| 11.11.02 By The Ghost Who Rocks - THE SCOUT - www.thescout.com Manda And The Marbles 11/11/02 @ Club LUXX Brooklyn, NY If you are A&R in New York, SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT BEING AT THIS SHOW! This is a band that needs to be on the tipsheet if ever there was one. The Marbles are a three piece from Columbus Ohio that play female fronted pop-rock in the vein of The Go-Gos, The Eyeliners, or The Bangs only BETTER and CATCHIER. They have been touring in support of a remastered and remixed version of their 2001 album 'Seduction' appropriately re-titled 'More Seduction'. For such an incredible band, this show was woefully under-attended, due mostly to poor local publicity. The Marbles managed to fill Luxx to a little over half-capacity, solely on word of mouth. I cruised in while their set was already underway, missing a few songs, but feeling the electricity already building in the air. Manda Marble has this kind of blonde Uma Thurman does '77 thing going on. Her vocals are sweet as honey one minute, tough as nails the next. And while it's status quo these days to find a band with a female bassist, it's rare you'll find one as proficient as Ms. Marble. Their guitarist Joe Mertz is a talent in his own right, and the two traded cock rock solos and simulated onstage lays through the entire set. The "Girl meets Boy - Girl ignores boy - Girl grabs boy" 'Seduction' was a certified hit with the audience. And then there's drummer Mark Slak. Even the band's own press says he looks like Jason Priestly! Slak, impressive all set long, capped it off with a standing drum solo that would have made Desi Arnaz, or even Buddy Rich proud. Next time Manda and The Marbles hit NYC, male A&R may want to check them out for purely selfish reasons: the sheer number of single women at their shows. The crowd in attendance was at least 60% female, all of 'em snazzy dressers. Just don't forget your corporate cards and expense accounts gentlemen. Them Brooklyn ladies can drink! |
| 11.12.02 www.beccapop.com MANDA AND THE MARBLES THE WHITE EAGLE, SOUTHSIDE 11/07/02 One good thing about this show is that Manda and The Marbles were there and played once again, another rocking live show.. Manda and the Marbles went on a little after midnight starting off with "I Wanna Go Home", a terrific cover done originally by the lovely Holly Vincent. After a few songs, the band was told by the bar staff that the police were outside and wanted thier amps turned down. So they turned down. Two more songs, the same thing again..the police were apparantly? (supposivly) outside again wanting the noise turned down again. Wait a minute...don't they book shows there? So then, after like one more song, they were told they are allowed to play two more and finished out with "Seduction" and "Hey". We hung out with the bands for a while afterwards and had a good time, regardless of the little incidents thrown out by the bar. Hopefully they got compensated for all the bullshit, and driving all the way from Ohio to play a show they were told to end early. To the Marbles: Next time, we'll have a lot more fun! ---becca boo |
| 3.21.02 www.DCska.com - by Rude George Washington D.C. - Kaffa House F@*#ng awesome. Manda and the Marbles are a must see. They opened up with an energetic set that was like the Ramones with Courtney Love taking Joey's spot. I'm sure that Gamma Rays and the ShakeDowns were good, and I distinctly remember them not sucking, but I was unimpressed after the Marbles. |
| 2.21.03 NEW YORK ROCK - MARCH 2003 Manda and the Marbles at Northsix, February 21, 2003 New York City's hot-rod hooligans, the Rumblers Car Club, presented a night of rock 'n' roll at Northsix in Brooklyn featuring I Farm, Bantam, the Star Spangles, and Manda and the Marbles. It was tattoos, leather jackets, and burly hugs as far as the eye could see. Many grown-up children of the '80s have a special place in their hearts for ladies such as the Go-Go's, Bananarama, and Kim "Kids in America" Wilde. Their music was pouty, awash in lip gloss and hairspray, and absolutely irresistible. Their songs made pining and heartache sound like so much friggin' fun. Finally, the valley girl woes have a new poster girl: Manda Marble. Manda and the Marbles are a Columbus, Ohio trio whose songs mirror those of sassy female-fronted pop bands – sunny surf rhythms and rather forlorn subject matter. The music could be a soundtrack for that sad California girl in Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" video. You know, the good girl who loves her mama, loves Jesus, and America, too. The band opened with a cover of Holly and the Italians' bored, lost suburban-kid anthem "Wanna Go Home." "Sex Object" and "Seduction" rocked sly sexiness as did the lead