ABoUt FRoG iN tHE ReEdS
Mary was born and raised in rural western Pennsylvania next door to a farm with a pond. She loved listening to the call of the bullfrogs when the windows were open on summer nights. It is on her top ten favorite sounds list, along with wind in the trees and train whistles. Thus, the name Frog in the Reeds.
Mary spent a lot of time listening to 45s. The first favorite song she remembers was an instrumental version of "Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be" from Playhour records. At age four, Mary thought these cats sounded very modern and avant- garde.
By this time, Mary had been introduced to the possibilities of the guitar. She picked up her brother's acoustic and wrote her first piece, which used loud strumming and an entirely open stringed format. The song was called "Cigarette", because it seemed like what a rock star might sing about.
Mary began taking piano lessons and continued for most of two years. She was just good enough to play "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon with minimal mistakes, as well as Für Elise by Beethoven, at least until it got to the hard part.
Mary created an imaginary all-girl glam rock band called The Hamburgers. She wrote lyrics for two albums. The first was titled "The Works", and the second was called "Return". Song titles included "The Moldy Orange" and "The Sock Store". All of the music was composed in Mary's head, but sadly never made it into reality.
For an unknown reason, a friend gave Mary a bass and amp for free. So Mary decided she would become a bass player. After too little consideration, she bought Mel Bay's slap bass instructional book and tried to learn to play. She began to dream of being in a rock band in earnest.
At community college, Mary sat next to a boy who sounded like a cartoon dog when he talked. He played the oboe, but didn't really want to. He offered to let her borrow it. She tried with much difficulty for at least a month to learn it, but it gave her a headache, and she gave it back to the boy.
After discovering the Danielson Famile at a live show, and being struck with currents of joy descending from heaven, Mary was inspired to make unusual music of her own. The seeds were planted for things to come.
Mary hooked up with some Rusted Root-inspired musical friends to sing in a couple of college Battle of the Bands scenarios, and began playing with church music groups. Nobody was interested in her slap funk bass, but it was all right.
Mary wrote and recorded an album, a real album this time, Walking Tour of Spiders in the Woods, with actual instruments. She had the joy of working with Daniel Smith, her music hero, at Familyre Studio in NJ.
Always entranced by deep, rich sounds, Mary became fascinated with the upright bass and took lessons from a gypsy jazz player and another guy with a well groomed handlebar mustache. She wasn't a natural. The whole thing never quite took off as she imagined it, and she started really getting into electric guitar.
Mary fell in love with the Telecaster. Some friends and family got together and practiced for months, learning a bunch of fun old covers. They played at a nursing home in front of a mostly asleep, but appreciative crowd.
Using the alias Awake My Lyre, Mary produced an EP of worship songs and used the proceeds to help people persecuted for their Christian faith around the world through Voice of the Martyrs.
Mary's goal was to make some fun happy music that kind of sounded like a soundtrack for a heist movie. Did she do it? You be the judge. Life and Death. Click here to listen, and think about the heists you could pull off.