NEWS

It’s a blessing but a challenge to be a musician and artist, and it isn’t easy to move forward during the pandemic. But I think that’s applicable for everyone right now. I played a few outdoor concerts during the warmer seasons and hosted some events, but that is on hold as it gets colder. Since I am not able to play, attend, or host concerts anymore, I have had more time to work on other projects. You can see that I have added pages to highlight my poetry, crankies, and other art projects. I have been spending time outdoors, working on my first garden and going on walks in the woods as much as I can. I hope you’re able […]

  Recently, Chris Kelly did a feauture in the Washington Post about my album Lake Accotink as a preview piece for my show at Dupont Underground. The show was a lot of fun. It was great to play with an ensemble again. It was the same group that played with me at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in September. I hope to play with them again sometime soon.

More info here

I’m about to head off to Richmond to start a small run of shows for the Poets for Peace movement. I’m playing in Richmond, Blacksburg, and DC with my friends  Erin White (movement artist) and Marshall Deerfield (poet). Come check out one of our events! Fliers below for each one. POETS FOR PEACE Poets For Peace is a collective movement of bringing hope and inspiration onto the road to combat the negative impacts of the Western war machine through dialogue and storytelling. This installment will be fronted by three performers: Marian McLaughlin, Erin White, and Marshall James Kavanaugh. Multi-instrumentalist Marian McLaughlin crafts lyrically-driven songs that stem from her stream-of-consciousness about humanity’s multifaceted relationship with our planet. With improvised movements, Erin White offers a grounded expression of the oppressive […]

Local singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marian McLaughlin is pushing hard against the boundaries of folk music. Weaving together imaginative lyrics, intricate guitar work, and rhapsodic delivery, she creates songs of exquisite detail. We’ll discuss her wide-ranging influences which include the electronic art pop of Björk, the desert blues of Ali Farka Touré, the classical minimalism of Philip Glass, the folk-rock of Sun Kill Moon and the spiritually transcendent jazz of Alice Coltrane. Grab a drink. Join the conversation. Dig the music. Hosted by Brooks Long. TUE FEB 19 | 7PM | FREE RSVP on Creative Alliance’s website FB event link

A few months ago, my friend Valeska asked me if I’d like be her musical accompaniment for her performance at the annual Baltimore Crankie Fest. She told me she was working on a crankie/shadow puppet story about her wildlife sitings juxtaposed with the omnipresence of plastic in one of our local waterways, Herring Run. I’ll find a way to share a link to the performance soon. And you can read more musings about my involvement below. I haven’t done much live accompaniment before, but I immediately said yes. I was curious and excited to be invited to work on this project. Even more, I felt some strong synchronicity. Throughout 2017, I was writing material for my environmental song cycle, Lake […]

Last month, I had a great conversation with Justin Weber of the City Paper to talk about my album, Lake Accotink. He took the time to write a really nice feature that you can read here. Thanks Justin! Also, I got to chat with Lynn Veronneau and Ken Avis on their show Antidote Sounds, tune in to our conversation here.  

If you enjoy the artwork from my latest album Lake Accotink, then perhaps you may be interested this offer. I am currently selling eight original hand drawings of the animals featured on the back of my album. The drawings are $30 each (+$10 for shipping) and are adhered to a collaged paper frame and each will be mounted on a small white matboard. The total dimensions for each piece is close to 7.5″x7.5″. Artwork will ship by November 20th, 2018. Send you orders as well as any inquiries to: marianmclaughlinmusic@gmail.com

I’m releasing my third album, Lake Accotink, next week on Friday 10/19 through Antidote Records. You can pre-order a copy through my Bandcamp here, and while you’re over there, you can also listen to some tracks that are already out, like “Zoysia Grass”, “Grayson Highlands”, “Of the Lake & Land”, and “Open a Window”. To celebrate my upcoming release, I hosted a site-specific show at Lake Accotink. If you’re wondering the significance of this place, I grew up right by the lake. I learned how to walk on those trails, and I have spent lots of time at this park connecting with nature. I have daydreamed about playing a show at the park for over a decade, and I got pretty […]

❁❁…meet me by the lake…❁❁ To celebrate my upcoming album release, I’m hosting three intimate shows in three of my favorite local parks throughout the month of October. Lake Accotink, Rock Creek Park, and Lake Roland. These park shows will take place throughout each park. We will start in one spot, walk as a group, and we’ll stop along the way a number of times so I can share songs from my upcoming album. Attendees must register in advance  (so I know how many people are coming). There are only 15 tickets to each show. Besides experiencing live music that is site-specific, attendees will also receive a copy of my new album, Lake Accotink. This series was inspired by Dan Goldberg’s […]