From Bethesda to Bowery: Marissa Levy-Lerer

Many these days want to try their hand in the entertainment biz. Despite its ever-changing atmosphere, and dog-eat-dog competition, the allure of being in the spotlight appeals to quite a few. A performer-cum-songwriter who knows this all too well is Marissa Levy-Lerer.

Born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Levy-Lerer crafted her interest in music during her formative years, in which she discovered that singing was an excellent channel for her frustrations and joys. Soon enough, she found herself among the yellow cabs and blazing lights of New York City, mingling with many artists like herself. In those early days, her weapon of choice was a 1963 Favia classical guitar, which has since been laid to rest.

Levy-Lerer obtained her undergrad degree from NYU, majoring in music; she says that many of her classmates were "musical theatre geeks," and that given the choice, she wouldn't opt to repeat it. She attended grad school there as well, finally deciding on Media Management as a major. "I liked grad school more," she says, "because people were more focused on what they wanted." At this time, Levy-Lerer discovered that she enjoyed "managing creative people" while working at MTV as a Product Development Manager; among her responsibilities were designing and maintaining the company's website, which encompassed VH1 and Comedy Central as well.

Within the margins of her debut, LookMaNoHands, Levy-Lerer made her first handprint (pun intended) on the sidewalks of NY. Though her songwriting has matured since then, listeners were given a spoonful of Levy-Lerer's penchant for humorous, relatable melodies. Case in point: sample "The Ballad of Janey and Nancy," a song that eavesdrops on a female-female romantic encounter; the lyrics include the line, "She thinks and she feels/like she's in some kind of movie/like 'Lesbian Encounters of the Third Kind'.'" For those who are curious, Levy-Lerer says, "It was based on something based on a true story."

Her follow-up, Charmed and Dangerous, had her art-starved fan base awaiting its arrival, and they were pleasurably surprised, even jolted, by what they heard. For those who had grown accustomed to her folksy, acoustic-pop style, Charmed was a much more "grown up" record, not only in its lyrics, but in its arrangement and interpretation. Among its highlights are "The Lorax," featuring Zach Berman on backup vocals; if that title looks familiar, you have probably read the works of Dr. Seuss. The title track, backed by a punkesque distorted guitar, tells the anti-fairy tale of a relationship gone sour.

Earlier in her career, Levy-Lerer used Myspace, as many beginning performers do, to promote herself; however, she later left the site. "I hate Myspace," she says, "...the more 'friends' you have, the more successful you are. [On] Facebook, I was more careful about whom I added as a friend; [I felt] people were more dedicated and real." She has also found that "the record industry is an old archaic model" of business, and that it is quickly becoming outdated in the digital age. She does not, as some might expect, object to fans downloading her music as a form of advancing her career. "People who are really fans will pay for your music; I don't mind free downloading if it generates more fans."

Since her recent marriage to cinematographer Geoff Lerer, Marissa Levy-Lerer has not been in the spotlight quite so often. She has, however, continued to be a presence in the music biz, and plans on keeping it that way. Her husband, who lists "consuming quantum amounts of corporate coffee" as one of his interests, shares his wife's love of indie rock and names Spin's Chuck Klosterman as a favorite author. Levy-Lerer says that their musical tastes "overlap...but we have different favorites. He likes London punk rock, like Babyshambles...I like more folk-y rock, melodic type of stuff."

In terms of her overall sound, Levy-Lerer has been compared to Lisa Loeb, who does, in fact, have a very similar vocal style; Jill Sobule, of "I Kissed a Girl" fame; and believe it or not, Tiffany ("I Think We're Alone Now," children of the '80s). Levy-Lerer says she doesn't object to the comparisons, and only finds them irritating when people pigeonhole her into one genre or the other. She says that ultimately, what she would truly like to contribute to the music world are her own songs, put into the spotlight by other performers.

As a matter of fact, Lisa Loeb is one of Levy-Lerer's idols ("she's my big hero"), and she has said that she would be honored to tour with her. Of the legends that have influenced her, Levy-Lerer names greats such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Billy Joel. As she grew older, especially during college, she discovered such genres as emo and punk, in particular the powerpop/rock quartet Fountains of Wayne ("Stacy's Mom.") One might be surprised to learn that she met Wayne's bassist Adam Schlesinger while in SoHo; then again, in New York, you just never know.

If she were to have children, Marissa-Levy Lerer says she "would definitely want them to be [involved in the arts.] Even as a kid, music was very important to me." On the other hand, she objects to parents that force their children into things that they don't truly believe in. As a joke, she once auditioned for America's Got Talent, and seeing a number of children there, she says, "I was glad my parents never did that...I'm not an American Idol type."

So, when all is said and done, will we be hearing more from Marissa Levy-Lerer? Let's hope so; even if she won't be appearing on MTV anytime soon, her talents will find themselves homes. The public will be waiting.