Mara Connor Releases 'Decades' EP

Los Angeles native Mara Connor has released the Decades EP today. The EP features five covers spanning over fifty years, one per decade from the 1950s-1990s. To date, Connor has shared three singles off the EP -- the 1950s cut, her completely fresh Twin Peaks-inspired take on Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame," as well as her 1960s cover, a striking rendition of cult favorite songwriter Jackson C. Frank's "Blues Run the Game" and her 1990s track, an entrancing cover of Elliott Smith's "Ballad of Big Nothing" featuring Kenny Becker (of LA grunge band Goon). Hear the EP in full HERE.

The Decades EP covers a lot of musical ground, from Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" (1955) and Jackson C. Frank's "Blues Run the Game" (1965) to Neil Young's "Old Man" (1972), Kath Bloom's "Come Here" (1984) and Elliott's Smith's "Ballad of Big Nothing" (1997). The songs were recorded across the US (mostly pre-pandemic), in New York City, Nashville and Los Angeles, using a wide array of recording techniques (16 track tape machine, four track cassette recorder, ProTools) and venues (fancy studios, home studios, apartment floors).

For Mara, this EP was an excuse to work with some of her favorite collaborators and friends (whose credits include The National, Sharon Van Etten, Kacey Musgraves, Elliott Smith and Alabama Shakes) and an experiment in reinventing and breathing new life into some of her favorite songs of the 20th century. This EP is also Mara's producing debut, as she co-produced two of the songs ("Come Here" and "Ballad of Big Nothing").

On the late great Fats Domino's birthday, Mara shared the EP's first single, her David Lynchian cover of "Ain't That A Shame" (1955), which Flood Magazine called "brilliant" and praised for its dark twist on the original. Connor recorded "Ain't That A Shame" in New York City (pre-pandemic) with producer friend Griffin Emerson. Mara dedicated the song to her beloved grandfather, who was a big Fats Domino fan and told stories of seeing Fats play on a houseboat in New Orleans during Mardi Gras in 1959.

In April, she released her rendition of Jackson C. Frank's "Blues Run the Game" (1965), which Under The Radar called "a worthy tribute to the heartbreaking original classic," adding that "even in the midst of the rich new instrumentation, Connor captures the original's indelible contrast of unforgettable melody and tragic emotional weight." Mara discovered Frank's music while living in New York and working at Brooklyn indie label Ba Da Bing Records, who released a box set of Jackson C. Frank's discography along with a biography on him ("The Clear Hard Light of Genius"), which Mara edited. The song was produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margo Price) at The Bomb Shelter in East Nashville (pre-pandemic) with accompaniment from Jon Estes and Dave Racine, the same team behind Mara's acclaimed debut single "No Fun" (which Rolling Stone named a "Song You Need to Know").

Mara spontaneously recorded Neil Young's "Old Man" (1972) with collaborator Jon Estes (Kacey Musgraves, Kesha) while in Nashville for a day. Recorded at the same age as Neil Young was when he wrote the song ("24 and there's so much more"), the lyrics felt particularly resonant. Estes, a seasoned Nashville session player, impressively played every instrument on the song in a matter of hours.

"Come Here" is the sole song off the EP that Mara recorded mid-pandemic, much of it remotely. She co-produced it with her friend Sean O'Brien (frequent collaborator of The National) from their respective quarantines. It features percussion from Jorge Balbi (Sharon Van Etten's drummer). The original version of Kath Bloom's "Come Here" was released in 1984 and popularized years later in Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" in a scene with the most sexual tension.

Two weeks ago, Mara released her cover of Elliott Smith's "Ballad of Big Nothing" (1997), which Grimy Goods praised for its "delicate, wistful vocals and gentle guitar riffs, the reimagined track exudes a lingering haunting feel....the perfect concoction for an astonishing cover." Mara co-produced it with her friend Kenny Becker (of LA grunge band Goon) at their apartments on a Tascam 414mkII four track cassette recorder (a technique Elliott Smith used) that they found on a spontaneous visit to LA record shop Cosmic Vinyl. Kenny can be heard on guitar, vocals and reverse piano (a special effect created by physically reversing the tape to record the instrument backwards). Featured on violin is Jen Simone (who also played with Elliott Smith's band Quasi back in the day). Mara and Kenny bonded over their shared admiration for Elliott Smith, who had a profound influence on both of their music.

Connor's LA roots shine through her songs, which are drenched in the sound and spirit of Southern California and harken back to a bygone era of music. Her debut single "No Fun" was lauded by Rolling Stone (as a "Song You Need to Know" and playlisted with Neil Young and St. Vincent), and was also named Buzzbands' No. 1 Favorite Song of The Year. Connor's follow-up duet with Langhorne Slim, "Someone New," premiered via Consequence of Sound, and was named one of Rolling Stone's "10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now" (along with Lukas Nelson and Mavis Staples). Her third single "Wildfire" was praised by American Songwriter, who deemed her an "indie folk goddess." Connor made her SXSW debut in 2019 and was called one of the "12 Best Up-and-Coming Artists at SXSW" (along with Yola) by Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune.

Photo Credit: Schuyler Howie

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