FAQs:

Band FAQ

How did the innocence mission come up with their NAME?

• " 'Innocence' stands for all the good things of childhood, the things we should try to hold on to," says Karen. "It's a state of mind."
   
• "The mission in the name is a place to us, as opposed to a crusade," Karen says.  "The name is just something I thought of one day and we liked it," she continues. "It made me think of the giant houses in children's books where you might find a refuge."

How many ALBUMS have the innocence mission released?

• They have released 6 albums:
   
• The Innocence Mission (1989, A&M Records)
• Umbrella (1991, A&M Records)
• Glow (1995, A&M Records)
• Birds Of My Neighborhood (1999, Kneeling Elephant Records)
• Christ Is My Hope (2000, independent)
• Small Planes (2001, What Are Records?)
   
• They have also released 3 EPs:
   
• Tending The Rose Garden (1986, Llist Records)
• Bright As Yellow (1995, A&M Records)
• The Lakes Of Canada (1999, Kneeling Elephant Records)

How can I obtain the EPs?

• You must look long and hard for Tending The Rose Garden. According to Don Peris only 1,000 copies were printed.
   
• You may frequently find copies of Bright As Yellow and The Lakes of Canada at GEMM OR eBay.

When will the innocence mission's NEXT ALBUM be released?

• Small Planes, Lost and Found Songs 1996-2001, was recently released on What Are Records?
   
• According to the band's official web site they will release an album of all new material in 2002.

How many VIDEOS have been made?

• They have made 5 videos:
   
• "Black Sheep Wall"
• "I Remember Me"
• "Wonder Of Birds"
• "And Hiding Away"
• "Bright As Yellow"
   
• All but one recieved airplay on MTV and VH-1. The exception was "And Hiding Away" which was shot using live footage from their studio in Lancaster, PA. "Bright As Yellow" aired only twice on MTV in 1995.

Are there any TOUR DATES currently scheduled?

• For current tour date information please go to the News & Info page.

What OTHER PROJECTS have the band members been involved with?

• For complete info on other projects please go to the Guest Appearances page.

What songs have been written by the band members but recorded by OTHER ARTISTS?

• For complete info on songwriting credits please go to the Related Projects page.

Is there an innocence mission FAN CLUB?

• No, the band doesn't particularly like the idea.  They do, however, maintain a snail mailing list.  Once on the mailing list, you will occasionally receive postcards with tour dates and upcoming releases.  You can write to them at this address:

the innocence mission
P.O. Box 837
Lancaster, PA  17608
USA
 

• The band also has an email address: timissionATaol.com and an official web site: http://www.theinnocencemission.com/.

Is there an innocence mission EMAILING LIST?

• Yes, there is an emailing discussion list for the innocence mission.  It was created and is run by a group of individuals and has no official connection to the band.  For more information go to the emailing list FAQ page.

Where and what is MEDJUGORJE?

• On June 24, 1981, six young people from the Catholic parish of St. James in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina [formerly Yugoslavia] began to experience apparitions of the Virgin Mary on a hillside above the village where they lived.  The Madonna, through the young visionaries, call for peace in the world.  She prophesies that Russia will come to glorify the Lord.  She said that the West has advanced civilization but lost God in the process.
   
  Reports of the events have provoked a surge of religious fervor and today Medjugorje looks set to become another Lourdes, a world-wide centre of spiritual renewal.
   
  People going to Medjugorje look neither for wealth nor for glory, nor to sightsee, nor do they want to prove anything to anybody.  They like to see the children (visionaries) but it is not their main aim either.  People seek God and themselves in Him.
   
                    --The Madonna of Medjugorje
   
• Karen wrote the song "Medjugorje" (from the debut album) from the perspective of someone coming home from there, combined with the devotions of her grandmother.  The song was also dedicated to her grandmother who died on the eve of the song's completion.
   
• For more detailed information about the events that have taken place in Medjugorje, go to the Medjugorje Web site: http://www.medjugorje.org/

Which artists and paintings does "YOU CHASE THE LIGHT" / Honfleur, 1867 refer to?

• Honfleur is a channel port in France, of both historic and artistic importance, which has served as inspiration to many artists.
   
• "You Chase The Light" (from the debut album) is a conversation between a woman and a painter.  This song is not really about one particular artist.  It is more of a fictional tale about an artist living and painting during that time.  Karen used time and place to add a spark of realism.
   
• The song "Joan" on Umbrella picks up 7 years later.

Where can I find SHEET MUSIC for (insert song title here)?

• Although sheet music for previous albums is unavailable at this time, a songbook for Birds of My Neighborhood is available.  Sheet music for a select group of newer songs is also available in PDF format. To purchase the songbook or to download the PDF files go to the official innocence mission web site.
   
• Chords for a few older innocence mission songs can be found at Guitar.com.