john & mary

place of origin:

Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.

styles:

highly originaly shimmering alternative folk pop, blending classical, folk and pop music

influences:

The Beatles, Fairport Convention, Big Star, Small Faces, The Byrds

records:

Victory Gardens (1991)

The Weedkiller's Daughter (1993)

John & Mary and Their Band Live (1994)

members:

John Lombardo (6 & 12 string guitars, bass, vocals); Mary Ramsey (vocals, viola, violin, keyboards)

personal quotes:

"Mary comes from a structured, academic musical background, whereas I'm completely untrained and approach it instinctively. I think that this album combines the best of those two approaches. I think it's got a sort of sad, tragic quality to it, a sense of melancholy. A lot of the people who influenced me; people like Gram Parsons and Ronnie Lane and Ray Davies and Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson and Robbie Robertson and Joe Strummer; put across the same kind of feeling in
 their work, and that's what we were shooting for."

-John Lombardo

"It would take a feat of monumental cynicism not to be enchanted by the life-affirming wonder John & Mary enchant you with".

-The Melody Maker

It is nearly impossible to think of John & Mary without 10,000 Maniacs coming to mind. After all John Lombardo, was one of the most influencial members of 10,000 Maniacs, and he carried much of the sound he'd cultivated in his former band into his partnership with singer/violist Mary Ramsey. In addition, guitarist Robert Buck and drummer Jerome Augustyniak (both longtime members of 10KM) were heavilly involved with both John & Mary studio albums. But the contemplative, vivacious music that resulted from John Lomabrdo and Mary Ramsey's six-year duo-ship is some of the most strikingly original and breathtaking material to be heard, beautifully defined by Lombardo's enthralling 12-string acoustic guitar and Ramsey's rich, classically trained vocals and viols.

John C. Lombardo was one of the most important founders of 10,000 Maniacs and wrote most of the band's material between 1981 and 1986. Due to disagreements with several of his bandmates and financial trouble with their label Elektra, he departed the band in late 1986 following a lengthy tour in support of the album THE WISHING CHAIR. Returning to the Buffalo area, he became involved with several bands, and formed The Hopheads in 1988. Around this time, he spotted Mary Jeanne Ramsey performing with a classical ensemble by the name of The Lexington String Trio. Enamoured by her hauntingly subtle vocals, and rich, awe-inspiring viola work, he asked her to jam with his group. It was difficult for Ramsey's viola to be heard over the loud rock sound of The Hopheads, and so the two departed to begin work on their own, dreamy little folk world.

Performing around the Buffalo area and supporting 10,000 Maniacs on their 'Time Capsule' tour, John & Mary quickly gained attention from the "enlightened" Buffalo underground. They signed as free agents to Rykodisc and began work on their debut record. The result was the superb VICTORY GARDENS (1991, Rykodisc). It was a quiet, folkish record dominated by Lombardo's keen sense of melody, with haunting undertones that seemed to lurk somewhere just beneath the sweet, chiming atmosphere. That combined with the thoughtful lyrics and Rob Buck's shimmering trademark guitar style made the album draw comparisons to old 10,000 Maniacs records (particularly THE WISHING CHAIR) but there were clear distinctions between Ramsey and Natalie Merchant. Unlike Merchant's outspoken narrative style Ramsey became her frantic, energetic subjects, such as the immigrant Marika in the upbeat "Red Wooden Beads" and the restless houswife in "The Open Window". Her personal reflections were no less astounding, beautifully executed in the exquisite folk lullabies "Piles of Dead Leaves" and "Rags of Flowers". Lombardo's lyrics were as contemplative and intriguing as ever, from the visionistic tale of "Pram" to the, surprising confessional attitude of "We Have Nothing", the later featuring backround vocals from Ronnie Lane of Small Faces. No doubt John & Mary had attracted a following that spanned the U.S. and Europe, primarilly amongst 10,000 Maniacs fans.

Mary Ramsey spent time in 1992 adding her viola and violin skills to 10,000 Maniacs' fifth album OUR TIME IN EDEN. But she and Lombardo would be back in the studio before long. This time a whole clique of like-minded musicians, including Blue Rodeo's keyboardist Bob Wiseman, innovative Canadian vocalist Mary Margaret O'Hara, superb mandolinist Stan Barton, pioneering singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex Chilton and ofcourse Buck and Augustyniak, were involved and the result was the more atmospheric THE WEEDKILLER'S DAUGHTER (1993, Rykodisc). The sophisticated topics remained similar, from tales of dislexia ("Clare's Scarf"), to rejoicing in a time of peace ("Two World's Parted"), to thoughtful recollections ("Angels of Stone", "One Step Backward"). The sound was more fleshed out, retaining its predecessors folk edge. 'Weedkiller' also revealed more of a confidence in Ramsey's enchanting vocals, and recording in general. It contained her first sole composition, "Maid of the Mist" as well as her own arrangement of the traditional "The Poor Murdered Woman".

Between 1993 and 1994 John & Mary toured in and around Buffalo with Brad Jones (bass), former Psychedelic Furs member John Ashton (lead guitar) and founding Violent Femmes percussionist Victor DeLorenzo (drums). Cuts from these performances were made into the cassette release JOHN & MARY AND THEIR BAND LIVE. Available in 1994 exclusively through John & Mary's fan club, this excellent live collection included lead vocals from Lombardo on the 10,000 Maniacs single "Can't Ignore the Train" as well as a cover of the Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty in Pink". The record that would prove to be John & Mary's final duo release became a sought after collector's item and was later re-issued by 10,000 Maniacs' website at highly limited supplies on compact disc.

There are two excellent John & Mary pages on the web, both of which are based in Brazil. They are The Open Window, and A Nightfall which is an extension of the 10,000 Maniacs fansite Amaze Me Now.

The Impryan Emporium