Peris, along with bassist Mike Bitts, the band has carved a niche in the alternative pop/folk world. Karen's lilting vocals and understated melodic songwriting, along with Don's chiming guitar, evoke a place outside the craziness of modern life; somewhere green and lush, somewhere romantic and melancholy, somewhere where pain is cushioned and made bearable.

Playing to a full house of ecstatic fans at the Iron Horse Saturday night, the band wove its spell, focusing primarily on songs from their 2003 CD ''Befriended.'' From the opening notes of ''Sweep Down Early,'' the crowd was rapturously silent, letting Karen's sweet voice wash over them. Seemingly surprised by the raucous applause at the song's end, Karen sang the next song, ''Tomorrow on the Runway,'' and most of the rest of the set with an irrepressible smile on her face.

Introducing ''Bright as Yellow,'' from 1995's ''Glow,'' Karen said, ''This is from 10 years ago. My voice has gotten a little lower. I can't quite sing it as high as before so I'm calling this the Barry White version.'' A slightly lower pitch didn't mar the beauty of this song and the audience erupted in cheers as it ended.

What's most striking about the Innocence Mission is their total lack of pretense. You can imagine them playing in their living room and sounding and acting no differently than they do onstage. And you know that a band who covers John Denver's ''Follow Me'' and Mercer/Mancini's ''Moon River'' (both on 1990's ''Birds Of My Neighborhood'') has more interest in following their hearts than being trendy.

It's been eight years since the band last played in Northampton. Fans on Saturday didn't want to let the band leave, calling them back for two encores and yelling out requests.

Speaking from her Lancaster, Pa., home the night before the show, Karen talked about her songwriting. ''I sit down and write at night after the kids are asleep,'' she said. ''If a melody (that we like) happens, then we try to finish the song. The lyrics are written over a span of days or weeks.'' She talks about finding a ''joyful release'' in singing and playing and ''longing to express what is difficult or impossible to express.''

Her lyrics are a cross between prayer and poetry. From ''Tomorrow on the Runway'':

Oh be the music in my head,

the air around my bed, oh be my rest.

Replace the small disgraces of

the times and places that I never really left.

Did you leave the darkness without me?

You're always miles ahead.

And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway.

NPR reviewer Christian Bordal was so taken with ''Befriended,'' he voted it the best release of 2003. Asked her reaction to this, Karen replied, ''We were touched and surprised by that and happy that he felt a connection to the songs.''

Balancing work with family is challenging for anyone, but is especially difficult for touring musicians with young children. The Innocence Mission has limited the number of shows they do, playing only on weekends so as not to disrupt their son's kindergarten schedule. They bring their children with them (their daughter is 3) and try to turn their travels into family vacations.

It is perhaps this emphasis on family over fame that has kept them from pursuing wider popularity. More likely it is the fact that modesty and self-effacement, while admirable spiritual values, are usually not qualities that put you at the top of the charts. Therefore it is up to others to sing the praises of this band.

The night's opening act, Northampton singer-songwriter Dennis Crommett, put it this way. Pointing to his heart he said, ''There's pocket, then T-shirt, then a bunch of fat and muscle and blood, and then there's the Innocence Mission. They live so far inside.''

Crommett performed a set of beautifully sad, psychologically compelling and surprisingly funny songs. Bringing friend Philip Price onstage to sing harmony, their voices blended seamlessly to sound like early Simon and Garfunkel. Crommett's emotional honesty combined with his pleasing voice and ability to write melodies both familiar and fresh should take him far.

Laura Sylvester is a freelance music writer.