mary karlzen

Mary Karlzen is a liar. It all began when at 14 she lied about her age not so she could drive a car, catch an R rated film, or buy a beer. She lied in order to get a job with her best friend in a record store, Musicland. It was there, in the merchandise racks, that Mary found, quite unexpectedly, the catalyst for a summer of true enlightenment. She became consumed by music. Mary’s pension for willful deception continued when she informed her manager that she was beautifully “alphabetizing.” “A new world opened up for me,” said Mary.  “I heard new music that was never on the radio.”  

As a child, her father constantly played country music in the car, house and on a small, green transistor radio, he toted everywhere.  By the age of 10, she had a vast knowledge and appreciation for country music icons like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline.  But once at Musicland, she was free to Binge on new styles of music and artists.  She would borrow money from her parents, brothers, or friends - Mary told them the money was for drugs and strangely, there were no questions asked. “I was obsessively buying songwriters like Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones and James Taylor,” she says.   That same summer also marked the beginning of Mary’s own musical exploration, as she learned to bang out chords on her brother’s garage sale, acoustic guitar.

Karlzen soon caught the attention of Miami’s Y&T Music label, who released the debut album, “Mary Karlzen,” and the EP, “Hide,” which demonstrated an increased songwriting confidence and spawned three music videos.  The clips received significant airplay on MuchMusic and TNN.  The video for “I’d Be Lying” aired on VH1, where Mary earned the distinction of being the most played indie artist in network history.

On her debut Atlantic Records album, “Yelling At Mary,” Karlzen summons the enthusiasm of those teenage passions, while drawing on her growing songwriting skills and an instinct for revealing personal details in her writing.  Her songs bound forward and homeward with rootsy, upbeat guitar strums, strong pop melodies, and the same sort of lyrical, introspection that drew her to the great songwriter albums in the first place.  Produced by Kevin McCormick and featuring an exceptional array of talent, including Jackson Browne, Benmont Tench, David Hildalgo, Kenny Aronoff and Bob Glaub, culminated into bringing her songs into full color and life.  “Yelling At Mary” received outstanding reviews from The Washington Post, People Magazine, Musician and Billboard among others.

Even with a blazing national start, Karlzen was lost in the turmoil of the ever-changing music industry. Gone were the patient days when labels supported and nurtured young artists.  Major labels glimpsed the future of digital songs and file sharing and began to dramatically change strategies, leaving bands, artists and employees stranded in the wake of their reorganization.

Atlantic decided to discontinue work on Karlzen’s next release, leaving her adrift with an uncertain, precarious future path.  Persevering, she continued to contemplate life through songwriting, reflecting on personal hardships, broken relationships and fleeting family memories.  In 2007, she landed on Nashville’s Dualtone label and released the critically acclaimed, “Wanderlust Diaries,” featuring Garry Tallent, Ken Coomer and Garrison Star among other Nashville prominent figures.

As life happens to many women musicians, Karlzen decided to take a break from the stress and expenses of recording to concentrate on her family, but never stopped searching for the lyrics and melodies to explain her life. In 2019, teaming again with Jansen Press, they began to record these songs that blossomed into the album, “Shine,” which once again was embraced by music critics across the country.

Now, with the release of “For All That We Dreamed Of,” Mary Karlzen’s 7th album wanders back to her eclectic roots and inspirations with a strong set of new original songs. “For All That We Dreamed Of” is filled with the sounds of pop, rock, country, and folk influences. From the enlightened, true stories in “Blindsided” to the heartbreaking remembrances in “Franklin,” Karlzen reaches new heights in descriptions and storytelling, while always maintaining her strong power of sweeping melodies. Produced by Jansen Press, Karlzen’s new album features an outstanding array of guest musicians, the original Mavericks guitarist Ben Peeler, Kevin McCormick, John Deaderick and special guest Robbie Rist.

Throughout the years, Karlzen’s songs have navigated tricky emotional waters. They will lead the listener through vast landscapes filled with haunted hotels, wing walkers, harbor lights and rat love. Her songs boil down to poignant descriptions of fleeting moments, a second in time, a glimpse of a dream you try to remember with the sunrise.

In, “For All That We Dreamed Of,” the listener will hear that Karlzen has matured in her understanding of life through songwriting, but you still may catch her in a lie when she swears,

“This is my last album ever.”