FAQ

MARI MACK FAQ :
Q: Who is Mari Mack?
A: I'm Mari Mack : a singer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I grew up in a town called Lodi in New Jersey. My birth name is "Tamburo," which, according to page 119 of the Hal Leonard Pocket Music Dictionary, means "drum." So I guess music has been in my ancestry for a long time. When I was a kid, my dad listened to Frank Sinatra records. He actually sounds a lot like him - they have a similar vocal tone. So that is where my love for big band started. Someday I will sing with a big band.
Q: So, where did "Mack" come from?
A: Let's see - depending upon my mood, I'll tell you either:
a)  Mack is short for "macaroni," a nod to my Italian American heritage and love for pasta. b)  I named myself after my favorite computer c)  a friend dubbed me "Mari Mack" because I often dress in black.
Q: What type of music do you play?
A: Well, that's a tough one, because I really try not to limit creative endeavors with labels. But one thing is for certain, regardless of my wardrobe choice, whatever I sing comes from my heart or not at all, and is usually steeped in DEEP blues, tapped from personal experience. Sometimes I belt and sometimes I sing softly. It all depends upon my mood - and let me tell you - there are many. Moods that is. I am a woman, after all.Women are complex - that's why we are so awesome.
Q: Do you have a  band?
A: Yes,  "Livin Like Kings" - a seven piece band with horns. At our opener gigs, we play the tunes from my album "Can't Go Back," if we do more than one set, we add some great blues tunes from the “Kings”  (Albert, Freddie, BB...) Occasionally, we'll toss in a tune from my jamband days  - usually, the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter gem "Gomorrah" - and some Otis or Aretha. Working on a tune or two from the King of Soul and the King of Pop - I hope to meet you at a show soon!