Mary Prankster
Encyclopedia
Mary Prankster was the moniker for a U.S.
singer-songwriter
primarily associated with Baltimore
(now residing in New York
) who played a blend of alternative/indie music with extremely frank lyrics. The name is a reference to Ken Kesey
's Merry Pranksters
. After over 1,000 live performances the Mary Prankster character was retired over "Pranksgiving Weekend" (November 25–28, 2005); the woman behind Mary continues to work on other creative projects.
The musicians who have played in her band include Phil "The Machine" Tang, Jon "E. Cakes" Seidman, Dave "E. Rocket" Vergauwen, Mike Lackey, Cord Neal, Matt Collorafice, Terry Klawth, Andy Mabe, Cliff Retallick, Sam McCall and Michael Smith.
Her first radio single was "Tits and Whiskey" from album Blue Skies Over Dundalk
(produced by Steve Wright of Wright Way Studios in Baltimore), a 1:40 song which she called "my attempt at writing the most obnoxious song ever", and which contained the word "fuck
" thirteen times. This did not stop local radio station WHFS
from playing the song daily for several weeks. WHFS also arranged for her to play a free roadside show on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
that was quickly shut down by the police due to the traffic back-ups that it created and landed her a spot opening for They Might Be Giants
at a sold-out show in Washington, DC, the singer having been banned from playing clubs in her hometown of Annapolis due to controversial lyrics.
Following the release of Roulette Girl
(produced by Rennie Grant and recorded by Steve Wright) she left Fowl Records
to create Palace Coup Records (PCR). Roulette Girl was re-released by PCR, while Blue Skies Over Dundalk was combined with the Mata Hari EP and a bonus track to create the album Blue Skies Forever in 2001.
That same year she recorded the "Love Has A Rumble" single with Baltimore Rock-Reggae band Colouring Lesson. The single was released to international and domestic radio stations and offered exclusively as a download through the singer's website http://www.maryprankster.com.
In 2002 she recorded Tell Your Friends with producer Mitch Easter
(R.E.M., Pavement) at The Fidelitorium in Kernersville, North Carolina. The album was mixed by Shelly Yakus (Tom Petty, U2) and made the CMJ charts due to extensive nationwide college radio play. Prankster recruited North Carolina musicians Andy Mabe (Neko Case, Clare Fader) and Terry Klawth (Jodie Foster's Army, Mighty Sphincter) for the Tell Your Friends tour which culminated in a recorded performance at Washington, DC's 9:30 Club that became the 2004 release "Lemonade: LIVE".
In 2004 the entire Mary Prankster catalog, including singles, became available on iTunes and other digital music sites.
The Washington Area Music Association
(WAMA) has nominated her for nine Wammies
, two of which she won - Best Alternative Female Vocalist in 1999 and Best Alternative Rock Female Vocalist in 2000. "Blue Skies Forever" also won second place in the Just Plain Folks 2006 Music Awards Punk Album category. Her music has been promoted by Dr. Demento
and she has also enjoyed heavy rotation on the Red Peters
show on Sirius Satellite Radio
.
Her logo is based on that of National Bohemian
, a Maryland
beer. The cover of Blue Skies Over Dundalk is based on can designs of "Natty Boh", and Roulette Girl contains a track named "Rational Bohemian". The cover of "Roulette Girl" features a plate spinning performer from the People's Circus of China, the cover of "Tell Your Friends" is a vintage image of a telephone operator licensed from the Seattle Historical Society and the cover of "Lemonade: LIVE" is an homage to Countrytime Lemonade.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
primarily associated with Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
(now residing in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) who played a blend of alternative/indie music with extremely frank lyrics. The name is a reference to Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
's Merry Pranksters
Merry Pranksters
The Merry Pranksters were a group of people who formed around American author Ken Kesey in 1964 and sometimes lived communally at his homes in California and Oregon...
. After over 1,000 live performances the Mary Prankster character was retired over "Pranksgiving Weekend" (November 25–28, 2005); the woman behind Mary continues to work on other creative projects.
The musicians who have played in her band include Phil "The Machine" Tang, Jon "E. Cakes" Seidman, Dave "E. Rocket" Vergauwen, Mike Lackey, Cord Neal, Matt Collorafice, Terry Klawth, Andy Mabe, Cliff Retallick, Sam McCall and Michael Smith.
Her first radio single was "Tits and Whiskey" from album Blue Skies Over Dundalk
Blue Skies Over Dundalk
Blue Skies Over Dundalk was the first studio album by Mary Prankster.The title refers to Prankster's hometown of Dundalk, Maryland.The album was later re-released as Blue Skies Forever, where it was remastered and included the tracks from Prankster's first release, the self-released Mata Hari...
(produced by Steve Wright of Wright Way Studios in Baltimore), a 1:40 song which she called "my attempt at writing the most obnoxious song ever", and which contained the word "fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
" thirteen times. This did not stop local radio station WHFS
WHFS
WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
from playing the song daily for several weeks. WHFS also arranged for her to play a free roadside show on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 and Maryland Route 201 near Cheverly in Prince George's County at the D.C...
that was quickly shut down by the police due to the traffic back-ups that it created and landed her a spot opening for They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
at a sold-out show in Washington, DC, the singer having been banned from playing clubs in her hometown of Annapolis due to controversial lyrics.
