Marianne Pillsbury

Maine native Marianne Pillsbury writes pop-rock songs with cleverly-crafted, hook-laden melodies and brash, witty, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Released in 2004, her debut album The Wrong Marianne has received enthusiastic reviews from The New York Times, Time Out New York, The Boston Herald and The San Francisco Chronicle and elicited comparisons to the best work of Liz Phair, Juliana Hatfield and Jill Sobule. The album was named a Top 12 DIY Pick in Performing Songwriter Magazine.

The song "Boo Hoo" won Best Alt/Rock Song in The Great American Song Contest 2004 and was also selected for inclusion on ROCKRGRL magazine's Discoveries 2005 compilation CD.

Her Brooklyn-based band The Marianne Pillsburys bring Marianne's songs to life with a raw punk-pop vibe. Think: Blondie, Elastica, Liz Phair fronting The Rolling Stones, or Juliana Hatfield singing lead for The Pixies. The band has played NYC venues like Mercury Lounge, Luna Lounge, Pianos, Arlene's Grocery and Southpaw, out-of-town venues in Boston, DC, LA and San Francisco, and festivals like M.E.A.N.Y. Fest (Musicians & Emerging Artists in New York), International Pop Overthrow and the Millenium Music Conference.

In April 2005, the band released a 3-song demo called "The Hot EP" produced by the fabulously talented Roger Greenawalt (Ben Kweller, Ben Lee).

MEET THE BAND:

Sandy Brockwell (bass & backing vox)
Hailing from the grande state of Tejas, Sandy B. Rock-well certainly lives up to her name. Besides rocking well, her interests include surfing, horror movies, economics and tequila.

Mitch Distefano (lead guitar & backing vox)
Mitch enjoys his role as the whipping boy of the band. Being a Brooklyn native, he can of course hold his own. In addition to being a rock star guitarist, he also gives rock star guitar lessons.

Dawn McGrath (drums)
Queens native Dawn (pronounced "dwon") has earned her black belt in drumming by eating, breathing and sleeping drums while surrounded by her 700 bald Cabbage Patch Kids.