The Curtain Society emerged from Southbridge, Massachusetts in 1988, uniting pop sensibilities with the outer reaches of alternative rock & roll through guitarist and vocalist Roger Lavallee, bassist and vocalist Ron Mominee, and percussionist Jeff Paul. From the outset the trio charted an independent course, forging a distinctive identity by fusing core guitar-rock traditions with their singular approach. Early output consisted of EPs and cassettes issued on Apostrophe Records, the imprint Lavallee himself oversaw. In 1993 the group aligned with Washington-based Bedazzled Records. The next year Jeff Paul departed, and Duncan Arsenault stepped in on percussion. That same year saw the release of Inertia, the band’s debut full-length album, which achieved steady commercial traction. Over the subsequent three years Curtain Society contributed tracks to multiple Bedazzled compilations, after which their second album, Life Is Long, Still, arrived in 1998. A lengthy hiatus followed, broken only by scattered live appearances nationwide.