Following the release of Roulette Girl
Roulette Girl
-Track listing:All songs by Mary Prankster# "Roulette Girl" – 3:36# "The Bottle's Talking Now" – 1:57# "The World Is Full of Bastards" – 1:54# "Swan Dive" – 2:47# "Rational Bohemian" – 2:39# "Mata Hari" – 1:59# "Punk Rock Heaven" – 1:37# "Tempest" – 2:08...
(produced by Rennie Grant and recorded by Steve Wright) she left Fowl Records
Fowl Records
Fowl Records was co-founded in 1994 by Jimi Haha from Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Richard James Burgess, the band's manager and Chris Keith, the band's agent as a means to release Jimmie's Chicken Shack's first two independent CDs...
to create Palace Coup Records (PCR). Roulette Girl was re-released by PCR, while Blue Skies Over Dundalk was combined with the Mata Hari EP and a bonus track to create the album Blue Skies Forever in 2001.
That same year she recorded the "Love Has A Rumble" single with Baltimore Rock-Reggae band Colouring Lesson. The single was released to international and domestic radio stations and offered exclusively as a download through the singer's website http://www.maryprankster.com.
In 2002 she recorded Tell Your Friends with producer Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush, and...
(R.E.M., Pavement) at The Fidelitorium in Kernersville, North Carolina. The album was mixed by Shelly Yakus (Tom Petty, U2) and made the CMJ charts due to extensive nationwide college radio play. Prankster recruited North Carolina musicians Andy Mabe (Neko Case, Clare Fader) and Terry Klawth (Jodie Foster's Army, Mighty Sphincter) for the Tell Your Friends tour which culminated in a recorded performance at Washington, DC's 9:30 Club that became the 2004 release "Lemonade: LIVE".
In 2004 the entire Mary Prankster catalog, including singles, became available on iTunes and other digital music sites.
The Washington Area Music Association
Washington Area Music Association
The Washington Area Music Association is a regional music industry not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.. WAMA's activity centers around highlighting the area's cultural contribution by assisting regional musicians with becoming recognized on a national scale.The organization...
(WAMA) has nominated her for nine Wammies
Washington Area Music Awards
The Washington Area Music Awards are a music award for Washington, D.C. area performers, issued by the Washington Area Music Association . The awards are issued at an annual awards program....
, two of which she won - Best Alternative Female Vocalist in 1999 and Best Alternative Rock Female Vocalist in 2000. "Blue Skies Forever" also won second place in the Just Plain Folks 2006 Music Awards Punk Album category. Her music has been promoted by Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
and she has also enjoyed heavy rotation on the Red Peters
Red Peters
Red Peters is a musician and songwriter from the Boston area who has made five CDs titled I Laughed... I Cried... I Fudged My Undies!, Ol' Blue Balls Is Back!, "The Best Of The Red Peters Comedy Music Hour, Vol. #1", "It's A Red Peters Christmas! Vol. 1" plus "Red Peters Presents- The Summer Song...
show on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
.
Her logo is based on that of National Bohemian
National Bohemian
National Bohemian Beer, colloquially called Natty Boh, National Boh or just plain Boh, is an American beer originally brewed in Baltimore, Maryland, but now brewed by the Miller Brewing Company in Eden, North Carolina, and distributed by the Pabst Brewing Company...
, a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
beer. The cover of Blue Skies Over Dundalk is based on can designs of "Natty Boh", and Roulette Girl contains a track named "Rational Bohemian". The cover of "Roulette Girl" features a plate spinning performer from the People's Circus of China, the cover of "Tell Your Friends" is a vintage image of a telephone operator licensed from the Seattle Historical Society and the cover of "Lemonade: LIVE" is an homage to Countrytime Lemonade.
Albums
- Blue Skies Over DundalkBlue Skies Over DundalkBlue Skies Over Dundalk was the first studio album by Mary Prankster.The title refers to Prankster's hometown of Dundalk, Maryland.The album was later re-released as Blue Skies Forever, where it was remastered and included the tracks from Prankster's first release, the self-released Mata Hari...
, Fowl Records (May 1998) - Roulette GirlRoulette Girl-Track listing:All songs by Mary Prankster# "Roulette Girl" – 3:36# "The Bottle's Talking Now" – 1:57# "The World Is Full of Bastards" – 1:54# "Swan Dive" – 2:47# "Rational Bohemian" – 2:39# "Mata Hari" – 1:59# "Punk Rock Heaven" – 1:37# "Tempest" – 2:08...
, Fowl Records (November 24, 1999) — Re-released by Palace Coup Records (2001) - Tell Your FriendsTell Your Friends-Track listing:All songs by Mary Prankster# "Brave New Baby" – 2:51# "La Resistance" – 3:55# "Tell Your Friends " – 2:43# "Sun" – 2:31# "Irresponsible Woman" – 2:50# "Arm's Length" – 3:56# "Spill" – 3:32# "None for Me" – 3:16...
, Palace Coup Records (September 7, 2002) - Lemonade: Live, Palace Coup Records (April 1, 2004)
Other
- Mata Hari EP, Self released cassette (1996)
- Angel (SINGLE), as "Neoverse Featuring Mary Prankster" (c. 1998)
- Love Has A Rumble (SINGLE), Palace Coup Records (April 14, 2001)
- Blue Skies Forever, Palace Coup Records (July 31, 2002)
Related links
- Official Site
- [ Mary Prankster] at Allmusic
- Mary Prankster on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....