Zera Marvel: Home
Called the "best-named singer in rock" by Alternative Press magazine, Zera Marvel - former front-woman of the band Tagging Satellites, ventures out on her own. Zera just finished her first solo release, "Birds & Bullets Fly" - stay tuned for a release date.
July 2008 - 
Head Like A Kite with Graig Markel from The Animals At Night & Zera Marvel.
Photo by: Jeanine Anderson
The company manufacturing the covers for my CD are still "behind schedule" and I have not been able to confirm a date with them as to when I will actually see the CDs. While I grow more impatient by the day, I do have some exciting things to keep me pre-occupied. The new Head Like A Kite CD, "There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere" on LA-based electronic label Mush Records is out now and # 1 on KEXP.
Head Like A Kite is Dave Einmo, joined live by drummer Trent Moorman, and in the studio by a revolving cast of musical friends including members of The Long Winters, Radio 4, Crooked Fingers, Smoosh, The Animals at Night and others. I am honored to have contributed backup vocals on a track. We just celebrated the release of the CD with two shows - one in Seattle and another in Yakima, WA.
Here's a cool review of the Seattle show on the Seattle Weekly website:
Head Like A Kite show review
I also sing on a track from the new The Animals At Night CD, "Rain Falls On Asphalt". AAN also has a remix CD, "Northwest Remixed", which includes a remix of my song "Honeymoon", as well as songs by Kristin Hersh, Daniel G. Harmann, The Transmissionary Six, and more.
June 2008 -
There is a new review on the PRESS PAGE from the Radio Free Seattle music blog.
I wish I had an update on the release of my CD. Unfortunately the company I chose to do the packaging is running behind schedule.
May 2008 -
Upcoming show:
May 6th at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle. I will be playing with a full band including: Graig Markel on guitar, Johnny Shea Bliss on drums, Jon Hyde on pedal steel, Doran Bastin on bass, and Greg Panto will be playing banjo.
Also on the bill: J. Tillman & Monahans
March 2008 -
Join us as we celebrate "Cosmonautical", the beautiful new release from my friends Transmissionary Six. Check out their website and have a listen:www.rodeosatellite.com
Zera Marvel followed by Transmissionary Six playing all the songs from their new CD. We will both be playing with full bands.
Friday, March 7th, 2008
Sunset Tavern, Seattle
It's an early show, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
January 2008 -
Friday, January 18th at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle. I will be playing with a full band including: Graig Markel on guitar, Johnny Shea Bliss on drums, Jon Hyde on pedal steel, Doran Bastin on bass, and Greg Panto playing banjo.
Also on the bill: Shane Tutmarc & The Traveling Mercies, and Jesse Sykes!
Click here to see a show preview & interview I did with Trent Moorman for The Stranger.
UPDATE: 1.21.08 - what an amazing evening we all had on Friday! The show was sold-out! Click here to see pictures from the show. Photos by Louise Wall.
November/December 2007 -
Listen to a mix of the new song "Above My Head". Recorded on a very rainy Seattle evening: hi-fi - lo-fi
October 2007 -
Listen to a mix of the new song "The Carpenter": hi-fi - lo-fi
September 2007 -
I am done recording. Graig Markel is working on the mastering and I should have a finished record within the next few weeks! The bad news is that I will be delaying the official release until this spring. It will be called "Birds And Bullets Fly" - I look forward to the finished product and will let you know more details as it comes together!
July/August 2007 -
Check out the July issue of Seattle Magazine below. I am very honored to share the page with two of my local favorites, Jesse Sykes and Sera Cahoone.
May/June 2007-
5,000 miles in 13 days is a lot of driving, but we are safely back in Seattle. We had a great time on tour. We saw Taco Bell's, Wal-Mart's, cacti and palm trees, cows and sheep, strip malls and condos (both are taking over America), sun and snow, mountains, desert, and the sea...and lots and lots of highway! Happily there wasn't much road kill. We did kill billions of bugs though - sorry bugs! We avoided traffic tickets and parking tickets and hospitals. We met many nice people and saw a lot of great music. I do believe it was a success! Looking forward to the summer and recording more music now that we are back home.
April 2007-
New songs on the Music page! These songs will be available on a 5 song EP that I am putting together for the west coast tour we are about to embark on. Check out the Calendar page for show info.
