Marisa Brown

• Genres: World

Biography

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI, at age two Marisa Brown became convinced she was a musical genius when she corrected her mother's pitch during a lullaby (though perhaps a more astute child would've realized that the strong arm of destiny was guiding her toward criticism, not rockstarhood). Sadly, things never panned out just like she thought they would, but unwilling to admit defeat, Marisa still spent far too much of her time playing and trying to play various musical instruments, eventually becoming a recognized master in lost art of the left-handed triangle. Realizing, however, her uncanny ability to write in the third person provided her more opportunity than her percussive one, she joined the staff at allmusic.com, where she spent the majority of her day adding entries to urbandictionary and defending the use of the third (or fourth or fifth) hypeman at hip-hop shows.

Musical FAQ

First Record Bought: This is a tricky question. My first record, actual record, must have been Free to Be...You and Me, and it was pretty great. My first tape was Billy Joel's KOHUEPT, and my first CD was Matthew Sweet's 100% Fun.
First Concert: Raffi
Favorite Music Movie: This Is Spinal Tap or Purple Rain
Favorite Music Book: Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje. Some may argue this isn't a music book. I guess it's not, in the conventional sense. But it's still my answer.
Favorite Songwriters: Ani DiFranco, 2Pac
Favorite Producers: Black Milk, Chief Xcel, RZA
Favorite Record Labels: Quannum, Muse Deutschland, old Rawkus (though new Rawkus isn't bad)
Favorite Magazines: Wax Poetics, Bon Apetit, The New Yorker
Singers Who Make Me Swoon: Prince, John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Rachel Nagy
Favorite Sound: Breaking glass, especially in the underpass
Favorite Acoustic Guitarist: Son House
Favorite Electric Guitarist: Robert Randolph, Shuggie Otis
Favorite Bassist: Charles Mingus
Favorite MC: Gift of Gab
Favorite DJ: Rob Swift
Album I Will Always Defend: Ace of Base The Sign
Album I Own That No One Else Does: Alexi Lalas Ginger
Artists I'm Supposed to Like But Don't: De La Soul
Band That Should Break Up: U2
Bands That Should Re-Form: Nirvana, the Beatles, the Von Trapp Family Singers, or U2 (but with four different members), whichever would be more likely.
Concert I Wish I'd Seen: Anything Nina Simone
Best Use of "Throw Your Hands in the Air" Motif: Grandmaster Flash's "Beat Street" is the obvious choice, though OutKast's "Atliens" is pretty hot, too.
Best Song About the Alphabet: "'C' Is for Cookie" or "Alphabet Aerobics"
Best Song that Samples Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight": "Starin' Through My Rearview" by 2Pac
Best Venue: The Middle East, Cambridge, MA, The Stick, The D, or any backyard in the summer.

~ Marisa Brown, Rovi