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| FOLK/OLD TIME/SWING & ECLECTIC MUSIC | ||
| Cathy
Fink & Marcy Marxer are a formidable powerhouse of sound, with a repertoire
of traditional and contemporary folk, old-time country and swing music.
Their superb harmonies are backed by instrumental virtuosity on the acoustic
and electric guitar, five-string banjo, mandolin, pennywhistle, hammered
dulcimer, percussion and many other instruments. Cathy & Marcy met in 1980 at the Toronto Folk Festival. They performed and collaborated together frequently for several years until 1984 when they formed a full time duo. They have played thousands of shows in concert halls, schools, festivals and clubs throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Israel, winning tremendous praise for their tight harmony singing, songwriting and exquisite interpretations of traditional music. Their songs address topics that range from heart songs to labor songs, history to today’s news, comedy about middle age and parenting to the best in family entertainment. They sing, yodel, harmonize, spin tales, play breathtaking instrumentals and reach out to their audience, which takes part in the celebration. Billboard Magazine described their music: “as close to flawless folk/bluegrass as it gets.” Drawing heavily on tradition while creating bridges between the past and future, Cathy & Marcy have studied with a wide variety of musical masters. This includes Appalachian singer, songwriter and banjo player, Ola Belle Reed to the “Wizard of the Strings”, Roy Smeck, and Patsy Montana, the first woman in country music to sell one million records. Rather than fit neatly in to one niche, they enjoy diverse musical interests, finding ways to bring the traditional and contemporary, folk, bluegrass, swing and unclassifiable music together into their shows. Their 2002 release, “Postcards”, embraced that versatility and won a GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Traditional Folk Album”. The duo's original songwriting has won national recognition and acclaim. Cathy's song, "Names", an anthem for the AIDs Memorial Quilt, has been recorded by over 30 artists internationally and won a Mid Atlantic Songwriter’s Association Award. Marcy has twice won recognition from the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and has written three independent film scores. Between them, the duo has penned over 200 songs, many recorded and sung by other artists. As instrumentalists, Cathy & Marcy are masters on the five string banjo, mandolin, electric and acoustic guitar. This has made them popular instructors at summer music workshops such as Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamp, The Augusta Heritage Workshops,. Swannanoa Gathering and California Coast Music Camp. It has also created demand for them as studio musicians in the Washington, DC area and earned recognition from the Martin Guitar Company who have honored Cathy & Marcy with their own signature model guitars in 2005 (button). In the late 1980’s, at a time when women in bluegrass had not yet received the recognition they deserved, Cathy & Marcy produced the ground breaking “Blue Rose” CD with Laurie Lewis, Sally Van Meter and Molly Mason. In 2001they broke new barriers in collaboration with Polka rockers, Brave Combo, releasing “All Wound Up: A Family Music Party”, a CD that refuses to be played by children only! Other collaborations include Cathy & Marcy’s annual Tribute to Hank Williams with Robin & Linda Williams, Bill Kirchen, Dave Giegerich (dobro, steel guitar), Rickie Simpkins (fiddle) and Mark Schatz (bass). Originally produced at the Birchmere Music Hall in 1996, the annual event sells out several concert venues each year during the winter holidays. The show toured to VT and the Philadelphia Folk Festival and continues to serve as an annual reunion for the friends who perform, and those who attend. Cathy & Marcy offer country and swing concerts with the core band (3-6 piece). The duo has toured the UK with Tom Paxton and has shared the stage with Pete Seeger, John McCutcheon, Si Kahn, Grace Griffith, Bonnie Rideout, Bill Harley and Mary Chapin Carpenter (in her Takoma Park, MD days). Through the years, Cathy & Marcy have supported numerous causes and organizations with benefit concerts and volunteer work. Touring with Si Kahn in the 1980’s for the Clean Water Action Project led to the publication of a book teaching grassroots organizations how to raise funds with concerts and concert related fundraising. The book, “Note by Note, A Guide to Concert Production” continues to serve as one of the few resources available for grassroots organizations to learn how to combine the good vibes and good will of music with the causes that are important to us. From the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to a Minnesota Public Radio presentation at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, from the King County Library System in Seattle to the Wolf Trap Barns in Vienna, VA, The Kennedy Center’s ”Women in Jazz” festival or a bluegrass festival in Japan, Cathy and Marcy have proven their ability to entertain and leave a lasting impression of the importance of music in our lives. They look forward to the next twenty years of collaboration. |
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