Mary is not only the finest banjo player ever, she is also one of the sweetest most down to earth people I have ever had the honor of meeting and spending time with.
She was in a bad car accident and injured her vocal chords. They didn't think she was going to be able to sing again. Lucky for us, a couple years later she was singing again.
Mary James may be the finest living banjo player, the best active songwriter under age 50, one of the very few American nonclassical musicians who sings harmony very well. The lyrics to her songs are often good poems.
Saw her perform life once. Not in a concert hall but a pub/restaurant. She's as good life as in the studio. And just a great person overall, on stage and off.
"A lot of favorite parts" Yes indeed. I like the banjo playing the way it is, slower and unique sounding (Up strumming?) early on and the full speed ahead closing. 🐎
At my advanced age, i thought i had cried all my tears already, but Mean Mary brings me to tears of joy whenever i hear her voice. She could not be beat by a choir of angels.
Mean Mary is AWESOME!!!! Love ALL her music. The Americana just rings through and through. Can't get enough of her I only wish I had discovered her years ago. And the castanets are representative of the horses' hooves. Give me Mean Mary and Wylie Gustafson and I'm a happy man.
This song got me hooked on her and her voice. I love the scenery that is used all throughout the video. The strumming sounds like a galloping horse. I found her because I was looking for a very specific singing of Wayfaring Stranger and just fell in love with her. Just this past year she did a song and video here in the Great Sand Dunes here in Southeast Colorado. The castanets are actually spoons which are very prevalent in Bluegrass music. And anytime I can her play and sing I am all over it.🐎🐎
That´s on my player since I discovered it some years back! Two other goodies: "Sweet Jezebel" and "Rose Tattoo" (no connection to the song from the Dropkick Murphys). Another really nice voice plus a banjo: Rhiannon Giddens "Julie"
That plucking pattern you point out at 3:20 perfectly emulates the 4-beat gait of a horse galloping. As for why she waits until the rising accelerando to bring out the fancier picking? I see it as representing the iron horse pulling away and outpacing the flesh-and-blood steed. Most of the song is at a rock-steady 110 bpm, a perfect tempo for a gallop (in this case being the interval of all four hooves landing in sequence, not on each step as we would measure our own tempo for marching). Then, as soon as she finishes "the iron horse's speed increased," the picking starts up again at about 140 bpm and rises until it settles at about 168-169 for the rest of the song, well beyond what any horse could sustain for more than a minute or two.
Same here and I can see why metal heads would like her. Its that picking she freaking shreds that banjo! Metal heads usually appreciate people with chops.
She is one of the fastest banjo players I have ever heard, during the course of the song her stumming is about the speed and rhythm of a horse's Gallup when she said the iron horses speed increased that's when her Benjo plucking increased to the speed of a train it's amazing
If castanets worked for you, you would use them too. Mean Mary had her TV debut a 5 years old. Cute as a button! Creative to the point of redefining how the banjo can sound. Oh, and she saved the best for last! I'm so happy you enjoyed her.
You should have a listen to Blazing, also by Mean Mary with her brother on guitar, it is an instrumental if I recall correctly but still very entertaining. So talented.
yup. Vocal, banjo, guitar, fiddle, and several other instruments. And to think she nearly lost her vocal cords in a serious traffic accident as a teenager. Doctors thought she'd never sing again.
Thanks for your Mean Mary review I saw her with my daughter's small Nashville restaurant/pub 12th &porter we sat closeup front at a big table . She wasn't mean. Then again I saw her after she was married in another bongos / spoken word venue. And a smaller place /previously Johnny's eat shop, very nice did selfies with her there Missed another show due to deep snow cancelation Big fan from the beginning 😊❤🎉
Love her voice, and another artist who has been around forever and I have only just 'discovered'! Gonna have some fun going through her back catalogue! Thank you Maggie!
Mary is the most talented singer/songwriter/musician in the world today. She also is a writer (she and her mom write mystery novels), and she is a super nice person. We've corresponded a little - I gave one of her novels a positive review a couple years ago on Amazon, and she saw it and emailed me personally to thank me. Super fantastic lady!! ❤
Maggie, I heard Mean Mary quite awhile ago, and had to buy the album that this song was on. I loved it, and still do. I'm a patreon member, at least I believe I still am... and I have a song suggestion for you. It flows really with this song that you reviewed, but another very gifted young lady who has won some prestigious awards. I think you will quite like it. She plays guitar like a dream also. If Mary & Molly ever show up somewhere together I'm buying tickets and going. It could happen in theory anyway! Loved this review. (I just reopened my paypal account, just so I can make a donation - is there a suggested amount?)
