Almost anyone can take a moment of sadness, and turn it into one of happiness. But to do that over and over throughout an album… that takes real talent.

Mary Lynn is that rare breed of musician that possesses the talent to accomplish this feat.

“Writing, for me, is very therapeutic,” she said. “If I’m writing a song, it’s about something that really happened in my life or about someone I know. As for the music sounding ‘poppy’, I think that’s just because I love pop music.

“So, sometimes the songs just come out that way. Even if I’m sad, or I’m writing about something sad… when I write a song, I instantly feel better. I feel a bit uplifted as I’m getting it out.”

Photo credit: @songsbymarylynn

“My heart’s a brick, made out of ice. You keep on chipping, make me look nice…”
– Mary Lynn

She shows a vulnerability with her lyrics that allows you get an almost real feel for the loss and sadness that she vocalizes. Although the subject matter may not be the happiest, the music that is coupled with the words puts a smile on your face.

It’s almost as if Mary Lynn holds magical sway over the listener.

“I want it to be fun pop, rock-n-roll that also is really honest lyrically and means something to people” said Mary. “I love how a song can move me just by how it sounds. So, I went into the second album feeling like I wanted this to be a force of energy that people feel something when they hear it.”

She’s not an artist that rushes the creative process. This is evidenced with the three-year span between her debut and sophomore albums.

“When I record,” she said, “I usually take all the time that I need to do it. Especially with my second album, we had a producer in Philadelphia mix it. So, that was a little bit of a time-extender. It was kind of a last-minute decision. We were almost done mixing it ourselves, and we decided we would reach out to Bill Moriarty. He’s kind of a hero of mine in the recording world.”

Ed. – Bill Moriarty has engineered recordings for Dr. Dog, Man Man and Drink Up Buttercup among others.

“I like to do a lot of weird, noisy stuff,” she continued, “slightly unconventional, but not crazy. He did a lot of stuff like that with Dr. Dog, and I love the production on those albums.

Photo credit: @songsbymarylynn

“We were having a really tough day mixing, because it can be really frustrating. It’s like one big panic attack sometimes. So, we reached out to Bill, because we really had a vision for how we wanted this album to sound. We really thought he might be able to help us.”

The maturity in both the subject matter and her sound is plainly evident on “My Animal” (Anyway Records).

To go along with having Moriarty produce her second album, she also is signed to Columbus, Ohio record label, Anyway Records.

“A friend of mine who worked with Bela (Koe-Krompecher),” Mary said, “and sent him the album. He reached out to me through Facebook and we got coffee. He was like ‘I really love your album and I’d love to put it out.’ Anytime anyone tells you they like your music, it’s an awesome feeling. But when it’s someone who wants to help you do something with it…

“It’s really awesome working with Bela, because he has so much history in the Columbus music scene and he’s really, really smart. I felt really privileged when he said he wanted to work with us.”

Her sophomore effort, “My Animal”, left fans wanting more. So, the question was posed of when we could expect new music from her.

“Not anytime soon,” she confided, “but I recently started writing again and I’m really excited about it. That’s the most thrilling thing for, when I get a new idea and I’m like ‘this could be something.’ But, it will take a while.

“Right now, I already have what I want the album title to be and what I want the concept of the album to be. It’s kind of cool, because that typically comes later, for me.”

Until that new music is forthcoming, we’re left to enjoy the beauty of Mary Lynn taking the sadness around us and putting a happy spin on it.

And that, my friends, is not a bad thing to experience.

Dreamin’ With You – Mary Lynn