Hannah Marks Releases “Outsider, Outlier”
Photo credit: Lexi BrownNew York City based bassist, composer, and educator Hannah Marks has announced her debut album Outsider, Outlier, which will be released October 20th via Out Of Your Head Records and can be pre-ordered here. To celebrate the announcement, she released the cathartic title track of the album with a self directed music video. The track sees her finding power and beauty in her own company.
The idea of the title track emerged while Marks’ was taking a classical composition class in Indiana University when she heard Kate Soper’s Voices From The Killing Jar for the first time. She immediately drew inspiration, pointing towards the song’s subject matter. In her sincere search for belonging, she found power in the things that make her different from those around her.
“The lyrics are haughty and disdainful, channeling my frustration with a friend group that was icing me out at the time. My status as an outsider and outlier work in conjunction, giving me fuel to distinguish myself from my peers that I no longer fit in with.”
Outsider, Outlier, Marks’ upcoming album, perfectly blends jazz and rock over ten dynamics that creatively explore the human condition. Being a well known bassist and jazz musician in New York City, the project gives her a great advantage to present the new side of her unique and dynamic artistry. The album presents her search for belonging, love, and empowerment by looking into key relationships in her life. The stylistic change shows the torturous nature of unhealthy relationships and anxiety. Marks uses campy musical cliches and musical theater melodies to poke fun at her emotions to treat them with playful energy, creating a safe yet cathartic space to dwell on her feelings.
All songs were written by Hannah Marks with her collaborators on the album - Sarah Rossy (lead vocals), Lee Meadvin (guitar), Lex Korten (piano), Nathan Reising (alto saxophone), and Connor Parks (drums). The recording process is a testament to her resilience during a tumultuous time where she took a deep creative dive into her artistic mission and purpose. The album was recorded at Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, NY with Caroline Davis as the producer and Meadvin working on post-production. It was engineered by Todd Carder and was also mixed by Meadvin.
Her album allows herself to reflect on the difficult moments and relationships she’s been through during her life, while also celebrating how far she’s come and how her dark times have made her the person she is today.
“Composed in my early twenties, ‘Outsider, Outlier’ is a manifesto on how to empower yourself by breaking free from harmful relationships. The girl that experienced these events was innocent, lonely, and heartbroken, only to emerge a secure, loved, and whole woman. Throughout the process of writing this album, I embraced the grunge and experimental rock music I grew up loving but had always set aside in favor of my “serious” jazz pursuits. I chose not to abandon my jazz background, instead gathering a group of accomplished improvisors to bring a free, daring spirit to the music.”
“Marks is gearing up to bring listeners into her layered, expansive sonic universe with a deeply personal debut album that is a culmination of her talent, lived experiences, and wide breadth of musical knowledge.”
Outsider, Outlier Tracklist:1. (I Wanna B Ur) 90s Dreamgirl2. Graduation3. Outsider, Outlier4. Shadow Woman5. Fairytale6. No Way Out7. Weary Woman8. I’ll Ask Anyway9. Disappearing Act10. Jessie’s Lullaby“Hannah Marks was born and raised in Des Moines, IA where she played guitar until she discovered the cello in fourth grade. By the end of highschool, she found the double bass and she never let it leave her side. At Indiana University, she emerged herself in the Jacobs School of Music by 2019. She moved to New York City and attended the Betty Carter Jazz Program in Washington, D.C.. This is where she met trumpeter Marcus Printup, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, and pianist Jason Moran. In early 2020, Marks performed in Printup’s WBGO concert series with keyboardist Miles Lennox and drummer TJ Reddick demonstrated great maturity as they dispatched a set of guileless originals filled with simple but artful melodies and subtle but swinging propulsion.”
She has played a number of festivals including Detroit Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, 80-35 Music Festival, Iowa Jazz Festival and Indy Jazz Festival. In addition to her own music, she has a jazz group, Hannah Marks Quartet. She is also very passionate about education and has led masterclasses on music and entrepreneurship at colleges across the country. Now, she is gearing to bring listeners to her layered, expansive sonic universe with a personal debut album that combines her talent, life experiences, and musical knowledge.
