Mary Beth Maziarz Professional Bio

Full professional bio and discography below.  
Visit these other links for a short promotional bio or a fun & quirky background bio.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary Beth Maziarz started writing songs as a kid in Illinois -- penciling out her compositions on the funky upright piano in her family's basement. When Mom and Dad decided she'd graduated from the basement gig, a grand piano came onto the scene upstairs, and she started playing when 'company' came over. Piano cover gigs soon started competing with her steady seventh-grade babysitting nights (and winning), so she began taking the song thing more seriously.

She first performed her original music as a freshman in high school, playing her song “Friends – Through the Years” for other girls while playing hookey from tennis. The seniors really liked it – they cried! -- and badgered her to play it for the school talent show. Mary Beth played it for the talent show and the crowd was on their feet. She was hooked and the signs of her raw talent began to emerge.

In college at Northwestern University in Evanston IL, MB played in local cafes and composed scores for student plays. The college scene was glutted with emerging songwriters, but Mary Beth carved out a devoted fan base while playing a weekly residency at Tommy Nevins’ Pub. Singing at the pub, also a home to Mary Beth’s dubious waitress skills, allowed her to experiment with new material and develop a better rapport with audiences. (Patrons’ drunkenness helped with her nervousness.) A year at Oxford in England also brought more pub-playing opportunities; then, as now, British Sterling was hammering the dollar, so the little sing-for-her-supper gigs and attentive audiences really nourished the young performer.

After school, as her compatriots largely went off to find fame & fortune as actors in Hollywood or as number-crunchers at Arthur Anderson, MB announced she was moving Out West. . . to Utah, specifically – part-time home to movie stars, record moguls, and other fabulously connected people. She began a longterm gig at the Riverhorse Café, a beautiful, upscale lemon-in-the-water restaurant on Main Street. The Riverhorse gave her music a high-profile place to grow in Park City and a place to begin distributing her first two albums (“Something Real” & “Snowed In”) as her performances there began to draw serious support from locals and glitterati visitors alike. Her lush piano skills and gorgeous alto, along with a charismatic warmth and sense of humor onstage, began attracting more and more attention. She was Diana Krall, Aimee Mann, and Bonnie Raitt, in the body of a 5’10” blonde with a sweet smile and an earthy sense of humor. Invitations to play high-profile gigs began filling her in-box.

In 1999, Mary Beth’s music caught the ears of producers of the popular tv show, “Dawson’s Creek.” They contacted her about featuring one of her songs, “Hold On,” in the final scene of the Season Three Premiere. Everything changed. More of her songs were featured in the show. Other folks came a callin’. Fans wrote to her, clamoring for all the DC songs on one album. She listened, printing 300 CDs of the songs and demos that appeared on Dawson’s Creek, calling the project “A More Perfect World.” They sold out in nine days. She made more, and the album has remained a steady seller even to today.

From there, she put out the shimmering “Goodnight, Goodnight” and continued to find her music in demand for tv shows (Party of Five, Everwood, Joan of Arcadia) and films (Broken Hearts Club, The Real Thing). Mary Beth also found herself performing at outdoor festivals, bigger club gigs, and upscale “house concerts”-- private concerts in ballrooms, outdoor stages, and music rooms around the country (including those of Robert Redford and associates of Donald Trump). In November of 2004, her music jumped the pond when her song “True Believer” became the theme for “Bianca – Wege Zum Gluck,” a show that airs every day in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. She brushed up on her German. There was much brushing to do.

After a nourishing rest in the album production process, MB was ready to get back into the studio. Along came producer Craig Poole. Poole’s rock-solid rhythmic sensibility and love of sweet old-school funk/R&B brought a new energy and groove to the tracks. He also introduced the magic of vintage keyboards, bringing in Rhodes, Wurlitzers, and other beaucoup beautiful sounds to the mix. “Wish” was born. Themes of brand new love, discovery, separation, dreams, and recognition weave through this, her fifth, album. The range of styles is fascinatingly diverse, but Mary Beth’s writing (and singing) voice remains a lush constant. Five tracks from Wish have already been featured in the ABC Family program, Beautiful People, and Mary Beth’s recent signing with Film/TV music agency Riptide (Los Angeles) is sure to bring much more onscreen presence for her music. “Wish,” from this insightful and soulful writer and performer, is sure to become a soundtrack for many of life’s most moving moments.

After her daughter Daisy was born, Mary Beth entered the world of writing and playing music for children.  Eight-hundred humming diaper changes into the world of babies, MB decided it would be fun to record some upbeat, playful songs for kids.  An animated series called Crab Cove had contacted her about creating an album to go along with its eco-friendly episodes about sweet sea creatures, and the timing and message was perfect.  So “My Beach Town – Songs from Crab Cove” came to life.  Although she’s it was a blast to create a kids' record, Mary Beth was most gratified by little Daisy’s ecstatic reaction to the new collection when it played in the car.  

In 2010, Mary Beth wrote her first (and perhaps last) book, called "Kick-Ass Creativity -- An Energy Makeover for Artists, Explorers, and Creative Professionals."   Camping out in beloved coffeeshops on WorkNight Wednesdays, she juggled toddler Daisy and creative inspiration (both sometimes ornery creatures) with the help of hubby, photographer Mark Maziarz.  "Kick-Ass Creativity" was published by Hampton Roads and welcomed by positive popular and critical response.  It's available in hard copy and ebook format everywhere. 

The recent year brings two new releases to Maziarz life -- baby Foster Benjamin Maziarz, born October 17th, 2012 and MB's new record, "All Dressed Up and Naked."  The new album promises to be Mary Beth's most intimate yet, rich with emotion, story, and the intricacies of relationship and roles and alternating between full, detailed production and raw, almost bare recordings which invite the listener into the moment as if she's playing just for you.   

Summer shows throughout Utah will debut the new CD with tour dates in other parts of the country to follow.   


~ Discography ~
2013 COMING SOON!  "All Dressed Up and Naked" (lush pop, alternately raw and rich)
2008 My Beach Town - Music from Crab Cove   (a fun, upbeat children's music album)
2005 Wish   (lush pop, rich and rhythmic)
2002 Goodnight, Goodnight   (piano-driven pop, gorgeous strings and guitars)
2000 Supernatural   (an earlier incarnation of Goodnight, Goodnight;  currently only available digitally.)
1998 A More Perfect World (stripped down songs MB did for Dawson's Creek, mostly just piano/vocals/cello.)  
1997 Snowed In   (swingy retro original holiday songs)
1996 Something Real   (MB's folky, heartfelt debut album)