Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple, Clifford Brown, Duke Ellington, Peter Paul and Mary, Liz Phair, Alanis Morissette, The Shins, Radiohead, Tegan and Sara, Janet Jackson, Arlo Guthrie, Jeremy Sosenko, the Goonies
Mara Levi (Mah' ruh Lee' vee) was born in Ohio where music was a part of her life from an early age. Mara went to Amherst College where she studied jazz composition and arranged popular music for her a cappella group, sang in the choir, all the while playing bass in a rock and roll band (kid sampson).
Mara began her solo musical career in 2002 after Kid Sampson broke up. Her first solo CD, "Life's a Ball," reflects her rock and roll upbringing as well as her folk sensibilities. Mara's music has evolved to encompass not only pop and folk music, but her jazz and classical roots as well. Mara plays Smart Pop Music: Music that is catchy and accessible, but also intricate and smart. She sings about politics, love, and stalking celebrities, all with characteristic wit and signature complexity.
Mara's second solo CD, "What Are You?" is a departure from the style of her first solo release. Intentionally eclectic, the album and its title directly confront the notion that anyone can be easily defined, or that people should be expected to have an answer to the question, "What Are You?" Mara recorded every track on the album from her home in DC, using only instruments that she could play herself. The result is an album that sounds less like top-40 radio, and more like a reflection of Mara's varied musical interests. Many of the background vocals were arranged to mimic vocal groups from the '40s and '50s; bass parts run the gamut from simple bluegrass to actual countermelodies; improvised trumpet and vocal parts join open voicings of common chords to add elements of jazz; one song takes its structure and background vocals directly from Johannes Brahms; old and new voicings and sounds combine to give the album a complex and very human range and diversity.
More information, pictures, and merchandise is available at maralevi.com. Thanks for listening.
Thank you so much for playing that. It really made my B-day! P.s. I just put your other cd on my iPod. I'm sure that we will all be listening to it on our way to AL.
Oh wow, I didn't even realize you were from the area-- I just really liked your music. I wish I was going. One of my good friends is getting married this Saturday so I've gotta stay up in Duluth.
Oops! I sent you a comment Before I realised You had already sent me A comment, ummm!!! Ha ha ha And I'm so glad The homo song likes me too Hopefully it's of it's own Volition, lol... Love From Brisbane Australia Me Anna :D
Thanks Mara Levi for being on my friends list, love the page great stuff. I’m so blown away by all people that have joined me on Myspace. The support and positive comments about the music and the new CD "Abstract Man" have been great and appreciated. The track "Only In America" hit the air this month and so fare it’s a hit with all that have heard it, I’d like to let you know about the free MP3 giveaway as a token of my appreciation for being on my friends list. It’s available at www. tomfullerband. com Hope you have a great summer with lots of good music for sitting in the sun. Thanks again, Tom
Hey Sorry about missing your show. I haven't checked myspace in months...become a facebook tool now. I'm so sad I missed it. Finished up 2nd year of med school. Time is flying by and disappearing like crazy. Anyway, I bought your new album off Amazon and love it. I'm turning on my med school classmates onto you. Hope all's well in DC
Concrete Alchemy is a tour of 15 visual artists visiting five major urban centers on the East Coast. It is the first tour that creatively combines gallery shows, public panel discussions and numerous murals to present the artists’ unique approach to public arts.
Friday, May 23rd, 2008 – National Harbor, MD The tour will officially end with a gallery exhibit opening at Art Whino on Friday, May 23, 2008 from 6 pm to midnight. The audience will have chance to view artists’ recently finished canvases and a slideshow of photographs from the previous days of the tour.
Mara...thanks for taking the stage at echoes of HER...this was the first show of the series (will be growing to a larger event) and it was made possible, in part, by you. Brenda gave you high praises. Please let me know if there is anything we can do to make your indie journey more productive. - Andre
Listen free to Mara's new CD, What Are You?
Check out Mara's first CD, Life's a Ball
