Artist description Pocahontas and the Ribs combines lush female vocals and analog synthesizers with a variety of occasional instrumentation--upright bass, percussion, violin, trumpet, percussion, and harpsichord--to create a sound infused with elements of jazz and rock and ranging from mesmerizing and ethereal to pulsing and electronic. The marriage of diverse, driving rhythms and evocative vocal melodies is the essence of Pocahontas and the Ribs. The duo creates and records their music in their South Philadelphia home studio.

Artist History Layering a haunting array of sounds and infectious rhythms, Mark Berman creates his own universe of music. Mark performed in several Philadelphia bands--most notably, as percussionist for the industrial band Genghis Khan Experience (Beefeater Records), and as drummer in his own psychedelic instrumental band Cathode Ray, which released a CD in 1997 and was known for its long, groove driven semi-improvisations. A classically trained vocalist with a background in church choir and folk music, Jennifer Diehl brings a warm and personal sensitivity to Pocahontas and the Ribs. Jennifer's lucid vocals--inspired by love, dreams, liberation, and movement--create an emotional resonance that fits fatefully with Mark's atmospheric instrumentation. A native of York, PA, Jennifer moved to Philadelphia after graduating from Tyler School of Art, and has worked as an artist and writer ever since. Her inspired melodies lie at the heart of the duo's unique style.

Instruments Mark Berman- Prophet 600, Korg Delta, Casio and Yamaha keyboards, Alesis and Univox drum machines, percussion; Jennifer Diehl- vocals

Albums Pocahontas and the Ribs

Press Reviews Indieville.com (Canada): Pocahontas and the Ribs was rated #5 on the top 20 CD's of 2001 at Indieville. "It is a crime that Pocahontas and the Ribs are unsigned. Pocahontas and the Ribs are actually two people, Jennifer Deihl is the vocalist, and Mark Berman contributes the instrumentation. The instrumentation itself consists of a number of old electronic machines, including keyboards (yes, there's a Casio), synthesizers (wow, a Prophet 600!), and drum machines. But, surprisingly, the music is not upbeat or poppy at all. It's far from Plone and Add N to X. The music is actually surprisingly similar to bands like Low and A Northern Chorus. Deihl takes a very unique approach to her vocalwork. Occasionally it almost sounds like she is yawning the words, but this creates a mystic, rather than uninterested, effect. Berman utilizes a number of styles to creating his part of the music. He usually has a repeated synth-and-percussive background accompanied by various electronic blips and bleeps throughout the piece. The synthesizer work accompanies the vocals to help build upon, rather than deplete, the eerie and haunting feel of the album. "Eve of December" is a quiet, churchlike piece, while "Think" is a more upbeat number, favouring an uppity drum machine beat and a nice bit of trumpet work contributed by Kevin Murphy. "Think" also is marked by having a wonderful, enchanting synth melody. Stay tuned at the end, because after the vocal-only "The Fence," comes a menacing instrumental number that brings the album to a fantastic close. Beautiful, and unlike anything I've heard in a while. I cannot comprehend why they aren't signed to a label yet, I can only hypothesize that it is their choice. Maybe Matador will come a-knocking one day. 90%"-----fac193 (Tennessee): "Musical and romantic duo Mark Berman and Jennifer Diehl play with ambience and both modern and vintage electronics on their debut self-titled disc as Pocahontas and the Ribs. It is a debut that shows a great deal of promise. The songs range from short pieces (the first two tracks-Seatime and Telephone Tag- clock in at under 1:30 apiece) to the sprawling, gorgeous Tell Me which spans six and a half minutes of the disc. Diehl's voice weaves its spell throughout, dancing delicately to Berman's arrangements which range from subtle jazziness to electronic dissonance in method. This is not to say that organic instruments are nowhere to be found- violin appears on Forever My Love and trumpet can be heard on Tell Me and Think. The brightest spot on the disc is Walk With Me, where pulsing electronics and a near-dub atmosphere work in perfect synergy with dreamy, effected vocals. Pocahontas and the Ribs show considerable ambition and a sense of adventure in their first outing. Considering they did it all themselves, there's no telling what will come next." -----Spaceboy Music (Philadelphia): Pocahontas And The Ribs is a duo with Jennifer Diehl playing Marc Almond to Berman's David Ball (that's a Soft Cell reference for all those who have moved past the eighties). More dreamy than poppy, this music here conjures not just the sound but the spirit of many of my favorite early eighties bands (The Raincoats, Young Marble Giants, The Marine Girls, Suicide etc.) with enough style and personality to deny simple nostalgia. With renewed interest in the sounds of the early eighties post-punk movement, Pocahontas And The Ribs seem sure to grab a big following here in Philly and beyond with this haunting debut.

Location Philadelphia, PA - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).