Artist description It's been said that a good song is a snapshot of the human soul. If you believe that's true, then you might (if you really felt like it) consider welcoming Marc Givens to the mp3.com panorama as a new paparazzo of pop. Marc crafts stand-out songs that are melodic, catchy and hard to resist, yet which resonate with impressions of truth and a sardonic wit that, sadly, can be found in less and less of today's popular music. Marc fuses rock, funk, blues and electronic elements to produce mature and meaningful music that is thought-provoking yet listenable, likeable and fun. With an emphasis on intelligent lyrics and a vocal personality that stalks the no-man's-land between the smooth, the breathy and the bizarre, Marc offers new hope to those who refuse to believe that the brain has to stop when the music starts.

Music Style Cross-genre songwriting of original pop and rock, with an eclectic, funky R&B flavor and a distinctive vocal style

Musical Influences SO MANY, but... Lyrics: Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, Bernie Taupin, Sting, Paul Simon. Music: The Cars, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, Portishead, Jean-Michel Jarre. Production: Prince, Daniel Lanois, Crash Vegas, The Goo-Goo Dolls, Tori Amos, Nirvana, Mr. Bungle. Humor: David Bowie, Weird Al, NIN, Jr. Gone Wild. Why not to take self too seriously: Billy Idol, MC Hammer, Natalie Cole, Tom Jones, Right Said Fred...

Similar Artists Marc has been compared (in varying states of the fan's sobriety) to The Philosopher Kings, The Barenaked Ladies, Cat Stevens, Ben Harper, Fine Young Cannibals and The Tragically Hip (go figure...)

Artist History Marc has been writing, arranging and recording his own songs since 1989. He has shared the stage (albeit briefly) with such musical luminaries as Moxy Fruvous and such unjustly undiscovered talent as folk singer Tracie Morgan; he has played live for audiences from Northern Ontario to West Germany (although they weren't big audiences...). Among his modest non-musical achievements in life, he has aired three documentaries on the CBC's Ideas program, published his own arts and entertainment magazine, and in university in 1992 won the first annual North American Debating Championships with his partner Elicia Maine and took top speaker at the Nationals. (See Artist's Notes for more biographical details.) Marc's upcoming CD, to be titled From There to Here, is his first formal record release.

Group Members Although for this and his next release (an all-acoustic album slated for November 2000) Marc is going it alone, he hopes to have assembled a band by the end of the year to tour Canada and Germany.

Instruments Fender Stratocaster electric guitar (Japan), Ibanez AE300 acoustic/electric guitar, Korg 01/W FD Music Workstation, Ensoniq ESQ-1 Digital Wave Synthesizer, a cheap Traynor amp, a cheaper Peavey practice amp, a Yamaha REX50 Digital Effector, some shakers and harmonicas, a run-of-the-mill 333-MHz PC clone and, of course, Cool Edit Pro (what a program...!)

Albums Touching Stars (1991) - no longer available, The Sellouts, Idiot Savant (1994) - no longer available

Press Reviews Since Marc's work has been, until recently, essentially a studio project, there are as yet no press reviews for his material. However, a paper in Kapuskasing, Ontario -- a place most notable as the home town of James Cameron -- has published a feature article on Marc. You can find it in Artist's Notes.

Additional Info Aug. 28 - Here's the overdue update... A sudden, short-term day job has thrown the CD schedule off a bit, but this is a good thing, 'cause Marc is no longer starving. Two more songs remain to be recorded for the CD, and the goal now is completion of recording, mixing and mastering by the end of September. The CD will have 13 tracks and will be available from a web site to be linked to this page. In the meantime, look for two more singles to be posted between now and Sept 15, and a 6-track DAM CD version comprising all of the songs on this page will be available by that date. Any and all feedback on what you hear here is more than welcome. This site will be updated at least once a month; don't forget to watch this page for links to upcoming tunes from Marc's other music projects!

Location Kingston, Ontario - Canada

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