Mary Timony

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Mary B. Timony (born in Washington, D.C., 1970) is an American indie rock singer, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist.

Biography

Timony attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., where she played guitar in the jazz band and also studied viola.

In 1990-91 Timony played guitar and shared lead vocals in the Washington, D.C.-based all-female band Autoclave. She later relocated to Boston, where she graduated from Boston University with a degree in English literature and formed the band Helium in the summer of 1992, recording two albums and three EPs with the group between 1994 and 1997. Helium disbanded in 1998, whereupon Timony embarked on her solo career, recording albums in 2000 and 2002 (Mountains and The Golden Dove).

In the mid 2000s, Timony moved back to D.C. In 2005, Timony joined with drummer Devin Ocampo; her album Ex Hex, released on the Lookout! Records label, features the two performing together as a duo. In the same year, she contributed vocals to Team Sleep's self-titled album on the tracks "Tomb of Liegia" and "King Diamond."

Her most recent album, The Shapes We Make, was released on the Kill Rock Stars label on May 8, 2007. A music video for "Sharp Shooter" was produced by the art collective Paper Rad.

In early 2009, Mary Timony formed a new band, Pow Wow, with Jonah R. Takagi and Winston H. Yu.^[1] As of June 2009 the group added T. J. Lipple and changed its name to Soft Power.^[2]

Timony's music is often heavy and dark, frequently using drones, beats, and modal melodies reminiscent of European Medieval music. She uses a number of alternate guitar tunings, most prominent of which is DADGAE, which allows for the execution of melodic passages.

Her brother, Patrick Timony, is the keyboard player for the band The Picture is Dead.

There is a reference to Mary Timony in the lyrics to the song "Your Bruise" by the American indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, from their 1998 debut album Something About Airplanes.

Side projects

In addition to her work with Autoclave, Helium, and the Mary Timony Band, Timony has occasionally collaborated or recorded with other groups. In 1999, Timony recorded a four-song vinyl EP with Carrie Brownstein of the band Sleater-Kinney, in a duo called The Spells. In 2000, she recorded a six-song CD with Anna Johansson and Erin Maclean, entitled Green 4.

In 1995, Timony recorded the song "All Dressed Up In Dreams" with Stephen Merritt, on The 6ths album Wasps' Nests.

Timony collaborated with Team Sleep on Tomb of Liegia and King Diamond on their 2005 self-titled album.

Films

Timony had a role in the 1997 independent film All Over Me as lead singer/guitarist of the fictional girl rock band Coochie Pop, along with another real-life singer/guitarist, Leisha Hailey. They performed the Helium song "Hole in the Ground" in the movie.

Discography

Mary Timony Band

• The Shapes We Make 2007

Kill Rock Stars

Mary Timony

• Ex Hex 2005

Lookout! Records

• The Golden Dove 2002

Matador Records

• Mountains 2000

Matador Records

Green 4

• Green 4 2000 (limited edition CD-R)

The Spells

• The Age of Backwards E.P. 1999

International Pop Underground (K Records)

Mind Science of the Mind

• Mind Science of the Mind 1996

Epic Records

Helium

• The Magic City 1997

Matador Records

• No Guitars E.P. 1997

Matador Records

• Superball+ E.P. 1995

Matador Records

• The Dirt of Luck 1995

Matador Records

• Pirate Prude (EP) 1994

Matador Records

Autoclave

• Autoclave 2002

Combined CD of 10" and 7" originally released 1991

Dischord Records

References

External links

• Mary Timony official site
• Mary Timony page at Myspace.com
• Soft Power's Myspace page

Interviews

• Mary Timony interview from Ink 19 (April 2003)
• Mary Timony interview by Jenny Tatone, from Kitty Magik site
• Lazy-i Interview: May 2005