rob brezny's freewill astrology tells me, a taurus, that "this will be an excellent time to read five books simultaneously, snack constantly on delicacies while avoiding heavy meals, climb a tree with an adventurous friend and make careful yet wild love right there, refuse to practice any form of meditation that doesn't involve laughing, buy ten cheap alarm clocks and smash them with a hammer out in the middle of a meadow, pretend to be a feral teenager who's allergic to civilization, and throw invisible stones at any god, angel, or genie who won't help you get the love you want." this sums up my mission of late. i also really like the following things quite a lot:
abragg's liquid aminos. columbia clipper cruiser bike made by bjorn. artichokes. danskos. peonies. poppies. stargazer lillies. dandelion root tincture. if the buddha came to dinner. tarot. massage. yoga. block parties. nalgenes. chacos. i'm spewing brand names (sorry). coffee exchange in providence! marching bands. puppet shows. golf. juke boxes. red bull vodkas. bumming cigarettes (make me stop!). kale. other people's gardens. mix tapes. handmade envelopes. dylan thomas. wallace stevens. marge piercy. moosewood cookbooks. watercolour painting. postcards. mittens. the menstrual cycle. thomas müller art. kombucha! mermaids. the little mermaid. pema chödrön. hearts. stars. darts. fuel efficient cars. halter dresses. tea. headbands. parallel bars. farmer's markets. german chocolate. nutella. sea shells. campfires on the beach. reality bites. the red violin. the crow. the breakfast club. before sunrise. ethan hawke. runner's world magazine. dark roast with soy. asics. ryan hill's diesel jeans. running with sara softich. chester creek. dream analysis. cooking. lake superior. northeast minneapolis. birmingham england. tübingen germany. carl jung. love in the time of cholera. under the tuscan sun. tempranillo grapes squished into wine. sushi. the moon. letters. feathers. horoscopes. monarch butterflies. manatees. driving. mornings. winter squash. peanut butter. edamame. food in general. belgian beer with an orange slice. cloth napkins. duvets. warm sleeping bags. natalie goldberg. anne lammott. SARK. art by natalie salminen and crystal meisinger . . .
oh yeah! and: aimee mann, suzanne vega, jeff buckley, tori amos, elliot smith, the jayhawks, luscious jackson, lucinda williams, rufus wainwright, martha wainwright, imogean heap, lisa germano, the owls, iron and wine, soul coughing, m.doughty, low, ani difranco, sia, rachel yamagata, ryan adams, the be good tanyas, deee-lite, belly, neko case, ben folds, martin sexton, jane siberry, cat power, carole king, buffalo tom, grant lee buffalo, cloud cult, wilco, chris thile, m. ward, feist, erin mckeown, the meters, the hold steady, primal scream, yo la tengo, low, ryan adams, veruca salt, lucinda williams, the kamikaze hearts, sunny day real estate, the beach boys, creedence clearwater revival, gillian welch, patty griffen, cocteau twins, aphex twin, wild colonials, coldplay, ray lamontagne, laura veirs, susheela raman, mark kozelek, joni mitchell, mohave 3, arcade fire . . . anything from duluth mn.
Sounds Like
MARY BUE: East to the Sea
This is soothing, cathartic and quirky piano and vocal music. Full of stream of conciousness melodies with symbolic tendencies and the potential to "emotionally suckerpunch" you.
"It’s surprisingly easy to mess up something as simple as recording a singer playing piano. The temptation is to get the best sounding piano, the best sounding mics and the best sounding room and just let the tape roll, but Duluth-based Mary Bue has done something much more than that on this 14-track disc. Instead of the pristine and antiseptic sound that dominates so many singer/songwriters’ albums, Bue opts for ambience and grit here and it’s fantastic.
The disc is shot through with a distinctly North Shore aesthetic, from the ringing chords and tinkling bells of “The Long Days” to the empty and slightly dissonant swing of “Song for Holly.” Points of reference include the more intimate moments of Sarah McLachlan and other big-voiced youngsters like our own JoAnna James. Altogether, it’s some great weekend-breakfast-making music, like you’ve woken up mid-morning on an overcast Sunday on Lake Superior by the sound of muted music, and as you wander downstairs you find Ms. Bue seated at the creaky piano in the parlor, just playing for herself."
