Sky Cries Mary
Encyclopedia
Sky Cries Mary is an American
trance
rock
musical group from Seattle, Washington
, that formed in the late 1980s.
The husband and wife team of Roderick Wolgamott Romero and Anisa Romero
sing dual lead vocals. Other principal band members include Michael Cozzi (formerly of Shriekback
), who produces their albums and plays guitar, Ben Ireland on drums, Juano on bass, and William Bernhard on guitar and keyboards. Recently Kent Halvorsen joined the band on keyboards. Gordon Raphael
(producer for The Strokes
) played keyboards until 1997.
The first album, from 1989, featured Roderick Wolgamott playing with Jon Auer
and Ken Stringfellow
from The Posies
. The second album, released in 1990, featured the same trio, joined by Scott Mercado
, Alfred Butler, Stephen Brian-Salit, Mark Ultra, Kevin McCoy and Jeff Guess. The band, after that album, reinvented itself as a septet with the following lineup: Roderick Wolgamott and Anisa Romero, DJ Fallout aka Todd "TR" Robbins, Joseph E. Howard
(aka Joe Skyward), Bennett James, Marc Olsen
and Gordon Raphael. It was during this time they recorded "A Return to the Inner Experience." Mike Cozzi replaced Marc Olsen on the fifth through seventh albums. In 1994 Juano replaced Joe Howard. William Bernhard joined the band in 1998 after Michael Cozzi left to pursue other projects.
Sky Cries Mary had broken up in 1999, shortly after the release of Seeds because band members wanted to work on other projects. They regrouped in various configurations including Hana, which featured Anisa Romero, Jeff Greinke, and Ben Ireland, and No Futuro, an experimental musical project helmed by Roderick Romero, William Bernhard, and Jeremy Moss. In 2004, the band (composed of the Romeros, Ben Ireland, Juano, Michael Cozzi, and William Bernhard) regrouped after they won the rights to their music back from their old record company and subsequently released their first live album Here and Now. Two years later they followed it up with the critically acclaimed album, "Small Town."
In 2008, Sky Cries Mary's lead vocalists Roderick and Anisa Romero were featured along with Sting and Russell Simmons
on Lokah's debut release, The Ivy Ceiling
.
Their song "The Elephant Song" was featured on the soundtrack
for the movie The Harvest. Their song "Shipwrecked" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Tank Girl
. Their song "Cornerman" was featured in the movie Higher Learning
, playing from a jukebox. Sky Cries Mary were one of the first ever bands to have an 'internet only' concert.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musical group from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, that formed in the late 1980s.
The husband and wife team of Roderick Wolgamott Romero and Anisa Romero
Anisa Romero
Anisa Romero is a musician, painter and designer. She is the lead singer of the groups Sky Cries Mary and Hana. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1990 and received her masters degree from New York University. In 2001 she relocated to New York City with her husband, Roderick...
sing dual lead vocals. Other principal band members include Michael Cozzi (formerly of Shriekback
Shriekback
Shriekback are an English rock band, formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and League of Gentlemen , and Dave Allen, formerly of the Gang of Four , with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out On Blue Six soon added to the line-up. They were joined by Martyn Barker on drums in 1983...
), who produces their albums and plays guitar, Ben Ireland on drums, Juano on bass, and William Bernhard on guitar and keyboards. Recently Kent Halvorsen joined the band on keyboards. Gordon Raphael
Gordon Raphael
Gordon Raphael is a record producer and musician from Seattle, Washington and New York, currently working in San Antonio, Texas.Gordon Raphael is most widely known for his work with The Strokes, whom he met while attending one of their very first shows at Luna Lounge on the Lower East Side, New...
(producer for The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
) played keyboards until 1997.
The first album, from 1989, featured Roderick Wolgamott playing with Jon Auer
Jon Auer
Jonathan P. "Jon" Auer is an American musician who co-founded the power pop band The Posies, along with Ken Stringfellow. Auer and Stringfellow have also been a part of the rejuvenated Big Star....
and Ken Stringfellow
Ken Stringfellow
Kenneth Stuart Stringfellow is an American musician, best known for his work with The Posies, R.E.M., and the re-formed Big Star.-Musical career:...
from The Posies
The Posies
The Posies are an alternative rock/power pop group. The band was formed in 1987 in Bellingham, Washington by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. They are best known for their radio hits "Golden Blunders" , as well as "Dream All Day", "Solar Sister" and "Flavor of the Month"...
. The second album, released in 1990, featured the same trio, joined by Scott Mercado
Scott Mercado
Scott Mercado was the original drummer of Sky Cries Mary and co-founder of the Seattle rock group Candlebox, a band reunited in 2006 with a "Best of" CD, live DVD , and a latest CD called Into the Sun, released January 2008. With over 5 million CDs sold, Candlebox continues to tour and record...
