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Marcy Playground

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Marcy Playground
For the album, see Marcy Playground (album)

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 perhaps best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".

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.

Marcy Playground (self-titled album) (1997-1998)

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Marcy Playground album cover.

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.[1] 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)

File:Marcy Playground mp3.jpg
MP3 album cover.

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 it's original title, "The Devil's Song". The second single, "Punk Rock Superstar" was initially less successful but received a second breathe of life and surprised many fans while bringing in some new ones, when it was featured on the XBox 360's playlist upon it's re-release in 2006.[2] 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.[3] 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.


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Leaving Wonderland and B-Sides/Rarities (2008-present)

As of July 12th 2008, John Wozniak posted a blog on MySpace stating his unreleased solo effort is now officially going to be a Marcy Playground record and is going to be released in 2009, along with a separate "Rarities and B-Sides" album. Meanwhile Keefe, who has held the job of WNYC radio program On the Media's technical director, a position he left in December 2007 to join another WNYC production, The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji [4], will be returning to the band to support the new album. Sherry Fraser, of whom the song is named after, is in charge of the album's art. Leaving Wonderland features 12 songs, including the single, "Good Times", and a new and improved version of "Memphis", a b-side that Wozniak's current wife felt deserved a second breathe of life. The album is slated for a summer 2009 release date.

2009 Tour

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Marcy Playground live in concert November 2008

After Gonzalo Martinez's departure from the band, family-friend Shlomie 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 [5] and a good turnout at the Edge 103.9's Third Thursday show in Scottsdale, Arizona in late 2008, 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.

Band members

Current:

Past:

Discography

John Wozniak Solo

Albums

Singles

EP's

  • 1999 - It's Saturday College Sampler EP

Soundtracks Featuring Marcy Playground

Cover songs

Touring partners

  • Sponge (2008) - Rock the Bahamas Cruise
  • Lincoln (1998)

References

  1. ^ News - Articles - 1426809 - 19991104
  2. ^ Xbox 360 Hard Drive Content Revealed, TeamXbox.com News
  3. ^ Life's a giggle for Jimmie's Chicken Shack's Jimmie HaHa - Fredericksburg.com, Michael Zitz
  4. ^ The Takeaway Staff, thetakeaway.org
  5. ^ Sponge And Marcy Playground Rock The Bahamas With 96 rock - Scott, therockdose.com



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