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Artist: John Hiatt & The Goners
Song: Window On The World
Album: Beneath This Gruff Exterior Refresh
(read some reviews)
Artist: Robben Ford
Song: Peace On My Mind
Artist: Cabin
Song: I Was Here
Artist: A Fine Frenzy
Song: Almost Lover
Artist: Chris Webster
Song: Something In The Water
Artist: Renee Stahl
Song: Run
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REALLYMUSICRADIO presents
JENNIFER MARKS
When Jennifer Marks heard Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin singing "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" as a Long Island grade schooler, she never dreamed that she would one day grow into the song's living embodiment. Powered by a fiercely independent character that is balanced by an effervescent personality, Marks has made a career for herself out of her own resources and on her own terms, recording and releasing three albums on her own, while generating a sizable cult audience and accumulating an ever-growing stack of positive ink, like this rave in the CMJ New Music Report: "Singersongwriter Jennifer Marks bears a musical resemblance to Aimee Mann, though Marks' style is slightly edgier. Her lyrics are always poignant and engaging--and her arrangements are equally gorgeous and entrancing." In light of her impressive career path up to now, it's a measure of her belief in recently formed Bardic Records that Marks has chosen to cast her lot with the nontraditional label. But hold on, we're getting ahead of ourselves."I was a real tomboy as a kid," Marks says. "As I got older and the boys weren't chasing me for the football anymore-they were chasing me for something else-I had to give up some of the sports I loved. I was looking for something I could do, kind of dig into, and I discovered I could sing. I tried out for a concert and got the solo. It wasn't long before I was flying all over the world in elite choruses. But I didn't even realize that you could be a songwriter for a living until I was 17 or 18 years old."
Marks released what she describes as her first "real" record, My Name's Not Red, on her own Red Kurl label (yup, she's a natural redhead). "I was flying by the seat of my pants," she admits. "I had no idea about anything. But I started touring solo-I couldn't afford to take a band, which forced me to really learn how to play the guitar. I hired the independent promoter, the publicist, did all that stuff. I got a fair amount of attention from that record, sold a bunch of CDs and made enough money to make another record. I worked my ass off and made it happen." Two years later-in August 2002-the fledgling entrepreneur released It Turned Me On, co-produced by her longtime collaborator Brad Albetta and Cameron Greider (Freedy Johnston), which wound up selling more discs, garnering more press and getting more play on college radio stations. Her songs kept turning up on the soundtracks to independent films and on soap operas like As the World Turns. The checks were coming in with gratifying regularity. It was all good, and Marks was quite pleased with the way things were going. "Then Bardic called," she says. "Actually, I got an email from [U.S. label president] Jack Ponti. I spoke to him for a couple of hours the next day, then I met with the Bardic crew the following Monday. That same night, they said they wanted to sign me." Marks found herself saying yes, but only after consulting her attorney ("I'm not fresh off the boat" she quips).
"I was doing okay; I wasn't starving," the freshly affiliated Marks says of her decision. "There's a lot of opportunity in making music independently, and I think unless something unique comes along, something that's really going to make your life better, it's good to stay there. But the people at Bardic have so much energy, they have a great plan in place and they're incredibly smart. I'm looking forward to the ride."
- Bud Scoppa
Jennifer's website
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