Maria McNeil

"Contemporary jazz number, lots of interesting dynamics, mainly from the accompanying instruments, good voice." - wearelistening.org

By Darcie-Nicole Wicknick

Vocalist and songwriters Lauren Flaherty and Maria McNeil, in conjunction with Indiegrrl, hosted a fantastic night of music as a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness. The show featured Rock, contemporary Folk, and R&B performances by McNeil and Flaherty as well as Jess Yoakum, Vicki Blankenship, Velvet Stylus, and many other outstanding female artists. The well attended fundraiser, held at the upscale restaurant, bar, and billiards hall FELT, brought a feeling of inspiration and raised money for this wonderful cause.

- MBADC Women's Music Industry Workshop

"Maria McNeil, another performer, said she plays mostly jazz and R&B. She ended up meeting Newman at one of the open mic nights, where he recruited her for the concert. How she ended up at an open mic in Melrose is a story unto itself.

“I grew up in Chicago, and I moved out here to go to school at Berklee [College of Music] and fell in love with the East Coast,” she said. “I was looking for a place in Boston for a while and decided to move to Melrose, and then I started looking for open mics around that area.”"

- Melrose Free Press