A tree-climbing, knee-scraping, fingernail-painting youth named Mary Bue was bribed by her mother to take piano lessons. From this early parental trickery grew a passion for music. From this music appreciation grew a desire to create. Now 25 year old Bue has written hundreds of quirky, melodic, evocative, and frank songs on both piano and guitar and has performed these tunes throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Using insight from her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, imagery from weird dreams, snippets from conversations and inspiration from heart ache, Mary’s songs are far from mundane. She thanks her mom profusely for the bribe . . .
What the critics are saying about Mary Bue:
"Often compared to Sarah Mclachlan's. Bue's songs have more weight, and more grit mixed in with the ethereal wisps." - Michael L. Walsh, City Pages, April 2007
"Mary Bue knows just when to bend a guitar string and exactly how long to sustain a piano chord so each wavers and fades exquisitely. On Bue's third album, the minneapolis artist exhibits this sense of timing with melodies that rise and fall, rock side to side and often batter themselves against the shores of recklessly bold lyrics." - Erika Fredrichson, Missoula Independent, April 2007
"Bue's third album is boldly multidimensional, at times sounding like the work of three different women. Equal parts Lucinda Williams, Tori Amos and Carole King, Bue has managed to make a record of myriad moods and styles that still coheres." - Nathan Dean, Pulse of the Twin Cities, April 2007
“If intimacy intrigues you and makes you into a skittish peeping tom, then be sure to catch Bue at her next performance.”
- Alan Sparhawk of Low, The Ripsaw News, 2000
“If you say anything crappy about Mary Bue, you will go directly to hell. Dig it: whether you believe in hell or not. You might want to take a minute to gratefully address your version of God, sending a quick “thank you” that Bue is so talented, she has spared you the necessity of doing anything of the sort.”
- Anna Owens, Transistor Mag, May 2006
“Mary sings in a marvelously sultry and cool voice over a fusion of classical, folk, and ambient piano music. She began turning heads here at home (Providence, RI), but also throughout the country.”
- Bob Gulla, Providence Phoenix, November 2005
“This 19 year old Duluth songwriter possesses an uncommon gift for singing her soul and is already an accomplished pianist with a knack for dynamics and feel that players twice her age never master.”
- Jim Walsh, Pioneer Press, April 2001, reviewing Bue’s debut CD Where the Monarchs Circled
“Duluthians insist that Bue is a very passionate performer whose lyrics can even make for a moving tribute to her dead cat.”
- The Ripsaw News, May 2001, Homegrown Music
Festival Guide
“When the show ended and she was leaning against the stage, zipping up her boots, I had the urge to run up, hug her and then immediately beg her to sing the soundtrack of my life. Mary Bue's an amazing, must-see talent, and, by far, one of the sweetest voices I've heard live in years.”
- Zosia Blue, from the music blog HowWasTheShow.com, March 2006
“Alan Sparhawk wrote in the the beginning that Mary is an incredible musician, but he said one day she’ll make an album that will blow everyone away. Well, this is it I think. All I know is that if this album doesn’t get her noticed, then people better clean the shit out of their ears.”
- Christian McShane, Chairkicker’s Union, February 2007
reviewing Boat with No Oars
“It is impossible not to feel moved or changed after sitting in Mary’s performance. Her music is breathtaking, her voice is earth shattering, and the beauty of it all is really beyond words.”
- Sarah Reilein, Reader Weekly, December 2005
of course! the 5k was pretty good. i did not pr, however. congratulations! i tried so hard to find you but you must have been running with a lot of other people. my dad wasn't far ahead of you either... he finished around 1:43. damn! but cool! and you have a good summer too. perhaps i'll appear at one of your shows!! and i like the music. pretty voice.
Nice new photos on the website Mary! We're gonna miss you around here but I'm sure you're gonna love the NW and I'm sure we'll see you around. In bigger and bigger venues though. Might need binoculars...
Hi, I wanted to thank you for helping me reach the final stage of the ZigZag live competition. Thanks to your support, the CMJ slot looks closer then ever.
To win, I need your vote one last time. Please check my profile and see the flyer, it has all the instructions + the link for voting. You can also click here to get directly to the link.
