Marnie Cook- South Dakota Musician

I know I haven't blogged much about music lately.  I almost hate to admit the fact that I have become painfully critical about it.

I have been to several hundred concerts.  There was a period in my life when I would go to several a week.

I remember being in my teens and thinking that every single one I went to was amazing.  But then again, it didn't take a lot to impress me.

Life goes on and you go to a lot of shows.  After some time it takes more to be impressed.  I need to see talented musicians doing good original songs and quality covers.

I don't want to say that I have given up on music, but I have stopped going to see live music as much as I used to.  I have fallen asleep while seeing top 40 bands.  I have walked out on classic rock acts too intoxicated to remember their hits.  I have asked for my dollar back after less than average performances at open mic night.

OK, I may have exaggerated a bit.  Still, my experience with live music has not been what it used to be.

In fact, most of my good and positive live music moments have been accidental.  One night we went to Erie, PA for a minor league baseball game.  We got a room, and headed to the ballpark.  Rain came down quickly.  The game was called, and we found ourselves driving around looking for something to do.  We found a cool cafe and went in.

An amazing folkie named Kev Rowe was singing and playing.  We were blown away by his great songs.  I bought his CD and I now count him among my all time favorites, right up there with Jackson Browne, Cowboy Mouth and 10,000 Maniacs.

We had a very similar experience on our recent trip through South Dakota.

We had a room at the Alex Johnson in Rapid City for several nights in a row.  We had dinner at a local restaurant and as we left, I heard some perfect music coming from somewhere.  I assumed that a local bar or cafe was playing a new album from a new or local band.  I felt the need to find out where the music was coming from, and to see who the artist was.

It was late in Rapid City and if you have ever been there, you know that it is not exactly a busy city at night.  It didn't hit me that the music I was hearing might be live.

I said to my wife that I wanted to find out about the music we were hearing.  I said something along the lines of, "Hey, I want to find out what album we are hearing."

My wife looked around a corner and said, "thats a real person!"

The sound I was hearing was so clear, and perfectly in tune.  Rarely do you hear music with the vocals and the guitar right these days unless it has been created in a studio.  That's not high praise for new studio music, its a bit of a knock to todays undisciplined musicians.

So, from a distance we watched one singer on a small stage with her guitar.

After a song, we grabbed a seat and settled in.

The singer's name is Marnie Cook, and I now count her among my favorite musicians I mentioned above.

I hate to make comparisons but Marnie reminded me of Joni Mitchell, but with a less weathered voice.  Even I hate to compare anyone to Joni, but this is the most accurate comparison I can make.

I felt like her sets were custom made for me as she did honest versions of Jackson Browne, CS&N, and Kristen Hall songs.

Marnie was a humble performer, politely saying thank you after applause following each song.  Before she could leave the stage, I asked her if she had a CD (she did).  She did not plug her CD on stage or mention a tip jar.  She was obviously there to play for her love of music.

We went back to see Marnie again the next night.  She again played an amazing set.  I took notice of several original songs and I have been playing them non-stop since they are on her CD.  "Charms of an Easy Life" and "Not A Whisper" are two of my favorites right now.

Marnie keeps a very low profile and hasn't updated her sites in some time.  She is not exactly off the grid, but she is getting there.  Again, I think she is one of those great musicians that is out playing because they love to play.

I would love to see Marnie do some dates in say....  Kentucky but it looks like she only does shows in the Rapid City area.

Marnie Cook is a great performer especially live and I hope more people get to see her perform.  I also would love to hear a new CD she could easily pull of a great 2 CD live set!

PLEASE do yourself a favor and check out her tunes!  She is one of those great voices that deserves more attention.

http://marniecook.com/home.html