The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, The Straw Man (Courage, Heart, Brains)
Sounds Like
I am inspired and influenced by amazing artists like Carrie Newcomer, Tracy Chapman, Sonia (Disappear Fear), Indigo Girls, and my friends (please click and listen to them too). Their Music moves my toes and opens the ears in my heart; their Lyrics actually say something with words that are well crafted, challenging, memorable. So that's my goal too.
I make Sounds of Hope in Washington DC (and wherever I be :)
and encourage You to do whatever makes your heart sing! Thanks for listening... EN-JOY
"Mary Shapiro has a powerful gift to transform any gathering into something sacred - blending songs of peace with joy and laughter to give you the taste that 'another world is possible'."
- Jean Stoken, policy director for Pax Christi USA
Inspired by artists from Joan Baez to Jack Johnson, Mary's music infuses many genres: gospel, folk, rock & soul. She's shared her musical talents with orphans in Berlin, headlined in Japan, and sung for peace in Washington, DC. Mary has recorded with Sweet Honey in the Rock and was the first ever recipient of DC Acoustic Underground's "Excellence in Local Music Award".
Mary's first CD is a collaboration of professional artists, musicians and kids. Captured LIVE at a benefit concert by and for Little Friends for Peace, it's a fun, educational, sing-a-long CD. Hear more at www.myspace.com/MaryShapiromusic and www.myspace.com/SoundsofHope or simply call her at 202-294-2906. Thanks for listening!
"Every time I listen to Mary I am astounded by how much of herself her songs manage to carry. When a song is finished I am happy to say that our souls have truly shared a moment. "
Thanks a lot for everything Friday/ Saturday. We had a great time down there. If you need any more info for CA please feel free to ask. Take care. See you soon. Much love...
Washington, DC has many claims to fame – monuments, cherry blossoms, politics – but there is one thing that will always fall short of the list, folk music. Dave Ihmels has set out to change that.
With his hotly anticipated debut album Expandable, Ihmels is turning heads and opening ears in a city yearning for a voice. With the delicate Burn Every Tree opening the CD listeners are welcomed into “starlight and secrecy” as they begin their journey through what will surely be the cornerstone of Ihmels’ blossoming career.
As many albums do, the first three tracks of Expandable move swiftly and begin to unravel the artist within. This is where the depth of many albums stop; however with the opening of Over The Big Pond (Track 4) listeners are greeted with a new sound entirely. Atmospheric and spatial, looping a multitude of voices and electronic keyboards, it becomes glaringly obvious that Ihmels is just warming up.
Following Over The Big Pond, Green Field bursts back into folk/pop easily wrapping you around its fingertips. The catchiest song on the album, Green Field will catch you (as it did me) singing the final chorus on your first listen.
Other stand out tracks include Down To The Afterlife a Who-esque rocker that will have you tapping your feet and rocking your hips, Jellyfish Blues, personifying oceanic life in a way you never thought possible and Stay In The Light, a song that could easily be sandwiched into a Nick Drake album, holding up the entire way.
Fellow DC folkster Linda Sublett lends her vocals (and flute) to the album, rounding out Ihmels’ voice and helping create a depth that many never achieve.
Expandable has something for everyone and Dave Ihmels is living proof that folk will never die in a city where politics are left to run at-will.
Let’s get this out right off the bat; I am a Flo Anito fan. I have been anxiously awaiting this album for almost two years now. With that in mind, throughout that time I have had very high expectations for it. What I hoped this CD would capture is at the same time what I feared it never would, the wit and innocence of Flo’s voice, through her music.
I have not been disappointed.
No Dustbunnies comes barreling out of the gate with the radio ready “Man of the Year”. Caught off guard with the simplicity of the first verse, Brian Jones opens up his drums, taking the music to a new level all together. It is hard to make it through this song without exclaiming Flo Anito has arrived!
Flo has managed to create a variant of pop on this album that I am affectionately naming “Sugar Pop”. Chris Keup and Stewart Myers have done an exceptional job at taking Anito’s sweet sounding “Pop” and giving her a sharpened “Rock” edge, leaving the songs dynamic and versatile.
Stand out tracks include the aforementioned “Man of the Year”, a top 40 hit in any listener’s ears. “Change My Life”, borrowing notes from The Fray, creating a piano based ballad about growth, integration and moving in a new direction. “No Good”, a song about un-reciprocated love with a chorus that I still find myself singing and finally, “No Dustbunnies” a song that showcases Flo’s creative lyric writing, painting a world where Beaver Cleaver still roams the streets – a place where Flo longs to be, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Nostalgia, the aptly entitled debut CD from ukulele troubadour Maureen Andary will have you dreaming yourself en route to Europe to fight a great war, listening to USO women, evoking memories of the streetscapes and nightlife you left behind.
This impressive collection of songs showcases Maureen’s many talents -- ukulele & guitar, recorder and mouth trumpet. But above all it introduces us to a voice aged beyond its years, quirky and sweet, powerful and muted, able to mold itself to each distinct mood. She often uses her voice much like a backup instrument, a one woman “Andrew Sisters” or “The Roches”.
Standout tracks include “Nostalgia” a loosely knit ukulele number with enough open space to appropriately introduce her unique jazzy voice. “Our Hearts Bleed”, a sugary sweet song with more pop sensibility than you can shake a “pepperment” stick at. And “Duke”, a scatty, skirt swishing tribute to Duke Ellington and U. St. A must have song for anyone who has spent time in Washington DC.
At times ethereal and at times smoky, Maureen gives us a new take on old love, a perspective decades after the fact. With lyrics like “it’s sexier to love in quiet, in secret…” and “think you smell me days later?”, Maureen becomes the girl whose memory you settle down in your bunk with each night, the one who makes you miss home…so…so…much.
Hi Mary! Thanks for the add. It's so nice to see and hear you again, your music is full of love and beauty. We all had so much fun at The Recovery Cafe, thanks to all of you at The Potter's House for hosting. The fun just keeps getting better and I'm hoping that will keep growing. I'm feeling vary inspired and hoping to stop in to The Sounds of Hope. I look forward to seeing you around, wishing you all the best. Dave.
Always a joy to sing with and for you Mary Shapiro! Thanks for the DC hospitality, the chance to play at Potter's House again- what a great venue and your musical friendship.
Okay! Firstly, *hug* we love ya and miss ya! Secondly, *pinch* got one word for ya..."blog!" so we know how you are...and Thirdly, ^5 (high five) because you RAWK!!!!!Hope your tour is rewarding for you, stretching you, and revealing to a good amount of kinfolk that your gentle and layered anecdotes and smoove guitar strummin' are but a micro-peek of your beauty, and your role as a servant leader here...
