Mary Ann Farley


Mary Ann Farley began banging on a piano when she was very little. As she grew, she banged further, and in college was told to stop banging, which was her first tip that she perhaps belonged in a rock band.

At one point, she also began strumming guitar and found she liked this much better. She liked it so much, she began to write many songs, some of which ended up on her first CD, "Daddy's Little Girl" (Deko Music, 1997).

The disc was a Critics' Choice pick in Billboard and won rave reviews from numerous publications, such as New York Press and the Newark Star Ledger, a feat Mary Ann attributes to a good publicity photo. The disc also received extensive airplay on college radio, and she shared the stage with people like Mary Lou Lord, Squeeze, Juliana Hatfield, Roger McGuinn and Dan Bern, who actually opened for Mary Ann before he was rich and famous -- something she's yet to get over. She's also toured from Michigan to Memphis, finding that she likes locales that begin with the letter "M."

Her new record, "My Life of Crime" (Powder Burn Records, 2002), is being released after much hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing. She's also begun painting, which thrills her because, unlike recording, it's so cheap to do. She likes cooking, watching "Law & Order" spin-offs (along with the original), and is attempting to learn how to crochet. She's hard at work on her first pot-holder.

Mary Ann is a self-taught painter. Her paintings are almost always of the female figure rendered in a very animated style, which she attributes to having watched a lot of Bugs Bunny cartoons.

She has also been a freelance journalist for over 10 years, writing on a variety of topics, including medical issues, the video industry, cable and satellite television, retailing and the internet. Her most memorable assignment was a story about how shaving products are marketed in supermarkets. She also once wrote directions on how to install a screen door.


 


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