MARY

Marie Ingerslev and the band MARY hail from Copenhagen in Denmark. This is their highly anticipated debut album "IN THE HEAD OF A DREAMER". Very appropriately titled this album is full of extremely dreamy, melancholy, thoughtful, timeless and uplifting ballads and rock/pop songs. Lead vocalist and songwriter Marie Ingerslev  has been writing and performing her own material from an early age but gathered a group of talented musicians and formed the band MARY. MARY have played to large audiences in Denmark and are now emerging onto the British music scene.  MARY'S music is simply beautiful and very eclectic mixing folky acoustic ballads and Indie rock/pop songs with a jazzy epic sing a long sound. Marie's voice is touching, melodic, distinctive and beautiful going from a warm melodic tone to Bkork-esq heights at times. Title track " In the head of a dreamer" is more dreamy Indie pop touching on elements of The Cranberries or even vocally like a poppier Souxsie. The music floats gently from genre to genre but stays melodic all the way through and is fuelled by Marie's lyrics that cover her beliefs about life and death in a poetic way. Some tracks like the beautiful jazzy ballad " Try in my heartland" even feature clarinets and saxophones and almost have an elegant 1920's sheen that evokes the imagination and sounds very soulful and peaceful but sexy and mysterious at the same time. Think Aimee Mann and Eva Cassidy crossed with a more melodic and less zany Bjork. Mary are not the sort of outfit you can pigeon hole into a certain genre because this album is varied in style and imagination but the driving force behind it has to be the beautiful vocals of Marie Ingerslev and the different moods and emotions this album provokes. Excellent. 

The full band line consists of: 

  Vocal / Guitar : Marie Ingerslev

Rhodes / Strings / Keys : Kenneth Hansen

Bass / Double bass : Thommy Andersson

Drums / Strings / Keys : Kalle Mathiesen

Saxophones / Bass clarinet / Guest soloist Torben Snekkestad

THE EXCLUSIVE MARY INTERVIEW 

1. What made you decide to start a career in the music business, tell us a bit about the MARY SONGS history and who's in the band ?

I have been writing and performing own material from the age of 8. I grew up in a very musical home with a grand piano left behind from my grandfather who was a classical piano player and conductor. My father is mainly an actor in Denmark, but he has also used he’s musical talent in many ways. He brought up my sister and me by singing together anywhere, or playing crazy trumpet in the middle of the night. Band wise, it all began with a duo I started called ‘The screaming parrots’;-) when the drummer and I were around 8 years old. We recorded my songs in the basement studio belonging to his father, a jazz musician, and I sang, played keyboard / piano – had the opportunity to make improvised backing vocals to my own voice, which I often use today. We played in the streets and at schools. All back to then, music was a very serious business for me! After this I sang in a local rhythmic choir for about 6 years, and we toured around in the world. That taught me a lot as a singer. We recorded some records were I had many lead parts. And then I sang in a blues band – took music courses – played with different kind of musicians for some time. All along I kept writing my own songs. After going to a music school, I was so lucky to receive a prestigious 2-years scholarship in 1999 from the Danish state, which made me focus on the music even more. Before this, I had started the band I work with today. So we experimented with sound, recorded etc. and I took a music trip to Bulgaria to be taught by a Bulgarian folk musician. For about 5 years I’ve been in contact with a man from London, who started out running a record company owned by Paul McCartney and Kate Bush in the 80’es, and he took us to England, Scotland and Sweden to experiment in the studio, which taught us / me a lot.  The musicians I work with in the band have changed a little, but Kenneth Hansen (the keyboard player) and Kalle Mathiesen (the drummer) have been there from the beginning. Kenneth used to be the bass player, and he’s now playing keyboards, and we have a new bass player called Thommy Andersson. For this record I have also been so lucky to get Torben Snekkestad (an amazing saxophone player) to play on some of the songs. All the musicians have a jazz background, which basically means that they are very open minded to my sometimes weird chords and odd time. I feel extremely lucky to play with these (in my eyes) fantastic world-class musicians. 