February 2007-
"Zera Marvel. She’s drifting acoustic and dark. There’s a mist, and fireflies. Zera slows and points. Reminders on the wall. She’s been recording and mixing at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco. A new album is close." - Click here to see this review.
January 2007-
It feels like I have been working on my solo record for a lifetime, and well, I guess I have been! Since it is my first solo release I want to take my time and make sure I love each song. I will not be playing any shows for the month of December so I can focus on writing and recording. Happy Holidays!?!
October 2006-
I am very excited about opening for Micah P. Hinson at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle on Halloween! Micah has an old-soul voice and a story to match. I can't wait to see him perform. If you are in Seattle on Halloween, you should come out to the Tractor, it will be a great night.
September 2006-
On Saturday, September 2nd I will be playing at the High Dive in Seattle. It is a KEXP Live Remote Broadcast - so even if you are not in Seattle you can tune into www.kexp.org and listen. Check out the Calendar Page for more info.
August 2006-
I have had this website for one year now – how time flies. I just posted some pictures from the show on July 19th on the Photo page. I have a live band now: Graig Markel on guitar, Johnny S. Bliss on drums, and Jeff McCallum playing stand-up bass. Those names might be recognizable to those of you familiar with my old band, Tagging Satellites. Looks as though the band is back together! This time around we are playing my solo material. I got together with the guys a few days ago and started recording two new songs. There is another show in the works for the beginning of September – check back for details!
July 2006-
I didn't die of stage fright! Thank you to everyone who came out to the High Dive on June 28th for my first solo show. I was a wreck all day with nervous energy. Even as I got onto the stage, I wasn't sure I would be able to remember my songs. But I did, and it was a wonderful night! I am sure I will be nervous the next time I play, but last night reminded me that it is all worth it. The other bands that played were amazing -Transmissionary Six, Graig Markel, and Jen Wood. I felt honored to share the stage with such great talent! Thanks to everyone who came out to support me and those of you that sent your love and support from miles away - I appreciate it!
June 2006-
Live shows listed on the calendar page! I have not stepped onto a stage since 2002. It is really hard to believe it has been that long, especially since the stage fright never left. I am looking forward to these upcoming shows...despite my nerves! If you live in Seattle, it might be worth the $6 to see what happens!
April 2006-
I just returned from mixing with engineer/producer Aaron Prellwitz (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters, Death Cab for Cutie, etc.) at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio in San Francisco. In the short amount of time we had, he was able to mix two songs. Aaron is a pleasure to work with, like visiting an old friend, even though we have only met once before. I posted pictures from the trip on the Photos page, and one of the songs we worked on, “Honeymoon”, on the Music page. Back to recording for now!
January/February 2006-
I posted two "songs in progress" on the music page. Keep in mind they are rough mixes. Just thought it would give you an idea of what I've been working on!
December 2005-
Started to make further progress on recording. Unfortunately I was sidetracked by the death of my wonderful Grandfather. Just returned from his funeral on the East Coast. Not in the mood for the upcoming holidays, but I always manage to get through them. I will post rough demos of some new songs next month. Thanks for checking in.
November 2005-
I took a break from recording in October. I got obsessed with my Halloween costume. I won some money on Halloween for my costume though! Back to the music now...
October 2005-
Taking a break from recording to work on a very cool Halloween costume based on the Greek myth of The Sirens. I've been playing lots of guitar, and now have a few new songs to record next month!
September 2005-
I have been enjoying the beautiful Seattle summer weather. It is difficult to lock yourself in the studio and record when the weather is calling for you to swim in the lake! I tend to be much more productive, artistically speaking, when the weather is gray and calls for hibernating! So far I have recorded 9 songs and plan to work on 4 more next month. I have been practicing new material with Johnny S. Bliss (Tagging Satellites) and Graig Markel (solo artist/ Tagging Satellites) preparing to record a few more songs. Graig has been upgrading equipment in the Recovery Room, and I am looking forward to using some of the new mics for this next round of recording. The songs are coming along great. Thanks for checking in!
August 2005-
It has been over two years since my band Tagging Satellites broke up. I am excited to be involved in music again; it has been the biggest thing missing over these past few years. I have been recording solo material at the Recovery Room in Seattle. My plan is to put out a CD sometime in 2007. Thanks for visiting my new website, keep checking back for updates!