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Marissa Nadler: Portrait of an Enchantress
from volume 02 issue 05 // Aubrey Bramble
Marissa Nadler: Portrait of an Enchantress
Words: Aubrey Bramble
Photos: Aubrey Bramble
I was first introduced to Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler when I reviewed an import copy of her latest album, Songs III: Bird on the Water, for REAX back in April. Listening to her honeyed voice and ethereal guitar folk was a bit like being seduced by a water nymph in an enchanted forest, slipping deep into cerulean waters and never wanting to surface. In short, it was a magical experience.
Hailing from an artistic family (her mother was an abstract painter, her brother a guitarist and novelist), Marissa herself started out as a painter. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design where she studied visual arts, and only after cultivating her fine art skills did she switch her focus to the guitar, on which she is self-taught. She also plays the banjo and the ukulele.
Marissa has the voice of an old soul, and it's easy to picture her in flowing crepe skirts and suede boots; in reality, she's much more likely to show up to a performance in all-black, with dark red lipstick and heavy eye makeup. She giggles into the microphone like a nervous schoolgirl, her persona more Valley Girl than Earth Goddess. She is somewhat of an enigma, a contradiction, but of the highest compliment. Instead of hiding away in her hotel room getting lost in dusty volumes of classical poetry on tour, you'd have a better chance of catching her poolside or parked in front of the in-room television, soaking up the premium channels.
On August 12, she played to a very intimate and appreciative crowd at Park Ave. CDs in Orlando, and I was there to bask in her dreamy glow. After her stripped down set, I caught up with her and we chatted about what it's like to do an "in-store only" East Coast tour, her plans for the future, and what's turning her on at the moment.
She was a total peach.
REAX: So this the last stop on a tour of in-store performances to promote your new album. What's that like and how have things been going for you?
Marissa Nadler: Oh, I hate playing in-stores! They are always a little awkward. I quite prefer regular club gigs. This is something my label wanted me to do. I think part of the problem is - unless you have a huge following or you're on a major label - people don't know about you. New York City had a lot of people. Baltimore, Philly, Raleigh and Atlanta were good. But New York was amazing! That's where all the blogs are based. I have a big blog love.
REAX: How did this in-store compare to some of the others you've played?
MN: This particular in-store was better than most. They really tried with the ambience. I really, really loved the fact that they thought about it and brought candles, and they shut the lights off. They tried to listen to my music and thought that it was atmospheric and made it kind of dark. The other ones I had asked, "is it possible to turn the fluorescent lights off?" and they were, like, trying to operate like normal business hours. You do what you have to do. This was a good in-store though.
REAX: What's next?
MN: Well, I go back up to MA and I have ten days off, and then I'm starting a real tour with a full band. We'll be flying to CA and driving up from San Diego to Seattle... then flying to Chicago, playing there. Then driving across America, playing shows along the way. Then we'll go to Europe.
REAX: Is there a difference between your European shows and the ones back here in the States?
MN: I had a fan base in Europe two years ago. Just now, after I've been touring for years and years and years in America, I'm starting to get people out to my shows, which is really exciting. A lot of American artists break in Europe. For non-mainstream music it's harder to do it the other way around.
REAX: Describe Marissa as an artist. What direction do you find yourself currently going in?
MN: I would say my main goal is to make beauty. I take inspiration from fantasy and reality equally in my songs. I'm going in a spacier direction. More layered… more honest… more focused.
Make a new friend and check Marissa out at www.myspace.com/songsoftheend or www.marissanadler.com . She will be on tour through November.
Words: Aubrey Bramble
Photos: Aubrey Bramble
I was first introduced to Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler when I reviewed an import copy of her latest album, Songs III: Bird on the Water, for REAX back in April. Listening to her honeyed voice and ethereal guitar folk was a bit like being seduced by a water nymph in an enchanted forest, slipping deep into cerulean waters and never wanting to surface. In short, it was a magical experience.
Hailing from an artistic family (her mother was an abstract painter, her brother a guitarist and novelist), Marissa herself started out as a painter. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design where she studied visual arts, and only after cultivating her fine art skills did she switch her focus to the guitar, on which she is self-taught. She also plays the banjo and the ukulele.
Marissa has the voice of an old soul, and it's easy to picture her in flowing crepe skirts and suede boots; in reality, she's much more likely to show up to a performance in all-black, with dark red lipstick and heavy eye makeup. She giggles into the microphone like a nervous schoolgirl, her persona more Valley Girl than Earth Goddess. She is somewhat of an enigma, a contradiction, but of the highest compliment. Instead of hiding away in her hotel room getting lost in dusty volumes of classical poetry on tour, you'd have a better chance of catching her poolside or parked in front of the in-room television, soaking up the premium channels.
On August 12, she played to a very intimate and appreciative crowd at Park Ave. CDs in Orlando, and I was there to bask in her dreamy glow. After her stripped down set, I caught up with her and we chatted about what it's like to do an "in-store only" East Coast tour, her plans for the future, and what's turning her on at the moment.
She was a total peach.
REAX: So this the last stop on a tour of in-store performances to promote your new album. What's that like and how have things been going for you?
Marissa Nadler: Oh, I hate playing in-stores! They are always a little awkward. I quite prefer regular club gigs. This is something my label wanted me to do. I think part of the problem is - unless you have a huge following or you're on a major label - people don't know about you. New York City had a lot of people. Baltimore, Philly, Raleigh and Atlanta were good. But New York was amazing! That's where all the blogs are based. I have a big blog love.
REAX: How did this in-store compare to some of the others you've played?
MN: This particular in-store was better than most. They really tried with the ambience. I really, really loved the fact that they thought about it and brought candles, and they shut the lights off. They tried to listen to my music and thought that it was atmospheric and made it kind of dark. The other ones I had asked, "is it possible to turn the fluorescent lights off?" and they were, like, trying to operate like normal business hours. You do what you have to do. This was a good in-store though.
REAX: What's next?
MN: Well, I go back up to MA and I have ten days off, and then I'm starting a real tour with a full band. We'll be flying to CA and driving up from San Diego to Seattle... then flying to Chicago, playing there. Then driving across America, playing shows along the way. Then we'll go to Europe.
REAX: Is there a difference between your European shows and the ones back here in the States?
MN: I had a fan base in Europe two years ago. Just now, after I've been touring for years and years and years in America, I'm starting to get people out to my shows, which is really exciting. A lot of American artists break in Europe. For non-mainstream music it's harder to do it the other way around.
REAX: Describe Marissa as an artist. What direction do you find yourself currently going in?
MN: I would say my main goal is to make beauty. I take inspiration from fantasy and reality equally in my songs. I'm going in a spacier direction. More layered… more honest… more focused.
Make a new friend and check Marissa out at www.myspace.com/songsoftheend or www.marissanadler.com . She will be on tour through November.
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posted Oct 22nd 2007, 00:43