Brooklyn-based group Midnight Masses turned heads with the late 2009 release of Rapture Ready, I Gazed at the Body, an EP that had Neil Young-worthy intimacy and a slow-burn epic feel that garnered comparisons to The Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes.
It seemed to mark the public introduction of a noteworthy new talent, but shortly after its release songwriter Autry Fulbright went silent. Well, silent in the sense that he joined ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead for last year's Tao of the Dead instead of releasing a debut Masses full-length. To be fair, that Trail record was their best in years, but it was still a puzzling move.
Well, that break is over... for the moment.
Midnight Masses have announced two last-minute shows for this week. The first one is a free acoustic performance at 11 p.m. at Zebulon on Thursday, and the second is at Union Pool on Saturday.
These shows will feature a string quartet, a harpist and a special guest, which could be anyone from a member of TV on the Radio to someone from ...And You Will Know Us to Geoff Rickly of Thursday, all of whom have shown up to guest at previous Masses.
These appearances are the only Masses gathering scheduled at the moment. But apparently the band is still a going concern for Fulbright; he recently completed a short film, in association with Illium Pictures, based around his music.
