Mary McBride
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Mary McBride doesn't waste time getting your attention. "Well, I'm in love and I don't mean maybe," she declares, leading off her debut album with a sass and authority reminiscent of Maria McKee. The Louisiana-born New Yorker displays similar gusto throughout Everything Seemed Alright, produced by discerning roots-rock maven javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$Content$EditPress$EditPress$ctl00$ctl00$SavePressButton','')Lou Whitney of the Morells and Skeletons. While she sure can belt, however, her most evocative songs, such as "Half Gone," "Going Down Fast," and "Oak Table," are those that head to the blue, plaintive territory of Lucinda Williams. Nick Cristiano - The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A potent honky-tonk singer and songwriter, opening for both Delbert McClinton and the Rev. Horton Heat. A tougher, not quite so heartbroken Lucinda Williams, wailing on the ballad 'Going Down Fast' and riding shotgun over the roadhouse singalong 'If You Lived in My Town.'" (Mike Spera) - New Orleans Times Picayune
"In some sort of magical kingdom, every bar you walked into would have Mary McBride performing onstage. Her rugged, force-of-nature voice unpacks the old spiritual like some distant relative of gospel legend Marion Williams." - The Washington Post
"Opening the show was Mary McBride, a Louisiana-born, D.C.-raised singer-songwriter who has made a name for herself in the country-rock community of her adopted home of New York. Her soulful vocals, sung against a straight-ahead rock-and-roll beat, possess the organic power of the blues. If Tuesday's set was typical, McBride's star may be on the rise." (Buzz McLain) - The Washington Post - 12/11/02
"Jukebox-worthy country songs coming out of middle Tennessee may not be too s urprising, but country-tinged roots rock with lyrics about meeting up on Canal Street in New York do get your attention. I came upon New Yorker Mary McBride playing in the parking lot of the Southwestern-fabulous San Jose, Austin's hippest hotel, which showcases its own favorites every year. I can't wait for Ms. McBride to find a label and get her CD out so I can hear her big, sassy voice and big-city lyrics in our own town more often." > - The Wall Street Journal - 3/27/02
"NYC rocker Mary McBride is one of those acts out there on the road who always feel at home in the roots haven of Austin. Produced by Lou Whitney of the Skeletons, McBride's rollicking debut album, Everything Seemed Alright, bodes well for the live show. Let the Bonnie Raitt/Lucinda Williams comparisons begin." (Michael Corcoran) - Austin-American Statesman
"McBride was born on the bayou and raised in D.C., but she has called New York City home for the past 15 years. Her torn, frayed roots-rock evokes a heady cross between fellow well-traveled Louisiana natives Lucinda and Victoria Williams, right down to its restless rhythms and Cajun accents. Lou Whitney of The Skeletons produced McBride's recent Everything Seemed Alright, a twangy debut steeped in vim, smarts and compassion driven home by Loaded -inspired rhythm guitar." Bill Friskics - The Nashville Scene
"A critically acclaimed record that crackles with emotion and over-the-top visual imagery while still kicking up a cloud of dance-floor sawdust with three-deep harmonies to boot." Greg Barr - The Houston Press
"In some sort of magical kingdom, every dive bar, roadhouse or juke joint you walked into would have free peanuts, dollar drafts and Mary McBride performing with her band onstage. At Iota on Thursday, there were no peanuts and the beers weren't a buck, but McBride, a knockdown barroom belter, was singing her heart out. It turns out that one out of three is magic kingdom enough.
For a full 90 minutes, the singer led her four-piece band through a rough-and-ready set of blues, rock, country and old-fashioned American roots music. Diving into material from her just released album, "By Any Other Name," and her 2002 debut, "Everything Seemed Alright," she was comfortable unleashing Janis Joplinesque wails or bringing it down easy like Allison Moorer.
