MARY SIMICH
THE LOOK
Mary Simich is a twenty-one-year-old tan and tall beauty on the Wild Records label. She stuns when she walks into any room. She is California – a fresh-faced athletic girl who swims and sails. Her smooth voice and elegant stage presence draw you in. She’s a best dressed, always in dramatic ensembles created by her older brother Chris Simich, with whom she also shares the stage in a musical side project known as Tiny & Mary. You always notice Mary Simich. She carries herself with a mature confidence and beauty, considering her young age. She’s a unique mixture that is reminiscent of Grace Kelly. You must see her live on stage! https://www.instagram.com/marysimich/?hl=en https://www.wildrecordsusa.com/
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: Mary, what was your upbringing like? Where were you raised?
MARY SIMICH: I was born and raised in Orange County, California (the part of Southern California that is not Los Angeles). I am a California girl through and through – a lover of sand, sea, and sunshine. My parents have been together for nearly forty years and I don’t think they’ve ever loved one another more. I am the youngest of five kids and was a total surprise! Born ten years after my four older siblings, it was like having six parents. I was raised in a house where being teased is a sign of affection. My family is very affectionate. You learn to laugh at yourself or, well, you just better learn to laugh.
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: How did you get into playing music and singing?
MARY SIMICH: One note at a time. I was surrounded by older siblings, all with varied musical tastes. I listened to all different genres of music growing up and learned to appreciate all different kinds of music. My older sister accompanied the congregation at church on Sundays and my brothers were always in a rock ‘n’ roll band. I was no stranger to participating in music. At the age of seven, my mother put me in piano lessons. I begged her to stop under the condition that I would continue to play the piano. I continued to play the piano and at twelve my parents got me a guitar for Christmas. I picked around on it, but never really played it too much. It wasn’t until fourteen when my dad became ill that I really began to play guitar. I started writing music all of the time! I wrote tons of music and became fearful that I would forget all that I had written so I began making really simple recordings of the songs. When playing back the recordings I was able to hear for myself how awful my voice was. I was not a natural-born talent by any means. I always wrote thinking that maybe one day somebody would sing my songs. Never did I think that it would be me. Practice made me better – but far, far from perfect. One night some friends were having a little jam session at a party and they asked me to sit in. I thought that meant play guitar with them, but right then and there they put me on the spot to sing in front of everyone! The old jazz standard “Ain’t Misbehavin” was the first song I sang out loud for a room full of strangers. Even right now reading this response back to my mother, she said, “You were a terrible little singer!” She was a fan then; I think she means it now.
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: Currently you are a student. Tell us what daily college life is like for you. Where do you attend school and what are you studying?
MARY SIMICH: Ponyboy! Alice Cooper and I would like to inform you that “SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!” The last week has been full of beach camping, hiking, snorkeling on Catalina Island, sailing, surfing and all kinds of fun! But come autumn, I go back to studying music and transfer to a University in the spring.
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: You’re on the Wild Records label. How did Reb Kennedy discover you?
MARY SIMICH: In a dark alleyway one night in Burbank, CA – seriously. I had heard he was holding auditions and thought to myself, I really have nothing to lose at all. I was drawn to Wild Records because I saw their artists traveling a lot. I thought maybe the songs I had written could be my ticket to places I had never seen before. I wasn’t really planning on doing much with my music at that point, except maybe sell songs I had written to other artists. But I thought I should at least try. I knew that I wasn’t really like anything else on Wild, so I thought the audition would be chalked up to nothing more than just a good experience. I was hesitant to go to the audition seeing as how it was being held at a practice space in an industrial area in Burbank, CA. So, I brought one of those older brothers with me. Turned out they were nice folks and I had nothing to worry about!
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: You’re not the expected Wild Records act. What’s it like being on the label?
MARY SIMICH: We have a lot of fun and the label mates are very supportive of me! I feel like I am the exception to the rule when it comes to Wild! We have a joke going that I am actually on the made-up offshoot of Wild Records called Mild Records. I do not drink, I do not lie on the floor, I do not scream, I do not hoop and or holler, but I still manage to have a great time with all of those crazy kids!
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: We saw you play at Viva Las Vegas and liken you to a modern-day chanteuse. We love your beautiful voice!
MARY SIMICH: Aww, thanks for coming! It still surprises me that people show up to come see me play! I’m surrounded by the nicest folks!
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: We think in twenty years you’ll be performing in beautiful sequin gowns in fancy nightclubs. Ha! Do you see yourself still on stage in twenty years?
MARY SIMICH: Hahaha! That is the only way I see myself performing in twenty years! In twenty years I would still love to be performing because there is something so raw about getting a reaction from an audience over songs you have written. However, I would love to perform at my leisure and have the bulk of my work come from scoring films. I have always been interested in writing and scoring. Music can so drastically change our interpretation of what we see and how we feel. I think it would be so neat to be able to enhance a visual experience by creating the right sound for a scene. Music is so powerful.
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: We love your personal style. Tell us about your brother who makes all of your fabulous stage wear.
MARY SIMICH: My brother Chris (aka Mr. Tiny) is ultra-talented in every way. He cooks, he sews, he draws, he dances, he sings (way better than I do). He is incredibly thoughtful and he is hilarious. He just oozes creativity. His talent seems to know no bounds. He designs and makes the majority of my clothing. He is a huge reason why I am the way I am. He taught me to appreciate beautiful things and he would always include me in trips to the museum, the theater, art exhibits, and stops at old abandoned buildings. He taught me that silly is also beautiful. And I learned to appreciate things that were a bit goofy. After years of living what he has coined the “Wacky Tacky Lifestyle,” he now writes a lifestyle blog called “Wacky Tacky”. He documents the neat roadside things we find, the funny outfits that he creates, our music, the delicious and goofy food he makes—really, just all things Wacky Tacky. I am grateful for his influence in my life and grateful that I get to sing with him in our brother-sister harmony act called “Tiny & Mary.”
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: You wear clothing so well with that long lean model-type body. And we also met your boyfriend at Viva, he has model good looks as well. He performed with you on stage. Is he now part of the Marcy Simich Experience?
MARY SIMICH: Am I a whole Experience? Wow! We both have multiple musical projects of our own to keep us busy, but who knows what the future holds. We always have a good time while playing together and I am sure we will grace the stage together as a team again sometime.
PONYBOY MAGAZINE: Whom would you say your musical and style icons are?
MARY SIMICH: Oh my, what an exciting question! Right off the bat, I’d say Julie London and Tim Morgon are are my icons. Julie London sings a song called “Saddle the Wind“. It has become my family’s anthem and has become a signature song to perform for Tiny & Mary. There is something so rich and lovely and sexy and powerful about her voice. With regards to Tim Morgon, I will say this – I LOVE California. I love the beach. I love to be outside. I love the sun. I love swimming. I love bonfires. I love teenage Beach Blanket Bingo-esque romance – and Tim Morgon is just that. I mentioned before that music can be incredibly powerful, and Tim Morgon was the soundtrack to some big moments in my life. Another artist who I try to emulate is Roy Orbison. I like that he is a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, but more than anything he is dreamy. I am drawn to very ethereal music and Roy Orbison is just that. As for style, I have always appreciated the glamorous movie stars at home, or at the ranch, or on vacation. I like the designs of Edith Head. They are simple, sophisticated and highly dramatic, and all the while accentuating the female form.