singer. Ms. Marble's gangly arms and long blonde hair framed her bass as she sang her "Whoa-oh-oh"s. Guitarist Joe Dama'ge splayed his legs really wide like Johnny Ramone, placing the guitar directly over his manhood. Drummer Mark Slak sported a skinny tie, and p-p-pounded like a New-Wave neanderthal (that's a compliment). People were gleefully doing the Molly Ringwald Breakfast Club dance. (This is Ms. Ringwald's second consecutive mention in NY Rock Confidential. Far out!) Next time Time Life Music does an '80s compilation, they'd be smart to ring up the Marbles and ask if they'd be willing to contribute a track. So what if the band is not technically from the '80s? Manda's fans would keep it a secret. Our lips are sealed. |
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| 9.12.03 PLAYBACK St Louis - www.playbackstl.com Backstage Pass Manda and the Marbles - The Way Out Club, September 13, 2003 by John Kujawski Sometimes I wonder if some of the quietest people play in the loudest rock bands. This is a fairly new theory of mine, but if I had to back it up, I’d say that Manda and the Marbles’ show at the Way Out Club certainly makes my theory a reality. I met all three members of this Ohio trio a few hours before they hit the stage, and Manda was certainly quiet, friendly, and soft-spoken. I couldn’t help but remember the journal entry I had read on her home page the night before, how the weather was too cold for her in Seattle and she had to wear a “cozy sweater.” I chatted with her briefly as she tuned her bass guitar, something she did with care, the way a hunter cleans a rifle. It was as if she were preparing her instrument for battle. When the three-piece known as Manda and the Marbles hit the stage, all they brought were guitars, bass, and drums, but it felt more like an assault with machine guns. You could feel the bass in your chest, and Joe A. Dama’ge provided a wall of guitar distortion that could have damaged listeners’ hearing if they didn’t bring earplugs. The energy of the band could be felt right away, especially from Manda, as she played her bass and still managed to use the microphone stand as a prop when she sang. The songs came to life as she moved around the stage and drew the audience in. The band’s pop/rock sound and catchy hooks were not lost in the noisy mix. Songs like “Sex Object” and “Seduction” were highlights, with Manda’s voice coming through strong. Much of the set was taken from the band’s new release,More Seduction, which has a smoother and lighter guitar sound than the concert did. Live, the songs came across in a loud wall of distortion and brutal drumbeats. Even though the set was only 30 minutes long, it was hard not to leave feeling satisfied; by the end of the night, the audience was dancing and screaming and showing their appreciation. 9.05.03 COOLJUNKIE - SEPTEMBER 2003 Manda & The Marbles @ Spaceland LA Friday September 5th Review by Steve 'Flash' Latrell Live photo by Melissa Latrell All the New Wave “comeback” bands in the world will still never be able to appropriate the warm, glossy feeling that sheltered us from the evil Reagan-omics in that strange decade of the 1980s. But Manda and the Marbles sure can help you remember what that magic felt like, and leave you humming some good tunes to boot. The pride of Columbus, OH, singer/bassist Manda Marble, guitarist Joe A Dama’ge, and drummer Mark Slak are currently making the rounds in support of their latest stellar indie release More Seduction (Go Kart Records). And quite frankly, they deserve surroundings better than Spaceland. Sure, the club is legendary, and a hipster’s delight. Yet the sticky floors and rugged onlookers (milling about waiting for the headlining Black Halos) were an odd juxtaposition with snappy, glammy vibe the band exudes. If it were 1984, I’d expect to see them featured among the bright lights of Solid Gold, and I’d tack their poster up in my school locker next to Simon Le Bon. But great bands transcend even the most lackluster of venues, and luckily, MATM are truly one great band. Comparisons are abound to all sorts of New Wave luminaries, but it should be noted that far from being a mere retro act, the band has carefully extracted the best parts of New Wave (a genre once foolishly dismissed as “empty”), punk, and pop, and distilled them into a failsafe elixir for their top-notch, fat-free original songs. The most flattering shades of The Ramones, Romeo Void, and Blondie color songs like “Hey!”, “Wanna Go Home”, and “Forget About the Day,” without really sounding like any of those bands. Tight and energetic on stage, the trio have clearly spent countless hours honing their attack, and were as engaging to watch as they were to hear. |
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