(The following was originally posted on the Dar-List, but I'm sure he won't
mind my transferring the post)
Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 10:25:58 -0400
From: "Tom Neff" <tneff@panix.com>
Subject: Mare Winningham is for real
OK, here is the story on Mare Winningham. I went down to the Bottom Line last
night for Required Listening, which had Mare on a bill with Cosy Sheridan and
Mark Fracasso (and Doug September, who could not be there due to unforeseen
events). As mentioned here earlier, Razor & Tie (Dar's label) have picked up
Mare's second album, LONESOMERS, which was apparently originally going to come
out on Varese Sarabande but never did.
As an actress, Mare is about as accomplished as you can be (Emmy winner for
AMBER WAVES, Oscar nomination for GEORGIA) without really being a big star.
Musically, she has been performing with her own band, mostly in California, for
about 12 years. Still, I kind of wondered whether this would be another Bacon
Brothers circus, with a limp vanity band onstage** and a packed house full of
celeb schmoozers egging them on. I was delighted to be wrong as follows:
First,
the celeb quotient was zero. The house was very light in fact, and I don't
think anybody was there to catch a whiff of Hollywood. Secondly, there was no
band, just Ms Winningham alternating between acoustic guitar (played standing)
and a big ole dulcimer (played sitting on a stool - Mare said "I finally
figured
out you got to wear pants at a gig where you play dulcimer"). Finally, the
musical goods really were there.
I was impressed and intrigued by the songwriting, which combines a spare and
classical folk-pop sound (she acknowledged Dusty Springfield and Petula
Clark as
childhood influences) with lyrics of solid intelligence and passion. I would
put her somewhere on the field between Jill Sobule and Shawn Colvin,
without the
former's sometimes bugeyed nutsiness. Mare's voice is not huge, but it is
strong and clear; sometimes she uses a little Patsy Cline "catch." She really
lays into that dulcimer - I think she's closer to her musical center with
one in
her lap, and good for her.
All in all, I think Mare is definitely be worth your time to discover if you
like, say, both Dar and Shawn Colvin. I am glad I went to the show. Given
Razor's BMG distribution, you should be able to find LONESOMERS at your record
store soon, or at CDNow, CD Universe, Amazon etc online, or toll free from
Razor
& Tie themselves at 1-800-443-3555. I've only listened to the CD once, last
night after the show, so my judgment isn't gelled, but it sounds pretty
good. I
have no tour information for Mare, but I know she plays the West Coast a lot,
and I will try to get as much of it as possible on-line with Razor's help.
____
** I realize that the Bacon Bros. is really Kevin's brother's band and doesn't
qualify as "vanity" -- except as promoted. Without Mr. Footloose at the mike,
they'd be playing liquor lounges in Amarillo.
By the way, Mare Winningham has a Bacon index of 2 - she appeared in WYATT EARP
with Costner, who appeared in JFK with Kevin. I want you to have all the
facts.
Edith Bellinghausen
Director of New Media
Razor & Tie Entertainment
ebelling@razorandtie.com
212-473-9173