- For the album, see Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground is an
American
alternative rock band consisting of three
members: John Wozniak (lead vocals,
guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and
Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band
is best known for their
1997 hit
"
Sex and Candy".
History
Early years
Named for
the formative location in lead singer John
Wozniak's childhood, the Marcy Open grade school in Minneapolis
, Marcy Playground emerged in the late 1990s.
They had been influenced heavily by
Kurt
Cobain and his band
Nirvana. The
influence is quite clear on Marcy Playground's self-titled album,
with songs like
Shadow of Seattle and
Saint Joe On The
School Bus. Other influences include
David Bowie,
Paul
Simon,
Neil Young,
Van Morrison,
Jimi
Hendrix, and
the Beatles. Frontman
John Wozniak's first effort,
Zog BogBean - From the
Marcy Playground, was self-produced, recorded in his bedroom
studio with some help from his then-girlfriend Sherry Fraser and
her brother Scott in the early nineties. A small run of CDs were
self-released by Wozniak, and to this day they remain extremely
difficult to find. "Our Generation" and "Dog And His Master", two
songs found on Wozniak's
Zog Bogbean project, would appear
on later Marcy Playground albums. As of April 2009,
Zog
Bogbean is available for download at Marcy Playground's
official site as well as other outlets such as iTunes.
Marcy Playground (self-titled album) (1997–1998)
After
attending the Evergreen State College
for two years, Wozniak moved east to New
York
, where Marcy Playground began to coalesce around
the songs that would become the self-titled album. Bassist
Dylan Keefe and drummer Dan Rieser
filled out the band's sound, and complemented Wozniak's
songwriting. The self-titled album was released in 1997, and Marcy
Playground emerged into the mainstream with the success of the
single "
Sex and Candy." The song spent
15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album went
platinum and managed to spawn two other singles, "
Saint Joe on the School Bus" and
"
Sherry Fraser".
Marcy Playground is quiet and
minimalist in tone. Wozniak's songs run in many different styles:
some are modern
folk music; many have
undertones reminiscent of children's songs; the blurred sound of
psychedelia makes appearances; and then
there are the songs with a clear
rock
sound. The only band member who contributed to all of the album was
Wozniak himself; several others filled in for Rieser and Keefe on
some of the songs, notably Jared Kotler (bass and drums).
Shapeshifter (1999–2000)
Marcy Playground's next outing was 1999's
Shapeshifter, not as much of a
success commercially as the self-titled album.
A minor controversy came to light when
Paul
Leary of the
Butthole Surfers
revealed on Marcy Playground's website forum that the cover art for
Shapeshifter had originally been conceptualized and
commissioned by Leary for his band's aborted
After the
Astronaut album. He admitted to being a fan of Marcy
Playground, but accused the band of an apparent lack of imagination
and originality.
Leary's outrage was eased once he learned
that Capitol
Records
, former home of the Butthole Surfers and
then-current home of Marcy Playground, had pitched the artwork to
Wozniak as original work from their own art department and that
Marcy Playground had no knowledge of the work's origins.
Upon learning the truth, Wozniak proclaimed that he was "honored"
to have an album cover designed by Paul Leary. There were
apparently no bad feelings between the bands once the controversy
had been cleared up.
It's
Saturday the album's lead single, managed to hit number 23
on the
US Modern Rock Charts,
and followed by a second single,
Bye Bye.
After
Shapeshifter, drummer Dan Rieser left the band to
pursue other interests. The position was eventually filled on his
recommendation by Gonzalo "Gonz" Martinez De La Cotera, a friend
whose previous band
Lincoln had
opened for Marcy Playground.
MP3 (2004–2006)
After a considerable hiatus and at
least one failed attempt to record a follow-up to Shapeshifter,
Marcy Playground's third album,
MP3, was finally released
in 2004 with less commercial success than the two preceding
albums.
Marcy Playground did little if any touring in support of
MP3. The album's first single, "
Deadly Handsome Man" was a song featured
on the
Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back movie soundtrack a few years earlier under its
original title, "
The Devil's Song".
The second single, "
Punk Rock
Superstar" was initially less successful but received a second
breath of life and surprised many fans while bringing in some new
ones, when it was featured on the
XBox
360's playlist upon its re-release in 2006. Other singles from
the album include "
Blood In
Alphabet Soup" and "
No One's Boy",
neither of which received much radioplay, but were featured on
promotional ads for
MP3. One album track, "Paper Dolls"
was co-written by
Jimi Haha of the
alternative rock band
Jimmie's Chicken Shack.On the track
titled, "Hotter Than the Sun", Wozniak reflects on the band's
one-time success and remains positive about the band's
future.
Leaving Wonderland and B-Sides/Rarities
(2008–present)
Marcy Playground's fourth album,
Leaving Wonderland...in a
fit of rage, was released on July 7, 2009. Originally conceived
as a solo record by John Wozniak, the album was attributed to the
band at the request of Wozniak's record label.
Leaving
Wonderland features 12 songs, including the singles "Good
Times" and "Blackbird". Also included on the record is a version of
"Memphis", a Marcy Playground b-side that Wozniak's wife felt
deserved a second breath of life. Sherry Frasier, Wozniak's
long-time friend and lead vocalist of
Two
Ton Boa, designed the album cover.
Leaving Wonderland
was Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Producer
Jeff Dawson.
The band has also stated its intention to release a collection of
b-sides and previously unheard tracks, culled from over a decade of
recording sessions. No release date or tracklist has yet been
finalized.
2009 Tour
Marcy Playground live in concert
November 2008
After Gonzalo Martinez's departure from the band, family-friend
Shlomi Lavie stepped in to fill the
void as drummer for the band's 2009 tour, promoting two new albums.
After a
successful 4-Day Carnival Cruise show(s) in the Bahamas
alongside
Post-grunge band Sponge it was announced that the band would
kick off an official tour for the Spring of 2009, playing in venues
along the California
coastline, including the notorious Key Club, as
well as various cities in Canada
and North Carolina
. On Friday May, 8th they played at Cantina's
in Sparks, Nevada with opening band "Nevada".
Band members
Current:
Past:
Discography
John Wozniak Solo
Albums
Singles
- A Only appeared on Cruel Intentions
soundtrack.
EP's
- 1999 - It's Saturday College Sampler EP
Soundtracks Featuring Marcy Playground
Cover songs
Touring partners
- Sponge (2008) - Rock the Bahamas
Cruise
External links
References
- News - Articles - 1426809 - 19991104
- Xbox 360 Hard Drive Content Revealed, TeamXbox.com
News
- Life's a giggle for Jimmie's Chicken Shack's Jimmie
HaHa - Fredericksburg.com, Michael Zitz
- Sponge And Marcy Playground Rock The Bahamas With
96 rock - Scott, therockdose.com
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
