Biography
Marian Call is a trained composer and a spunky self-taught singer based out of Anchorage, Alaska. She roams the country with her trusty typewriter and other musicians as they're available.
Marian writes, records, performs, produces, and distributes original songs at a rapid clip. Her self-produced debut album, 'Vanilla,' is an eclectic yet powerfully cohesive collection of original songs, critically acclaimed and loved by fans from all demographics. She also released a song a month on the web for one year as an experimental and educational project. Her second full-length album, "Got to Fly," was a special project by commission for her loyal geek/scif-fi fanbase, but has been well-received by listeners of all stripes regardless of some of the covertly nerdy content.
Call's compositions are half study & calculation, half improvisational instinct, and always full of unexpected musical twists and turns. She has written pieces by commission before, for film projects and events, and she has been known to write songs on dares or to surprise devoted fans.
Call plays with a number of different accompanists and loves collaborating with new musicians. Her live shows have been loudly applauded in homes, quiet coffee shops, noisy bars, churches, radio stations, and concert halls, in and out of Alaska. In only eight months she went from a relative unknown to playing the main stage at several of Alaska's summer festivals.
Marian was born into a family of musicians and artists, and she was raised on a steady diet of Bach, Beethoven, Joni Mitchell, and They Might Be Giants. Over twenty years she has performed as a singer with chamber choirs, jazz combos, early music groups, rock bands, a gospel choir, and experimental music ensembles; all of these influences (and more) meet and mingle in her own writing.
She completed her bachelor’s degree in composition and vocal performance at Stanford University in 2004. After graduation, she spent two years pouring coffee, waiting tables, and listening to good music in Anchorage coffee shops, slowly learning about the craft of songwriting through osmosis and eventually through practice. She plans to travel and tour as much as possible, but remains committed to the development of a great arts scene in Anchorage.
Instrumentation
Marian Call, vocals, rainstick, kazoo, typewriter
Accompanists vary -- some regulars include:
Jordan Shindle, guitar
Scott Barkan, guitar
Tony Fabris, guitar
Nathan Levine, upright bass
Nick Petumenos, bass/guitar/keyboards
Colter Lemons, drums
Joel Hermansen, guitar
Adam Stewart, fiddle/violin
Paul Pew, guitar, keyboard
Scott MacGougan, guitar
Discography
Vanilla, full-length album, released Sept. 2007, available at www.CDBaby.com/mariancall
Includes the tracks:
- Fret
- Dark Dark Eyes
- The Volvo Song
- Flying Feels Like
- Sunday Afternoon
- Vanilla (I'm Not Sexy)
- I'm Yours
- Rx: Stop What You're Doing
- Your Fault
- Chelsea Morning (by Joni Mitchell, used by permission)
- It Was Good for You Too (bonus track on the first edition of the album)
Singles for the Song of the Month Project, available for download at www.mariancall.com:
- Ti Guardero nel Cuore (by Nino Oliviero, Riz Ortolani, and Marcello Ciorciolini) (used by permission)
- So Far Away (by Carole King) (used by permission)
- I Wish I Were a Real Alaskan Girl
- We're Out for Blood (theme song from the movie "Zombie Cheerleading Camp")
- Vera Flew the Coop
- Whistle While You Wait
- We're Out for Blood (the coffeehouse remix, live from Whole Wheat Radio)
- Ave Maria
- Princess Cupcake
- 100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man (by Bernstein/Comden/Green, used by permission)
- West of the Mountains
"Got to Fly," full length special album project, commissioned and sponsored by Quantum Mechanix, www.quantummechanix.com, released November 2008
Featuring the new tracks:
- I'll Still Be a Geek After Nobody Thinks it's Chic (the Nerd Anthem)
- Good Old Girl
- Don't Try
- Vera Flew the Coop
- It's Good to Have Jayne on Your Side (written by Justin Boot, used by permission)
- In the Black
- Got to Fly
- It was Good for You Too
Most of these songs are streaming free at bandcamp.com as well as through partners of CDBaby.com and Nimbit.com. Several works have been featured on independent podcasts and internet radio stations such as Whole Wheat Radio and 'Nette Radio. Stations airing tracks from "Vanilla" include KNBA and KSKA Anchorage, both of which are repeated across the state of Alaska, along with NPR and college radio stations around the country. The song "Vanilla" was selected as the Single of the Day on April 22nd by LA music producer and blogger Jody Whitesides.
Links
| http://www.mariancall.com |
| Official Website |
| Facebook Artist Page |
| Myspace |
| Performance Videos on Youtube |