Published on Jul 9, 1999
Kathy Mar may be one of the better singers you’ve probably never
heard of, a longtime veteran of the particularly individualistic
brand of music known as filk. There’s a lot of definitions of filk,
and to be fair it’s not easily cubbyholed. It’s usually acoustic
(except when it’s not), usually played at SF conventions or pagan
gatherings, and is the unofficial music of the subculture known as
fen; the gamers, SF convention goers, SCAers, and mystic misfits of
the world.
Easy, then, to dismiss it. Foolish, too, as filk is growing past
its badly-produced roots to be a vital, dynamic, and intelligent
genre. (Yes, even I hated filk once. I have been enlightened.) Mar
has been recording since 1982; she’s a member of the Filk Hall of
Fame and a three-time Pegasus Award winner, given at the yearly
OVFF filk convention. In her genre, she’s a heavy hitter
indeed.
But what does that mean musically? Not having heard Mar’s
previous work (I’m still learning about filk), I was presented with
her latest CD,
My Favorite Sings, and promptly discovered it was a CD of
covers of others’ work. I’ll be honest. I shuddered. Cover albums
are rarely worth the price of admission, save some of Magna Carta’s
work. Then I put it on, and was pleasantly surprised.
If it’s not your song, your voice and your band have to carry
you, and Mar’s backup musicians (including violinist Cat Taylor
from semi-legendary-among-filkers Celt/rock/folk band Phoenyx) do
her justice. Special note should go to Margaret Davis’ harp work on
“Flowering Green”, Mark Ungar’s banjo work on “The 20th Century Is
Almost Over” (originally penned by Steve Goodman), and all the
string work by Cat Taylor and cellist Kris Yenney.
Above all, though, Mar does justice to her ideosyncratic song
choices, with few exceptions. Her voice, rich and full, is
expressive, handling other people’s songs as if they were her own.
Standout tracks include “Merlin” (originally performed by
California filker Doug McArthur), “Song Of The Ripper” (originally
the work of Dr. Jane Robinson), Tommy Sands’ “Daughters And Sons”,
and Catherine Faber’s “The Word Of God”, which should be copied in
mass media and ten thousand copies dumped in Rep. Bob Barr’s
office. Other artists covered include folk legend Christine Lavin
and Nate Bucklin.
The sole disappointment: Mar’s version of Betsy Rose’s “Water,
Fire, And Smoke”. While I normally enjoy the digderidoo, I felt it
was distracting on this song, and found the original version by
Rose far better and easier to understand. A minor quibble, but a
particularly personal one for me as I
love Rose’s work.
All in all,
My Favorite Sings is worth looking into, for both filk fan
and non-filker looking to widen their musical horizons.