When Mary Neuberger was growing up in DC, she and her friends would sneak into bars to listen to music – blues especially; from local favorites the Nighthawks to the legendary pianist Pinetop Perkins, whom she met when she was sixteen. But she also loves funk , Cuban and Latin music; there was plenty to choose from in the city. Add to that the piano lessons she took (on her mother’s insistence) and her studies in creative writing and it’s no surprise Neuberger has been part of the local music scene, whether in DC, on the Eastern Shore or New York City, where she resided prior to moving to the Delmarva peninsula in 2004.
The Spy spoke with Neuberger by phone recently on her musical journey and upcoming gig as a duo with J. (James) Laverty at the Bay Music Festival in Centreville on June 9. Classifying her current work as, “world music meets the blues and likes it,” Neuberger said she started her performing career doing spoken word, subsequently added music, and then she was “hooked.”
A six month stint in Istanbul as editor of a paper helped influence her music. (Neuberger was hired straight out of school; her interview was conducted in a limo on the way to Kennedy airport.) Although she concentrated on writing fiction and poetry while overseas; she did meet a number of American jazz artists living in Istanbul. Once she returned to New York, Neuberger got back into playing music, but it was not the blues, and nothing very melodic.
All that changed when Neuberger took a job in Delmarva in 2004. She began playing with a blues band in the Tilghman/Bozman area; mostly covers – but it was a great way to meet people and other like-minded musicians. She describes her current formation, a duo with percussionist James Laverty, as especially satisfying as it lets her “do her own thing.” Neuberger continued, “I like having a rhythm section, and the back and forth exchange.”
When asked about writing songs, Neuberger admitted that a lot of them just, “…pop right out.” Referring to one of her favorites, “Istanbul,” she laughed and said jokingly, ” I don’t even know if I actually wrote that song.” Apparently for Neuberger the subject matter is endless – everything from an alcoholic boyfriend to the late-breaking story is fodder for her; apparently being a news junkie doesn’t hurt. She added that sometimes she uses the songs to express what she can’t say in person, and that, “…once she writes the song, she is ‘on the other side’ ” A catharsis of sorts, perhaps.
Expect to hear “Istanbul” along with other originals, funk and soul covers guaranteed to get you moving at the Festival . And stop by to say hello after the performance.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
4 pm – 11 pm (Neuberger goes on at 4:40)
Bay Country Music Festival
Queen Anne’s County Parks
1945 4H Park Rd
Centreville, MD 21617
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