Sky Cries Mary

Well, for the second year in a row, On Thanksgiving-Eve I was at Spanky’s Cinema Bar witnessing wonderful live music. This is kind of turning into a tradition for me. Thanksgiving rolls around and The Cinema Bar brings in some killer band and I leave the house to start my holiday season off. right. This year, The Cinema Bar played host to Sky Cries Mary. This was their third or fourth time in town: And once again, it was incredible.

It’s hard to describe the kind of music Sky Cries Mary creates, If you have never heard or witness them live. It’s an eclectic mix of bits and samples of everything you’ve ever heard, or will hear. No really. You laugh and scoff and think my description may be a bit too pseudo-philosophical, but it’s true. If I had to describe it, which I’m not too comfortable doing, I would have to say It’s a techno-dance, new-age jazz, teeth-gnashing feedback popping, lyrical adventure that will take your ears and your mind on a visionary ride. Anisa Romero, lead and back-up vocals sounds like what I expect heaven to sound like. Not only is this woman beautiful, but she totally takes me away when she goes to work. Sky Cries Mary bring with them a light show like one I haven’t seen since, oh let me see … I would have to go back to Jefferson Airplane when they would perform “White Rabbit” in the late sixties. I mean this stuff is mind blowing!!!

I mean, how can you describe a band from Seattle that has seven full time members in it? Sky Cries Mary is made up of Roderick Romero (Vocals & words), Roderick’s sister, the aforementioned Anisa Romero, Michael Cozzi (Guitar), Bennett Ireland (Drums & Percussion), Juano (Bass), Gordon Raphael (Vox Organ, Synthesizer & a bunch of other way cool, very expensive instruments), and last but certainly not least, Todd Robbins a.k.a. DJ Fallout (Samples, turntables & decks).

Anyway, the mastermind behind Sky Cries Mary is Roderick Romero. He was shooting pool with Chris Noveselic, and in between shots, he would answer my questions I tossed out to him.

SLUG: This time you are on tour with Hoovercraft and Sweet 75. I was talking to Cozzi earlier and he said that all three bands are just amazing, something very, very cool to see live.

Roderick Romero: Yea, it’s really awesome. It’s been like the best tour we’ve ever had. Everyone is playing new music and new songs. It’s just a lot of fun.

SLUG: Tell me the history of the band. Did you and your sister start the band?

RR: I started the band back in 1988 as a theater project and then it evolved from that into an actual band when Anisa joined the group in 1990. Ben Ireland was on drums and Gordon on keyboards and Michael and Juano came a little bit later. DJ Fallout was there in band in the beginning.

SLUG: So what do you mean it started out as a theater project?

RR: I had written this three part, two act play. I had written the music for it with a couple of friends, Ken and John from The Posies, before The Posies were formed. And I had written this music with them for the theater, for the play I had written. We recorded that music, then I went to graduate school in Paris. And while I was there I gave this record store some cassette copies to see if they would sell them. It evolved from there. I had this demo and this record company, which owned a record store, liked it so much they signed me for three years. So I did these records for this label out of France.

SLUG: What do you have out on World Domination?

RR: We have two full-lengths, This Timeless Turning and A Return To The Inner Experience. Then we also have an EP out on World Domination called “Exit at the Axis.” We have written 13 new songs, too.

SLUG: Are you going back into the studio?

RR: Yea, probably in February.

SLUG: Has World Domination treated you pretty well?

RR: Yea, they have really done everything we have wanted them to do, for sure.

SLUG: Your music is so varied. Tell me about your concept of music.

RR: My basic concept is there is no rules to music. There is no boundaries, whatever we white, we accept it as a song. All seven members must agree to record a song. And if all seven do agree, we feel it’s a good song because all of us have totally different musical taste. As far as musical taste goes, within the band there is no overlapping. We like’ everything from Brazilian music to The Stooges

SLUG: Does your live show vary from the recorded sound at all?

RR: We are a little harder edge, I believe. That’s what happens when your pushing sound through speakers live, like that. And we are always reacting to how the crowd is. Like if the crowd is really with it, then it’s like an absolute mayhem and ‘it’s a great freak-out, ya know? I don’t want anyone to come out our show and walk out and think, ‘OH, that was just O.K.’ 

Well, if you were there that night, than you know the crowd was definitely turned on to them. I don’t , know where you were standing but from my vantage point people were dancing and literally losing themselves in the experience.

My guess is that Sky Cries Mary will be coming back to the Wasatch front sometime in 1996. Probably mid-to-late in the year. I would suggest you keep your would suggest you keep your eyes opened and watch for their show Guaranteed, it’s not like anything you’ve ever experienced before.

Read more from SLUG Issue 85 here:
Localzonely
Guilty By Expression