YAY! Thanks so much for your comment and I am glad you enjoyed! Feel free to recommend your songs in our discord: discord.gg/ZzyBzdJsDX for free so they may win the monthly vote, or sponsor them yourself here: www.maggierenee.com/book-me/sponsor-a-reaction-live and they will be added to the reactions list ASAP and I will definitely react to all winners and sponsored reactions.Thank you for your support! 😊
@@maggiereneemusic Your worth a hundred at this point for sure! I've watched and enjoyed a lot of your videos, but I'm on the west coast so I can't make so many of the live shows as I'd like to. I just reopened my low funded Paypal account, it will take a couple of days to fund, then I'll go through the patreon link you sent me and make my request I can't wait to tell you more about this artist as well. I don't believe you have ever reviewed her, and if that did happen (unlikely) you probably won't have reviewed this song. Make sure you have some kleenex tissues around - don't worry, it will be happy tears. addendum... she grew up not far from where I lived for years, but I didn't get to see her until a particular festival. Bye for now!
Brings me back to when I used to work in South Dakota at the KOA campground next to Mt. Rushmore.... I worked the trail rides. One of my all time fav. songs and for some reason always makes me tear up a little bit.
I love Mean Mary's works. found her by chance looking for Banjo stuff. if you like finger pickers try Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, Jerry Reed. side note - you might like Mary Spender. shes a RU-vidr and talks of guitars, music etc shes also produces her own stuff.
Mean Mary has been singing since she was 5 Years old, Her brothers gave her Moniker "Mean". Mary Plays 11 instruments, Writes 95% of her music, Plays most of the instruments in her songs also all the Vocals with Overdubbing. Mary is a Wonderful Person, in Real life., Most of her music is usually different Styles showing her Quality even with High and Low Notes.. She is also none as the Best Banjo player in the USA, and Represent the Banjo Company that she is Playing in this Video.. Also Mary and Her Mother have Also written 4 Mystery Novels, that have been on NY Time top 10 List!! I have been a Fan for over 10 Years..
Nice :-) If I recall, Mean Mary plays all the instruments on this and is helped out by her mother for some filming and I believe Mary put the whole video together too. Bene listening to her for quite a while, as mentioned below, Cranberry Dress is worth a look.
She's using the castanets to mimic the sounds of horses galloping and then mimic the sound of a train. If you listen to other of her songs, you'll find out she has a higher soprano range too!
I first saw Mary at a Civil war reenactment back in 1992. She was 13 at the time. Her and her brother Frank were the entertainment. I was absolutely amazed with her banjo and fiddle playing which on some songs she played both. But mostly, HER VOICE, it was beautiful. I videoed her. Haven't seen her since even though She told me where she lived and its just down the road from me a little ways. I hope to go to one of her events someday. I recommend the songs "I Fell Into the Night" and "I Face Somewhere". Actually, I recommend her entire library. She is one of a kind.
6:40 listen to her new Song , "Only time to pray " Not since Willie Nelson, " Ill fly away " , 1953 has there been a song like that headded for church himinals.!
You are the first to react to Mean Mary. The southwest are of the country has close ties with Mexico, hence the Cassinettes. Now you know why we love her
I sent Mean Mary a message under the name Mickbray, when I first heard the song Iron Horse because I worked on the Railroad and even road the rails when I was a teenager.
I think the castanets were used because she was thinking of a wild Mustang, a horse brought to America by the Spanish Conquistadors. They are the living emblem's of the Old West. Their fast and enduring.
Amazing tremolo. Her song "A friend I never had" was incredibly touching. She's better than more famous singers and needs more exposure. Appalachian isn't niche anymore 🤪
Congrats and welcome to the force of nature that is the world of Mean Mary James. You're only the second reactor I've come across who's tackled this amazing virtuoso's considerable body of work, all available on her own channel. She performs rousing fiddle breakdowns.too, as well as her world-class banjo, and occasionally collaborates with her brother Frank on guitar. I hope you go on to explore more of her brilliant original repertoire. Another multi-instrumentalist working in a similar idiom of folk/Americana is Rhiannon Giddens, who is actually a trained soprano to boot, but tends to focus on more archaic styles, a true preservationist, but both women can blend traditional and progressive with ease. They're so darn good it simply doesn't matter what you choose they will leave you in awe, so go ahead and explore. Well done and more please.
WOW !! This woman has some serious skills Great song with a great voice only to be out done by fabulus banjo play. Maggie you need to look more into this womans skill set.
Mean Mary is not only a great performer but she's also a great person, she's down to earth and she's not above interactions with her fans not even an old reprobate such as myself. LoL I have all of her books including ones cowritten with her mom, I also own all her albums and a DVD.
Your a trained classic Opera singer & your take on this still wasn't complex, but simple & to the point. Great job ! I had never heard of mean Mary before about 10 minutes ago & I to was impressed across the board, then the harmony blew my socks off as well. After that I thought what could a crescendo add, then pow, yet another blast of artistry. I don't usually care for songs that are over crammed with skills. but I loved this one.
