I hear so many new bands every week, that sometimes they can blur together. But sometimes a song can shine so brightly you can't get it out of your head no matter what you try. That song for me, this summer and this year was "Francis" by Mary 5e. So much so that I begged her to send me an mp3 version of it after it (briefly, thank God) became unavailable on her website: http://www.myspace.com/mary5e or at www.mary5e.com. It's a gentle song with a razor sharp undertone. It is a song of loss without mourning nor regret. I remember one particular hot night in June, sitting alone in the living room of Dame Entertainment's Jacquie Lee and having Mary's page up on my laptop.  Dali Circus was rehearsing in the basement and I had "Francis" playing on a loop. I had been checking out new bands but got stuck here on Mary and "Francis". Like most music lovers I usually take a very personal view of my favorite songs. Like most songwriters, her music, of course, are also very personal to Mary. "Basically I'm just putting out there, my own experiences, stories and life lessons I've learned thus far. So when someone listens to my music and reacts in any sort of capacity, I'm just thankful they've taken the time to do so. If they are able to feel any kind of emotion from my songs and take any message at all from them, that is just icing on the Big ol Cake baby! That would make me the happiest little rocker ever!"

"Francis" though, is not a complete portrait of Mary 5e as an artist (5e is a play on her real last name). Her influences span from anything from "Billy Joel to OTEP, Alanis Morissette ("Jagged Lil' Pill was certainly rad and very inspiring to me") to Johnny Cash, Wham, Tiffany, Stacy Q to Finger Eleven, Tracy Bonham, Jason Mraz, etc. "I'm really influenced recently by a lot of motown and oldies.... I love Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, The Jackson 5..." At times her music reminds me of Auf Der Maur (another favorite of mine) with a gritty yet sensitive female realism that is unmistakably unique to Mary 5e. She smiles. "Basically I enjoy all genres of music, and know when to give 'mad props' to an artist or band for creating a beautiful piece of music! I've even given props to bands I despise because I think a good song is a good song regardless of who you are and how much your other songs may or may not suck!"

Mary, like me, grew up in Northern Ontario before feeling the pull of the big city. "I grew up in a small town up north, Owen Sound Ontario. I attended a little high school on the west side called West Hill Secondary School. There was nothing really to do but to get into a lot of trouble and that's exactly what I did for 17 years while living there. Good lord I feel thankful and fortunate that I survived all of that crazy 'badassery' and lived to tell the tale of it...I'm surprised I didn't wind up dead or in jail really....oh my some of the things I used to do. I was a criminal for sure." She jokes.

Like many artists, music was a natural fit for Mary. She is completely self taught and plays guitar, drums, bass, key board. "I worked all summer in a fish restaurant one year, and after the end of summerI bought myself a Epiphone guitar and taught myself some power chords...and just starting rocking out everywhere in Owen Sound." There is a certain type of luck that appears to follow around those who are truly talented and hard working. Her very first year of playing, Mary received that opportunity to open up for Alanah Myles. She laughs. "That was something, I knew about 12 songs tops and was playing in front of about 6-700 people." That's that type of opportunity that can make or break a performer with pressure and stress. To other artists it can provide them with a taste of success that is satiable only through continuing performing. For Mary, it was very much the latter. "Its like being the coolest, loudest, most popular person at a party!! It allows me to escape my own reality for a while and I hope to help others achieve the same. There's a certain power, control and attention I long for and ultimately love while performing on stage in front of an amazing crowd. You can say or do anything and for some reason it feels like it will be okay and people may get it. And if they don't, maybe they learned something new? It feels good to me to do whatever it is that I am thinking in my head, and to be applauded for being an eccentric rowdy singer is the best thing ever!!"

It seems that Mary has an interesting story for everything. I ask her about her first professional performance and expect simply a name and date as I receive from most artists. Instead from Mary I get a grin and a wild tale. "I played at this place called Ship Wreck Lee's in Tobermory Ontario, Canada. I played some originals and some covers. I remember playing Tracy Bonhams "Mother Mother" and Bif Naked's "Daddy's Getting Married" and the Flaming Lips "She Don't Use Jelly" and this song I wrote called "F@#k you all the way to Chicago" and my first [original] song called "Mad at You". I got paid in booze and fettuccini alfredo and I even got some cash too! It was a good night." This is all part of the adventure of performing that Mary 5e thrives on.

With much regret and chagrin I will admit I have yet to see Mary perform live. There's a variety of reasons but none of them are very interesting nor viable. "The recent acoustic shows have been really great, but I just can't wait though to start rocking with a full band again, looking forward to it muchly! All the peeps that come out are always very supportive and appreciative! I have a lot of great fans and friends that travel near and far to come see me perform. People are into it and loving what I'm all about. It means so much to me I can't describe how good it feels to be able to share myself musically with the world and with amazing awesome people who "get it". I respect and love everyone whom comes out and they respect and love me!! So its like one big happy hippy fest!!"

he and I talk about seeing her live, I make my own new years resolution to turn that talk into reality. Her goals for the New Year and beyond, I believe, are just as achievable as my own. "I want to take over the world and I want everyone to know my name and why I am here!! I'd also like to have a really grand publishing deal, finish my newest Upcoming Radtacular recording music project!! AND get a new tattoo!" Happy 2007 everyone!



Mary 5e