need to see you — now," the intercom blared, jolting me from my mid-afternoon daze at BigYawn HQ. Slowly making my way towards the boardroom, I wracked my brain for any recent transgressions that might incur the wrath of he who shall be known as "El Jefe." Had the Brindley Brothers put a price on my head following my less than kind review? As the door clicked shut behind me, I closed my eyes expecting to hear the worst, those now legendary words: "You're fired."

Instead, I was told to get my ass over to (Don't EVER call it Reagan) National airport, where the BigYawn corporate jet was fueled and waiting to take me to L.A. for an interview with Kristin Hersh. "K-k-k-k-kristin H-h-h-h-h-hersh," I yammered in excitement, completely unable to maintain my detached, indie-hipster cool at the prospect of talking to one of my all-time hero(ine)s in music. Hersh, the creative force behind Throwing Muses with her fractured tempos and harrowing lyrics, provided the soundtrack to my teenage years.

Unfortunately, Throwing Muses, despite eight albums including one as recent as last year, remained unsustainable as a full-time gig for its members. From the mid-1990s onwards, Hersh carved out a solid solo career and released six delicate yet intense albums while touring frequently with family in tow. And now, 50 Foot Wave, which features the diminutive Hersh reunited with Throwing Muses bassist Bernard Georges and benefits from the prodigious percussion talents of Rob Ahlers, makes the kind of music and sound that doesn't spring immediately to mind when thinking of 40-ish moms of four.

As I stretched back in my seat and watched the lights of Washington, D.C., recede into the distance, I began to wonder what I should talk to Hersh about. Maybe I should tell her that after thinking I would never see Throwing Muses live, I hobbled onto a Delta shuttle to Boston and into the crowded Middle East Club for a night of musical bliss despite the 12 stitches in my lower back and medical instructions to "take it easy" when the group re-formed for a one-off gig in May 2000? Nah, too obsessed fan-like. Get her to autograph my Throwing Muses/Kristin Hersh (CD and vinyl) collection? Nah, already did that at a Borders meet and greet a few years ago. In the end I settled for a business-like "likeohmigodImsuchabigfanofyoursandthisisthethrillofalifetime."

Once introductions were dispensed with, I got straight down to the business of asking Hersh about her latest musical endeavor, 50 Foot Wave, which is barnstorming across the country on its first major tour after releasing its debut EP March 23 (available at iTunes and www.throwingmusic.com). Hersh pronounced herself "extremely happy" so far with the progress of 50 Foot Wave. She even admitted to being a little intrigued by how successful the band has been in such a short time while stressing that the focus this year is to create a foundation that the band can build on in years to come. Hersh also was keen to stress the collective nature of 50 Foot Wave, which she described as "more of a co-op than a band Ôø‡X there are 10 people working on various aspects of getting the music out to the people."

For someone who operates on the fringe of the music industry as we know it, Hersh displays a surprising lack of bitterness and attributes it to the cyclical nature of the music business. "The period we're in now is like the period before the Beatles, when everyone was listening to Pat Boone — It sucks, and everyone knows it sucks. You can't feel bitter about a process that you've voluntarily removed yourself from. What we're doing might seem like an anti-industry stance, but we are the industry now, albeit a mini one, with our own label, marketing and promotion." And Hersh expects fans to play their part as well as she exhorts purchasers to "Share this Music" on the back cover of 50 Foot Wave's current EP. Hersh, never the type of artist to shy away from the e-music phenomenon with a subscription-based mp3 service on her Web site for several years, likens the approach to "guerrilla warfare" with lots of viral marketing and street teams. 50 Foot Wave also is taking the novel approach of releasing five- or six-song EPs every nine months or so combined with heavy touring instead of the traditional music industry model of an album every two years.

While this is 50 Foot Wave's first full tour, the band did do a month-long residency at the Silverlake Lounge in L.A. in January, which Hersh described as "hilarious" with the band trying to engage in extended between-song banter because they didn't have enough songs to play (Hersh explicitly says she won't delve into Throwing Muses' bulging back catalog: "Throwing Muses still exists. If the circumstances are right for us to play or record again, we will"). But by the end of the month, the line to get into the Silverlake Lounge stretched half way down the block, and 50 Foot Wave had amassed a set's worth of material. As the band readies itself to hit the road this month, it has a grand total of 14 originals with the possibility of some Hersh solo material for encores.

I queried Hersh on the reaction to 50 Foot Wave by longtime fans given the clear differences in musical style with much of what Throwing Muses recorded (with the exception of 2003's "Throwing Muses," which hinted that Hersh was itching to strap on an electric guitar again and turn up the volume). In general, Hersh says she has been surprised at the reaction to the band and the music. She says at most gigs to date, about half of the people are clearly hardcore fans who ask her to sign solo and Throwing Muses CDs. She admits to harboring fears that once they hear 50 Foot Wave they'll leave, but so far "people seem to trust me to make a good sound, whether it's quiet or loud."

So does this mean the end of Kristin Hersh, solo artist? "Absolutely not," says Hersh. "In fact I already have enough material for another solo record, but it's a question of finding the time to record it in between 50 Foot Wave recording and touring. Because 50 Foot Wave is so loud and hard, it gives me freedom to explore quieter solo material."

Despite stating earlier that Throwing Muses is still a band and conceivably might record or tour again given the right situation, Hersh has a slightly detached approach to the near iconic status her former band has attained over the years. "Throwing Muses belongs to the fans and not to me any more," she says. "To be honest I don't remember making the music, I don't remember what a lot of it sounds like, and I don't want to hear them ever again. It's got nothing to do with me any more." As for another iconic band that recently reunited, the Pixies, Hersh says, "They should have reunited years ago." When I divulged my secret wish that 50 Foot Wave be chosen as an opening act for the Pixies tour, Hersh demurred, saying "50 Foot Wave was not intended to be a support band. We have our own thing going and are happy with the way it's going. We'd rather play to a half-full bar of people who wanted to come and see us than an arena of people who don't care." Too bad. That would be one hell of a concert, but instead we'll have to settle for 50 Foot Wave at Iota on May16.

Ms. Hersh and 50 Foot Wave will be performing at Iota on Sunday May 16 along with The Standard.