2. Your sound is very dreamy, organic, melancholy and melodic. Who or what are your influences ?

My influences are quite a few. I grew up with The Beatles of course, they are big influences, but also a Brazilian guitar/piano player called Egberto Gismonti. I think that’s were I have my natural way of writing songs that is not necessarily in 4/4 - and maybe he taught me something about melodic free spirit. I never think about anything when I write a song, not about what style I’m seeking it to be, or if it should be in a certain way. I write the song because I need to...because it is my substance in life. I also grew up with Bach – the classical roots go back to my grandfather. And I grew up with Stevie Wonder. Later on I listened to Joni Mitchell and the Bulgaria women quires. And Nick Drake, Kate Bush and Sting (Nothing like the sun + Soulcages).  So I think I’m very open-minded when it comes to music. Music is music, you can always be inspired by little pieces of everything you sense, even from the sound of water, a breeze of wind through trees, or the heartbeat of the one you love. I listen more to that, actually, than to CD's. Most of all the dreamy – organic – melancholy and melodic sound of my music comes from the life I have lived and the poetry/struggle that is a natural part of me. The best way to describe it, might be like this. I ‘ve been trying so hard to escape from my own power, and it came chasing me as a black shadow of fear, instead of making me bloom. It has taken me a lot of time and hard work to look myself in the mirror and decide to love what and who I am, decide not to run away from that person. That is why my songs are very existential. Because the crises I’ve been going through have been like fighting with the right to be here on earth, and not just a visitor or stranger. I’ve been searching a lot for meaning, for answers. My songs are exactly about that. The thought of the small tiny spot in-between life and death – where is that? Between each breath you take. That existential fear of the nothing, while containing everything. My songs have been bringing me peace, like if they came to me from somewhere else,
maybe my homeland...

I think I have been so afraid of the possibility of success! which is quite funny. Anyone who has something honest to give or say is vulnerable...imperfect, human. Therefore I wrote ‘Flaws and wrinkles’.  Today I have decided to replace the hunger for perfection, with the aiming for precision. I don’t fancy perfect music, but I love precise heart. 

3. What modern artists do you like ?

I feel inspired by the amazing Radiohead. And I am very attracted to Peter Gabriels universe. Jeff Buckley (though he is dead) still has a nerve and a raw, but embracing sound that seems modern to me. I also have listened to the jazz/pop-singer Cassandra Wilson – she can hit a false note with an honesty that makes me careless with perfection...and I do love heart instead of Mariah Carey! Alanis Morissette is the proof of that. I love hearing Elvis Costello live singing and playing his ballads. And Bjørk of course is really something you can call modern. I live by and like the thought of creating my own universe, and not try to compare artist with each other, not searching for sounding like anybody or everybody. The search for sounding modern, is so old fashion – so why not play and see where your music’s taking you ? And then everyone can tell you what you sound like afterwards.
I feel that Beatles still are modern. The idea of modern music doesn’t depend on fancy sound or trendy fashion. Anything that goes to people’s hearts is modern – everything else is a waste of time. 

4. If you could choose to record a song with any other artist/band alive or dead who would it be and why ?

Peter Gabriel. Why – why not? 


5. What inspires you to write your music/lyrics ? 

Everything I go through. Every change of season. The sadness that I feel gives me joy whenever I can transform it through music. Cracking words, fulfill a moment through singing. I can walk around and observe everything, often in the nature, and compose at the same time. When I walk through life, I’m just always singing to it. Like making my own soundtrack. It makes it all easier to bear. And it gives me a feeling of why I’m here.

6. Name your all time five track by another artist ? 

Joni Mitchell’s grown up version of ‘Both sides now’.
And Peter Gabriel’s ‘My head sounds like that’. 

7. What instruments do you use ? 

I sing and play - mostly guitar, but sometimes piano.


8. What are your ambitions for your music? Where do you see yourself in 5 years ? 

I see myself making records and performing. I have about 60 songs, so there is a lot material:)
And I hope to get to travel around and see the world.


9. How would you describe your music and what genre do you think it fits into ?

Hm...Yes in this business everything has to fit in. The music I make is my own style, but I’m sure you can call it – jazzy, Rock, Folkmusic, pop. But the dreamy, organic, melancholy, melodic-description suits it better :) You could add poetic, thoughtful and spiritual.


10. Where was your new album recorded/produced ? 

We have recorded most of the music in Denmark at a small studio called ‘Pelles room’ with Pelle Fridell as an engineer and produced it ourselves.

11. What is the music scene like in Denmark ?


This is a VERY small country, so the money marked is very controlling – the companies are aiming a lot for one-nightstands and 14-years old singers. I’m sure it is like that in the U.K. too! – But the country is larger, and I suppose it makes a bit more space for underground and singer/songwriters...