Soul Permeating Singer, Mary Fahl, at the me and thee

Press release by Linda Werbner

On Friday, December 11 the me & thee welcomes singer-songwriter Mary Fahl, whose voice has been praised as a soul-permeating contralto. Fahl, who headed the 90s folk-rock/alternative group October Project, will perform tunes from her latest release Love and Gravity which is packed with flowing ethereal folk and world ballads. Opening artist Brian Dunne, brings his warm, introspective modern folk -pop sensibilities to the oldest and most revered coffeehouse in New England. The show starts at 8 p.m. The me & thee coffeehouse at the Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 28 Mugford Street in the historic ‘Old Town’ section of Marblehead.

Every article, interview and profile of singer-songwriter Mary Fahl pays tribute to the VOICE. Fahl possesses an incredibly expressive beautifully proportioned contralto, as Variety raved. It’s a voice that has attracted a large and loyal fanbase of ‘Mary Fahl evangelists’ and even caught the ears and imagination of best-selling author Anne Rice, whose works celebrates the supernatural. Rice, who penned the wildly popular Interview with the Vampire, asked Fahl to compose a theme song for the audiobook of her latest novel The Wolves of Midwinter.

Rice is also a fan of Fahl’s previous outfit, The October Project, a mid-1990s cinematic folk and progressive rock group that disbanded after two strong releases. Fahl then became a solo artist and has never looked back. This is a performer who has taken bold chances and pushed herself more than most. Some years earlier, at the urging of her marine ecologist husband, she embarked on a summer boot-camp tour playing open mics throughout Pennsylvania in an effort to get her musical bearings, overcome her anxiety about performing solo and “appearing amateurish, yet another girl with a guitar.” Fahl soon discovered she could hold the attention of listeners who knew nothing about her, even bikers, as music journalist Geoff Gehman wrote.

Fahl’s music has appeared on motion picture soundtracks including the 2003 Civil War epic Gods and Generals and The Guys. The same year, Fahl recorded a stirring and sensual 11th century traditional Arabic love song “Ben Aindi Habibi,” which appears on The Other Side of Time. Fahl had wanted to record this goosebump-inducing ballad of desire when she was with October Project but was laughed out of the studio. Now it is one of her most requested songs. Next up was Fahl’s interpretation of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, which has been called an “album for the ages.” Fahl will spotlight songs from her latest Love and Gravity, which was produced by the legendary John Lissauer, who has worked with Leonard Cohen. Fahl wrote most of the songs but there is one standout cover of the Joni Mitchell chestnut “Both Sides Now.” Says Fahl of her latest offering, “I wanted something that you could listen to 20 years from now and something that was honest enough that it would resonate someplace deep within you.”

Brian Dunne, who opens this evening of music, is a young, up-and-coming New York-based singer-songwriter whose roots are in folk, rock, Americana, and even country. His clear, emotive voice and lyrics of love and longing bring to mind other masters of the genre including Jackson Browne, Ben Folds, and David Gray. Dunne honed his craft at Boston’s hallowed Berklee College of Music and after graduating in 2011 returned to his native New York where he has been writing and performing steadily and making big waves. His second release, The Brooklyn Bridge EP, charted on the US iTunes singer/songwriter charts and earned kudos from fellow singer-songwriter and Berklee alum John Mayer.

Tickets for the performance by Mary Fahl are $24 in advance and $27 at the door. Student tickets are $10. Tickets are available online at www.meandthee.org and can be purchased in person at the Spirit of ’76 Bookstore or the Arnould Gallery in Marblehead. The Landing Restaurant at 81 Front Street, Marblehead offers a 10% discount on dinner if you show your ticket or receipt. Enjoy a meal before the show! As at all me & thee coffeehouse events, refreshments are available, including homemade pastries, coffee, and teas. The me & thee has a handicapped-accessible entrance and an accessible bathroom, is a smoke-free environment, and is easily reached by MBTA bus.

The me & thee is one of the oldest continually running acoustic coffeehouses in New England, and probably the country. It has been and will always be a volunteer, non-profit organization sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead. For information and directions, call 781-631-8987 or check the website at www.meandthee.org.

Next concert: February 5 – Cricket Tell the Weather, an award-winning Brooklyn-based acoustic quartet that draws inspiration from bluegrass, folk, old-time and spirituals plays a co-bill with Americana group, Monica Rizzio and Old Kings Highway