Mary Hansen
Encyclopedia
Mary Hansen was a guitarist and singer with Stereolab
.
Born in Maryborough
north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, Hansen moved to London in the late 1980s and became a backing singer with the Essex
-based indie band, The Wolfhounds
.
She met Stereolab founder Tim Gane
when the Wolfhounds played with his band McCarthy
, and joined Stereolab
as second vocalist in 1992. She also played guitar, as well as percussion and keyboards, and occasionally sang lead vocals.
She also sang on records by Brokeback
, The High Llamas
, Moonshake
and Mouse on Mars
among others, and was also producer of the London group Chicano. In 2000 Hansen teamed up with Seattle space rock
group, Hovercraft
to form Schema. Schema featured vocals and instrumentals in approximately equal measure, adding some synthesizer. An eponymous maxi-EP/mini-album was released in 2000 on avant-garde Kill Rock Stars
imprint, 5 Rue Christine
.
Hansen was struck by a lorry
and killed while riding her bicycle in London
on 9 December 2002. She was 36 years old. She had remained a member of Stereolab until her death.
In 2004, Hybird, an EP of some of Hansen's music, was released posthumously. This EP, which also featured her artwork, contained three tracks which had been released in limited editions before her death, and a final track which was finished by Andy Ramsay
of Stereolab.
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
.
Born in Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, Hansen moved to London in the late 1980s and became a backing singer with the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
-based indie band, The Wolfhounds
The Wolfhounds
The Wolfhounds were an indie rock band formed in Romford, Havering, England in 1985 by Dave Callahan, Paul Clark, Andy Golding, Andy Bolton and Frank Stebbing. They began as a slightly askew pop/rock band, and signed to the Pink label in 1986. First EP Cut The Cake was well enough received for...
.
She met Stereolab founder Tim Gane
Tim Gane
Tim Gane is the leader of the rock band, Stereolab.He started his musical career as a purveyor of harsh noise in the early 1980s under the alias Unkommuniti releasing self financed cassettes on Black Dwarf Wreckordings along with fellow Unkommuniti members Kallous Boys and other noise projects....
when the Wolfhounds played with his band McCarthy
McCarthy (band)
McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, Essex, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden and Tim Gane with John Williamson and Gary Baker...
, and joined Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
as second vocalist in 1992. She also played guitar, as well as percussion and keyboards, and occasionally sang lead vocals.
She also sang on records by Brokeback
Brokeback (band)
Brokeback is a project of Doug McCombs, bassist of Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day.- Featured artists :* Rob Mazurek* Noel Kupersmith* Mary Hansen * James McNew * Chad Taylor...
, The High Llamas
The High Llamas
The High Llamas are a London-based musical group, formed by the Irish guitarist and songwriter Sean O'Hagan after the demise of his group Microdisney. O'Hagan writes and arranges the music and the rest of the group consists of drummer Rob Allum, keyboardist/cellist Marcus Holdaway, and...
, Moonshake
Moonshake
Moonshake was a UK-based experimental rock/post-rock band existing between 1991 and 1997. The only consistent member was singer/sampler player/occasional guitarist David Callahan, who initially co-led the project with Margaret Fiedler...
and Mouse on Mars
Mouse on Mars
Mouse on Mars is a duo from Germany who have been making electronic music since 1993. Their music is a sometimes quirky blend of IDM, krautrock, disco, and ambient with a heavy dollop of analog synth sounds and cross-frequency modulation...
among others, and was also producer of the London group Chicano. In 2000 Hansen teamed up with Seattle space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
group, Hovercraft
Hovercraft (band)
Hovercraft was an instrumental experimental rock group that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993. It was co-founded by its core duo of guitarist/samplist/tape looper Ryan Shinn, and bassist Beth Liebling. Liebling and Shinn would use the pseudonyms "Sadie 7" and "Campbell 2000", respectively,...
to form Schema. Schema featured vocals and instrumentals in approximately equal measure, adding some synthesizer. An eponymous maxi-EP/mini-album was released in 2000 on avant-garde Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
imprint, 5 Rue Christine
5 Rue Christine
5 Rue Christine is a semi-defunct Olympia, Washington based independent record label, formed as a spin-off from the Kill Rock Stars label in 1997...
.
Hansen was struck by a lorry
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
and killed while riding her bicycle in London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
on 9 December 2002. She was 36 years old. She had remained a member of Stereolab until her death.
In 2004, Hybird, an EP of some of Hansen's music, was released posthumously. This EP, which also featured her artwork, contained three tracks which had been released in limited editions before her death, and a final track which was finished by Andy Ramsay
Andy Ramsay
Andy Ramsay is a British drummer, programmer and sound engineer. He has played with the electro-pop band Stereolab since 1992...
of Stereolab.
External links
- Guardian obituary
- Times obituary
- [ Mary Hansen discography on Allmusic]