A 32-year-old Louisiana native, McBride grew up around Washington, D.C., and now lives in Brooklyn. She writes her own songs, and they have a gritty feel that sounds right at home amid the occasional clink of glasses and the hoots and hollers of a friendly crowd. She made a wonderful racket on songs such as "Rev It Up" and "Bottle & a Bible," while a new, world-weary tune was a real weeper: "Can someone shut my brain off for just one hour / I'm standing on the edge of a 50-story tower." When the sad song was over, even she had to laugh. "Let's pick it up, shall we?" she suggested before playing "Everything Seemed Alright."
Later she admitted to being an "American Idol" addict and said that as a performer she now worries about "everyone criticizing you." But it's likely that on this night even cranky old Simon Cowell would have had only good things to say about McBride and her band's performance. Her brilliant cover of "Amazing Grace," more Rolling Stones rocker than Sunday morning church hymn, would have sealed the deal."
-- Joe Heim
- The Washington Post - 5/1/04
Discography
"Everything Seemed Alright" - released July 2002, Bogan Records (dist by Red Eye)
"By Any Other Name" - released April 2004, Reality Entertainment (dist by Caroline/Sony)
"Every Day Is A Holiday" - released November 2009, Bogan Records (dist by Red Eye)
"The Way Home" - released June 2010, Bogan Records, (dist by Red Eye)
Photos
Bio
Singer-songwriter Mary McBride burst onto the U.S.touring circuit when she released her debut album, “Everything Seemed Alright,” produced by Lou Whitney. The album immediately drew critical praise and the attention of Grammy award winner Delbert McClinton, who asked her to join his tour. Mary’s second release, “By Any Other Name,” featuring co-writes with Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites) and Steve Wynn (the Dream Syndicate) brought her more critical acclaim. HARP MAGAZINE called it “a masterpiece, impeccable in every crevice.” McBride’s third album, “Every Day Is A Holiday,” described as “fun and flirty” in PEOPLE and “soulful” in the BOSTON GLOBE, featured a duet of “Do You Hear What I Hear” with actor/singer Patrick Wilson.
Mary has performed throughout the US and Europe, and most recently toured with her full band in Russia for two weeks in July of 2011. Mary will be touring Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in October and November of 2011. Mary has played dates with Blondie, the Indigo Girls, the B52s, Cyndi Lauper, Koko Taylor, Tony Joe White, Delbert McClinton, Joe Cocker, Maria Muldaur, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the late Clarence Gatemouth Brown. She performed “No One’s Gonna Love You like Me” on-screen and on the soundtrack of the Academy-award winning film Brokeback Mountain, along with tracks from Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Rufus Wainwright, Steve Earle and others. McBride was chosen by Elton John to sing at the 35th Anniversary Concert of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and her songs have also been featured on episodes of The L Word and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Her song (co-written with Dan Baird) “Would it Kill You?” was recorded by the Yayhoos for their 2006 release "Put Your Hammer Down." McBride is currently writing the score for a new musical, The Nitpicker, directed by Tony award winner Scott Ellis.
"The Way Home," her fourth album, produced by Lou Whitney and featuring horn arrangements by legendary saxophonist Charlie Chalmers, who wrote arrangements and played sax on some of the greatest hits of Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis and Wilson Pickett, was released on June 22, 2010. As part of the release of "The Way Home," Mary launched THE HOME TOUR in the summer of 2010. Hailed by ELLE as "one of the year's most influential music moments and the summer's most altruistic tour," THE HOME TOUR brought Mary and her band to play at "places people call home" - including supported housing communities, long-term health care centers, homeless shelters, homes for people living with HIV/AIDS and homes for people living with mental and physical disabilities. They played for the elderly in Washington, DC; for Navajo families living in supported housing in New Mexico; for children in the Treme' district in New Orleans; for a farm worker community in rural Washington State; for veterans recovering from injuries and living indefinitely at a VA hospital in Long Beach, CA. And these were just a handful of their stops. The band partnered with not-for-profit organization in each city which hosted the community-based concerts. Plans are underway for THE HOME TOUR to take place again in the summer of 2011 with expanded partnerships, and a wide roster of artists from around the country. All developments will be posted at www.hometour.org
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