The Righteous Mothers to launch new album with virtual celebration

When the pandemic hit, Olympia folk icons The Righteous Mothers could no longer make music together — something they’d been doing consistently for nearly 40 years.

So instead, the funny and fierce foursome — Lisa Brodoff, Wendy Crocker, Marla Beth Elliott and Clare Meeker — made an album, “After All,” which they’ll launch Saturday with an online celebration.

“We’d been recording one song or two songs at a time for the last year or so, and then COVID hit,” said Brodoff of Olympia. “One of the awful things about COVID is that it impacts people who sing together, so we could not rehearse. As we were all adjusting to this new reality, we realized we had recorded 10 songs. We realized now is the time.”

As elders, the women have something to say, she told The Olympian, and they wanted a platform for their message, which they hope to spread both through the new album, through their updated website and through their Bandcamp page, where all of their music is now available to stream with no cost.

“One song that we really wanted to get out there is called ‘Prayer for the Teenage Son,’ ” Brodoff told The Olympian. “It’s a song about the difference between being a white mother raising a teenage son and being a mother of color raising a son — the difference in the fear level.”

Among the other tracks on “After All,” which the Mothers describe as “songs that we hope will cheer you up, inspire you, provoke reflection, and have you singing along,” are “Dinosaur Brain,” about the brain stem and its impact on human behavior, and “Misogynistic Heterosexual Men,” a mock-sympathetic anthem of advice for the titular men.

“You know there’s a lot of confusion out there in the world today,” the latter song begins. “This song goes out to one particular group of people who seem particularly confused: those misogynistic heterosexual men.”

The album’s nine original songs are all collaborations among the Mothers. The one cover is an arrangement of Linda Waterfall’s “Love Out of Nowhere,” recorded in memory of the late singer-songwriter, who produced three of the Mothers’ albums.

“She died too young of breast cancer,” Brodoff said, “and this song is just one of the great songs of all time.”

Putting together the album and figuring out how to celebrate the release without live music or a gathering has been a new way for the quartet to channel their creativity.

“We’ve been experimenting with how to present music to an audience that will be all virtual,” she said. “It has been fun.”

The Mothers will share memories and stories, show videos of some of “After All’s” songs and talk with guests including Dick Meyer, former owner of Traditions Café, where the band played its first paid gig.

“We are all dealing with so many crises at once,” Brodoff said. “We are hoping that this celebration will be a light in the storm and bring some joy and hope and fun.”

Looking ahead, the band isn’t sure when they’ll be able to record again, but they did dare an outdoor rehearsal, wearing masks designed for singers.

“You kind of look like a duck in them,” Brodoff said, “but they are quite effective, and they allow you to sing.”

The Righteous Mothers CD release

• What: The Olympia folk icons will celebrate the release of “After All,” their eighth album, with music videos, conversation and guest appearances by some of their longtime fans and collaborators.
• When: 5-6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
• Where: Online; for the link, email Mothers manager Lynn Grotsky at lynngrotsky@gmail.com.
• Admission: Free
• More information: http://www.therighteousmothers.com/