, Alfred Butler, Stephen Brian-Salit, Mark Ultra, Kevin McCoy and Jeff Guess. The band, after that album, reinvented itself as a septet with the following lineup: Roderick Wolgamott and Anisa Romero, DJ Fallout aka Todd "TR" Robbins, Joseph E. Howard
Joseph E. Howard
Joseph E. Howard was a Broadway composer, lyricist, and librettist. His Broadway credits include The District Leader, The Land of Nod and The Song Birds, The Time, the Place and the Girl, The Flower of the Ranch, The Girl Question, Stubborn Cinderella, The Goddess of Liberty, Maurice Chevalier in...
(aka Joe Skyward), Bennett James, Marc Olsen
Marc Olsen
Marc Olsen is a Danish professional football player, currently playing as a midfielder for the Danish 1st Division club Hvidovre IF. He's a former Brøndby IF player....
and Gordon Raphael. It was during this time they recorded "A Return to the Inner Experience." Mike Cozzi replaced Marc Olsen on the fifth through seventh albums. In 1994 Juano replaced Joe Howard. William Bernhard joined the band in 1998 after Michael Cozzi left to pursue other projects.
Sky Cries Mary had broken up in 1999, shortly after the release of Seeds because band members wanted to work on other projects. They regrouped in various configurations including Hana, which featured Anisa Romero, Jeff Greinke, and Ben Ireland, and No Futuro, an experimental musical project helmed by Roderick Romero, William Bernhard, and Jeremy Moss. In 2004, the band (composed of the Romeros, Ben Ireland, Juano, Michael Cozzi, and William Bernhard) regrouped after they won the rights to their music back from their old record company and subsequently released their first live album Here and Now. Two years later they followed it up with the critically acclaimed album, "Small Town."
In 2008, Sky Cries Mary's lead vocalists Roderick and Anisa Romero were featured along with Sting and Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
on Lokah's debut release, The Ivy Ceiling
The Ivy Ceiling
The Ivy Ceiling is an album released by Lokah Music in 2008. Lokah is a kirtan/pop duo of vocalists, Sri Michael Shlofmitz and Uma Nanda Saraswati. The exclusive launch party for The Ivy Ceiling took place on Wednesday August 6th, 2008 at Bruno Jamais in NYC. The event was attended by Sting,...
.
Discography
- Until the Grinders Cease (1989) Lively Art/New Rose Records. (1999) World Domination RecordingsWorld Domination RecordingsWorld Domination Recordings was an indie rock record label founded by bass player and music entrepreneur Dave Allen in Los Angeles. From roughly 1989 to 1996 it released records by artists including Low Pop Suicide, The Elastic Purejoy, Stanford Prison Experiment, Perfume Tree, Sky Cries Mary, Loop...
- Don't Eat the Dirt (1990) Lively Art/New Rose Records
- Exit at the Axis (1992) World Domination RecordingsWorld Domination RecordingsWorld Domination Recordings was an indie rock record label founded by bass player and music entrepreneur Dave Allen in Los Angeles. From roughly 1989 to 1996 it released records by artists including Low Pop Suicide, The Elastic Purejoy, Stanford Prison Experiment, Perfume Tree, Sky Cries Mary, Loop...
/Capitol Records - A Return to the Inner Experience (1993) World Domination RecordingsWorld Domination RecordingsWorld Domination Recordings was an indie rock record label founded by bass player and music entrepreneur Dave Allen in Los Angeles. From roughly 1989 to 1996 it released records by artists including Low Pop Suicide, The Elastic Purejoy, Stanford Prison Experiment, Perfume Tree, Sky Cries Mary, Loop...
/Capitol Records - This Timeless Turning (1993) World Domination RecordingsWorld Domination RecordingsWorld Domination Recordings was an indie rock record label founded by bass player and music entrepreneur Dave Allen in Los Angeles. From roughly 1989 to 1996 it released records by artists including Low Pop Suicide, The Elastic Purejoy, Stanford Prison Experiment, Perfume Tree, Sky Cries Mary, Loop...
/Capitol Records - Moonbathing on Sleeping Leaves (1997) Warner Brothers Records
- Fresh Fruits for the Liberation (1997) Warner Brothers Records
- Seeds (1999) Collective Fruit Records
- Here and Now (2005) Hoodooh Music
- Small Town (2007) Hoodooh Music
- Space Between The Drops (2009) Trail Records
Their song "The Elephant Song" was featured on the soundtrack
The Harvest (soundtrack)
The Harvest soundtrack to the 1993 movie of the same name was played by Dave Allen and Rick Boston and released under the name "The Crash Baptists". The song "One by One" features Belinda Carlisle; World Domination Recordings labelmates Sky Cries Mary contribute "The Elephant Song"; and two tracks...
for the movie The Harvest. Their song "Shipwrecked" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Tank Girl
Tank Girl (film)
Tank Girl is a 1995 science fiction action film loosely based on the Tank Girl comic book created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and stars Lori Petty as Rebecca Buck, aka the eponymous Tank Girl, who had originally appeared in the UK comic magazine...
. Their song "Cornerman" was featured in the movie Higher Learning
Higher Learning
Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...
, playing from a jukebox. Sky Cries Mary were one of the first ever bands to have an 'internet only' concert.