Born in Brooklyn, New York, and growing up "between the Boardwalk and the Verrazano Bridge," Marc Barnhill counted such literate singer-songwriters as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, David Wilcox, Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls, Nick Drake, and Jules Shear among his major influences. He wrote both songs and poetry, collaborating with brother Scott on a collection of guitar tracks called Cloudy Skies, and was involved with such music projects as Fall Out, Ontology, Cabin Boy Smith, and Urbal T. A number of early solo songs were recorded as the sparsely acoustic Chasing After demos.
Marc approached songwriting with literary care, crafting songs densely packed with evocative language, intelligent introspection, internal rhyme, and surprising imagery. His debut solo album, Blue Time, interspersed uptempo gems like "Brother of Mine," "Smoke and Rattles," and "Tragedy in Coney Island" among contemplative ballads like "Already on My Way," "Wayfarer of the Brine," and "All in My Own Good Time." The CD was heralded as "an unusual and special collection" of "smart, emotional songs," and Marc was described as "one of the very best lyricists and songwriters around" (see PRESS). Several tracks from the CD became crowd favorites at Greenwich Village and Upper East and West Side cafes and remained staples of Marc's performances even as he continued to debut popular new material like the much-requested "Women of Sand."
Marc has frequently participated in the New York Singer-Songwriter Sessions, been chosen as a featured artist by Alloy Radio, performed at numerous venues (including CBGB, The Bitter End, Caffe Vivaldi/The Listening Room, DT-UT, The Psychic Cafe, The Underground Lounge, The Creek and the Cave, The Four-Faced Liar, and The Baggot Inn), and been accompanied onstage by such artists as Jeff Jacobson and Casey Shea of The Undisputed Heavyweights, Paul Alexander, Ed Purchla, Scotts Roger, Jon Berger, Joey Figgiani, Scott Barnhill, banjoist Debe Dalton, and violinist Catherine Boyd.
A second collection of songs, Circles of Surprise, is scheduled to be released in 2008. Marc currently lives in Astoria with his wife, Emily, and his daughter, Liana.
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