Mary Timony

Mary Timony
Timony in 2015
Timony in 2015
Background information
Born (1969-10-17) October 17, 1969 (age 55)
Washington, D.C., United States
Genres
Years active1990–present

Mary Bozana Timony (born October 17, 1969) is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, and violist. She has been a member of the bands Helium, Autoclave, Wild Flag, and Hammered Hulls, and currently fronts Ex Hex.

Timony's music is often heavy and dark, frequently using drones, beats, and modal melodies reminiscent of European Medieval music. She uses a number of alternate guitar tunings, most prominent of which is DADGAE. Timony's influences include Wire, the Slits, Fugazi, and Television.[1]

Her unique style has been cited as an influence amongst well respected and admired musicians such as Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and many more.[2] Rolling Stone ranked Timony at number 95 on their 2023 list of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time.[3]

Biography

Timony was born to James and Joan Timony of Washington, D.C., and raised in the neighborhoods of Glover Park and Wesley Heights.[4] She has Czech ancestry (at least one grandmother,[5] whose name Božana is the reason behind Timony's middle name). As a teenager, she attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown where she played guitar in the jazz band and also studied viola. Her guitar teacher Tom Newman recalled to interviewers: “She came to us a prodigy. You can’t teach what she has.”[4]

In 1990–91 Timony played guitar and shared lead vocals in the Washington, D.C.-based band Autoclave.[6] She later relocated to Boston, where she graduated from Boston University with a degree in English literature and formed the band Helium in the summer of 1992, recording two albums and three EPs with the group between 1994 and 1997. During this same period, Timony also collaborated with Helium bassist Ash Bowie in the short-lived side project Led Byrd, which contributed tracks to several various-artists compilations.

Helium disbanded in 1998, whereupon Timony moved back to Washington, DC and embarked on her solo career, recording albums in 2000 and 2002 (Mountains and The Golden Dove). She joined with drummer Devin Ocampo for her third solo album Ex Hex, which was released in 2005 on the Lookout! Records label and features the two performing together as a duo. In the same year, she contributed vocals to Team Sleep's self-titled album on the tracks "Tomb of Liegia" and "King Diamond."

She released a fourth solo album, The Shapes We Make, on the Kill Rock Stars label on May 8, 2007.[7] A music video for "Sharp Shooter" was produced by the art collective Paper Rad.

In early 2009, Mary Timony formed a new band, Pow Wow, with Jonah R. Takagi and Winston H. Yu.[8] As of June 2009 the group added T. J. Lipple and changed its name to Soft Power.[9]

In September 2010, Mary Timony and members of Sleater-Kinney, The Minders, and Quasi announced that they were working on a new album under the moniker Wild Flag. It was released on Merge Records on September 13, 2011.[10]

After Wild Flag's breakup, Timony formed Ex Hex with Fire Tapes bassist Betsy Wright, and The Aquarium drummer Laura Harris. Their debut album Rips was released on Merge Records in October 2014.[11] Her former bandmate Jonah Takagi produced both Rips and the group's sophomore effort, It's Real (released in March 2019 on Merge Records).[12][13]

Since 2018, she has been a member of the Washington, D.C.-based band Hammered Hulls, playing bass.

Her latest solo album, Untame the Tiger, was released by Merge in February 2024.

Her brother, Patrick Timony, is the keyboard player for the band The Picture is Dead.

There is a reference to Mary Timony in the lyrics to the song "Your Bruise" by the American indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, from their 1998 debut album Something About Airplanes.

Side projects

In addition to her work with Autoclave, Helium, and the Mary Timony Band, Timony has occasionally collaborated or recorded with other groups. In 1999, Timony recorded a four-song vinyl EP with Carrie Brownstein of the band Sleater-Kinney, in a duo called The Spells. In 2000, she recorded a six-song CD with Anna Johansson and Erin Maclean, entitled Green 4.

In 1995, Timony recorded the song "All Dressed Up In Dreams" with Stephin Merritt, on The 6ths album Wasps' Nests. She also recorded vocals for a one-off alt-country project called Lincoln '65. This project's sole output was a 7" single released by Slow River Records in 1996, labeled simply Lincoln '65, and contained two tracks, "Dreams" and "Jellyfish".

Timony collaborated with Team Sleep on "Tomb of Liegia" and "King Diamond" on their 2005 self-titled album, and "Let's Go" from the Deluxe Edition release of the album in 2024. In 2007 she recorded an album with Garland of Hours, a group that features cellist Amy Domingues.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1997 All Over Me Band Member (Coochie Pop)
2000 Dream Machine Trixie
2016 What Is a Group? Electric Guitarist (Chain & the Gang) [14]

Discography

Solo

Mary Timony Band

Autoclave

Further information: Autoclave (band) § Discography

Helium

Further information: Helium (band) § Discography

Mind Science of the Mind

Led Byrd

  • "The Dragon #1" appears on the compilation Extra Walt! (Walt, 1996)[15]
  • "Fantastic Castle" appears on the compilation EP Stargirl (Villa Villakula, 1996)[16]

Lincoln '65

  • "Dreams" b/w "Jellyfish" 7" single (Slow River, 1996)

The Spells

Green 4

  • Green 4 (limited edition CD-R, 2000)

Garland of Hours

  • The Soundest Serum (Noble Task Records, 2007)[17]

Wild Flag

Further information: Wild Flag § Discography

Ex Hex

Further information: Ex Hex (band) § Discography

Hammered Hulls

References

  1. ^ Swartz, Aimee (October 17, 2014). "Lion With Wings: Ex Hex's Mary Timony Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  2. ^ Pelly, Liz (May 10, 2017). "What Makes Mary Timony a Guitar God, According to Sleater-Kinney, Sadie Dupuis, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Swartz, Aimee (May 9, 2013). "Washington rocker Mary Timony has been called a genius. She just plays on". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  5. ^ Her "24 Question Party People: Mary Timony". Spotify.
  6. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography: Mary Timony". Allmusic. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  7. ^ "Perfect Sound Forever: Mary Timony interview". www.furious.com. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Capps, Kriston (January 9, 2009). "Interview: Mary Timony of Pow Wow". DCist. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  9. ^ marytimony.com, Archived on December 22, 2010
  10. ^ Ziedses des Plantes, Erik (September 2, 2010). "Sleater-Kinney/Helium Members Form Wild Flag". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  11. ^ "Rock Supergroup Wild Flag Are No More," Spin. Retrieved on February 22, 2018. Hogan, Marc (December 5, 2013)]
  12. ^ "I'm Just A Freak!: In Conversation with Mary Timony and Laena Geronimo". Talkhouse. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  13. ^ "Ex Hex's Mary Timony is Real". Bandcamp Daily. March 2, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  14. ^ Ian Svenonius (director) (2016). What Is a Group?. Chain & the Gang Films. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Wolk, Douglas (November 1996). "Hiss & Crackle". CMJ New Music Monthly. Great Neck, New York: College Media, Inc. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Duquette, Mike (March 24, 2017). "Helium Discography Rising with New Vinyl Reissues". The Second Disc. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "Garland of Hours - The Soundest Serum (ntr01)". Dischord.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.