Bluegrass feel, sweetly sung: Mostly Marys is an acoustic crowd-pleasing East Bay quartet that plays bluegrass, classic country, old-time music, and whatever else fits. Together since 2017, they combine rich harmonies with fiddle, guitar, banjo, blues harp, and bass. With three lead singers and voices that blend in a versatile harmony stack, any of their voices can hold down the baritone end or soar above the melody on a given song.
Mostly Marys have an infectious enthusiasm for bringing joy to their audience with a repertoire that includes traditional tunes as well as modern troubadours: Hazel Dickens and John Prine; Bill Monroe and Patti Griffin; Ola Belle Reed and Townes Van Zandt. At times, the listener is blissfully drawn in, while foot stomping and dancing can’t be helped at other times. The year 2023 saw Mostly Marys expanding their reach and audience to include concert sets at the annual Oaktoberfest fair, Redwood Heights Association Summer Concert in the Park, El Cerrito Free Folk Festival, and recurring monthly spots at venerable East Bay music venues like Kensington Circus Pub and Berkeley’s Cheese Board Collective.