Tanya Donelly -This Hungry Life 20th Anniversary @ The Odeum

Tanya Donelly first emerged in the indie-rock landscape in the early 1980s, co-founding Throwing Muses (with stepsister Kristin Hersh), then later co-forming The Breeders, before leading her own band Belly in the 1990s. With Belly she had her biggest commercial breakthrough, notably with the single “Feed the Tree”, earning critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination.

After that success, Tanya embarked on a solo career marked by lyrical richness, melodic innovation, and a shifting musical palette that embraces folk, country, ambient, and indie pop textures. Her solo debut, Lovesongs for Underdogs (1997), established her distinct songwriting voice outside of her band projects.

This Hungry Life (originally released in 2006) is a live album recorded in a unique intimate setting — a closed hotel in Bellows Falls, Vermont — featuring largely new material, plus a few covers and re-imagined tracks. The album reflects maturity in both voice and subject matter: themes of home, family, identity, and the passage of time are woven through in her warm vocals and intimate performance style, with the live setting giving the songs immediacy and connection.

Marking the 20th anniversary of This Hungry Life offers a chance to revisit her work at this pivotal moment: affirming her legacy in indie rock; celebrating her evolution as an artist who has never stopped refining her craft; and presenting This Hungry Life not just as a document of a live show but as a milestone in her ongoing journey — both musically and personally.