Building a Creative Life in Great Falls: Music Lessons, Wildlife Photography, and Storytelling | Sit Down and Have a Tea Season 4, Episode 4

What happens when a soulful voice, a camera, and a fox named Omri collide?

In this heartwarming episode of Sit Down and Have a Tea from Wolfgang & Luke Art Gallery, we meet multi-talented artist Mary Ann Redmond. A lifelong musician turned wildlife photographer and now children's book author, Mary Ann’s story is a moving blend of grit, whimsy and raw creative magic. From her early days singing French songs in kindergarten to her soulful performances at The Harp and Fiddle, Mary Ann opens up about illness, recovery, and the fox who helped her heal. Discover how photography, songwriting and storytelling come together in one rich, artist’s life.

🎧 Whether you're an art lover, animal admirer, or just someone who appreciates a beautiful story, this one’s for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Mary Ann’s first solo performance was in fifth grade
• Singing and songwriting were intertwined from an early age
• Illness redirected her creativity into photography
• Wildlife photography began with foxes in her front yard
• Her husband gifted her a camera and encouraged her growth
• Children’s book idea “downloaded” during a friend’s dog story
• Illustrator Madeline’s soulful visuals made the book come alive
• Omri the fox formed a bond with Mary Ann over 5 years
• PR, rescue animals, and book readings are part of her daily life
• Creativity is a calling, and art is its own reward

BEST MOMENTS

00:01:20. “I started off as a singer, and you just knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
00:03:02. “I had formidable doses around my throat as a singer, which was not only physically traumatic, but also emotionally.”
00:04:43. “In kindergarten, I raised my hand and asked the teacher if I could sing for the principal.”
00:09:18. “This would be a great children’s book. And then my girlfriend said, ‘Mary Ann, that’s genius.’”
00:12:08. “You don’t even have to have the book. It’ll come right up so all the kids can play it over and over again.”
00:14:59. “I honor them. I think they’re amazing creatures.”
00:19:07. “By the end of five years, he would visit, and I would be upstairs, and there would be Omri looking up at the second-floor window for me.”
00:24:06. “I just want to express the creative side and be grateful for what I have.”
00:28:15. “Mike and I have to jump on a train next Thursday and we go up to New York.”
00:33:50. “Border Collies are a thing... my brother just got one.”
00:38:30. “It’s so great to be able to take risks through creativity.”
00:43:05. “Try to like calm down and, you know, she’s beautiful with her art as well.”
00:48:22. “Doing what you love is its own reward.”
00:51:50. “We’re so busy doing stuff all the time, we don’t sit long enough to have the muse come and say, ‘This would be a good idea.’”

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Transcript

0:35

I believe we're here to create. And a lot of times we're so busy doing stuff all the time, we don't sit long enough to have the news come and say, this would be a good idea. How about that? Is this trying to capture it? You know, it's in the air and you're like, oh, my gosh, I need to, like, capture it right now. And sometimes it feels as fleeting as a dream that you wake up and you go. But it was just so there a minute ago. It's great stuff to live for. Greetings and welcome to Season four of Sit Down and have a t podcast from the Wolf Gang and Luke Art Gallery, now located in Sterling, Virginia. My name is Sylvana and I'm hoping that you really enjoy the episodes. Thank you so much for listening. All right. Redmond from Great Falls area. I was just we started off by talking about what she classifies, first and foremost, her selfies as a as an artist, you know, because she's been a musician for a long time. Obviously, that's well, well documented ahead. And then she's writing and she's doing photography. So, you know, I said if you if you rank kind of, you know, your top, you know, your art forms in a list, what would they be? And I said, you know, they all kind of work off the creative side of the brain, which is where I live, because the other side is adult art, you know, self-professed self-diagnosed ADHD. And luckily my husband's brilliant on the other side. But to get back to your question, creativity. I started off as a singer and you just knew that that's what I wanted to do. I could feel my voice to a young age, but also I was a songwriter at a young age, like my fifth grade class. I got up and played guitar and sang an original song. I'm sure it was crappy, but it was, you know, was it. No other fifth graders were doing. Now and they probably didn't want to write. Voice So. Back down. Marianne Boss. What was that song about? Oh, I gosh, you know, I don't remember. You can't. You have to. Yeah. Did you have to dig up those lyrics sometime and I. Don't think you can even I don't think it's an existence or the idol that they get out of when you start that or not. Once you find that what. You're like, you're like ten years old at that time, right? So yeah. So anyway, so there's that music. The writing kind of coexisted together. The photography came out so ill with some stuff like Lyme disease. I had formidable doses, you know, around my throat as a singer, which was not only physically traumatic, but also emotionally. It took a minute to get it all back. But the cool thing was my husband's amazing photographer, and he kind of helped me the only way when he saw, you know, by cell phone photos of the foxes in the front yard. And he gave me like an inexpensive camera to start and then get my skills up. And then he moved me up to another. And he's just been so gracious with his, you know, brilliant. He's so supportive. He's so supportive. Of women that I know nothing for this type of partner. And I mean, yeah, I was. You got. I was 56 when I got married and my first time on his third sorry I. So that would tell us something that I. Yeah. So he, you know, I just. I like I am so lucky. I lived in a log cabin in Great Falls that I can barely afford the rent for, like, 13 years. And he, Mike, actually rented another place in Great Falls after he was divorced for six years when we met. And then we ended up getting this place. That's just it's just a dream. It has all these animals. It's like a it's like a sanctuary. It's beautiful. Yeah. It's just magical. Yeah. That's that's the magic of. Great. Yes. You know, it's it's fantastic. So I'll just clarify for the audience. It's Mike McDermott and he's also a an artist with the Great Falls Studios Group. And you just joined Great Falls Studios. But yeah, I just I looked I looked at kind of your resume and I said, oh, you're like the triple threat of that Great Falls art scene here. So we're lucky to have you. And you were singing. So your style of music, how old were you when you knew you were a singer. In kindergarten, I raised my hand and sister Martha married the principal, came in to class, and I asked my teacher, Ms.. McCarthy, Mrs. McCarthy, if I could sing a song for the principal. And she said, Kind of random. But Eric and I sang the harmony. Did he come later? So little? And mostly, mostly so I sang this song for the night and they were like, Okay, well, the sister Martha Mary went up to my mother at the PTA meeting, said, I had no idea your daughter couldn't speak French, and mother was very confused. And she said, Oh, she's been listening to the record in the basement over and over. So basically, yeah, but that was what you were picking out. I'm sure it sucked, but it was like none of the formal system art. But they did. So, yeah. So I missed my brothers for music. My mother had the most beautiful voice and luckily she she shared that with me genetically. And I tell people it was either this or KFC. I was like, No, this will stay. So that that got me through a lot of stuff. And I studied at VCU for like a year and a half before I went off on the road with the band. So yeah, it wasn't meant for opera, although I studied it for a lot of that is study after study. Yeah. Technique and you study done anything but you're you're like soul. You're you're mainly soul. Would that be correct? Your voice I can sing out like I must. I must pop singer and I write pop. But I do have I've been told I have a soulful voice. So that's I'm very grateful for that. Yeah. Yeah. I heard a couple of pieces and I just thought, where did this voice come from? Is that is that a voice from your mom or. That's one you're all your own or. She was more like old school. You know, you would expect shooting as she sang in her graduating class. She told me the stories she sang. I'll be saying, you for her classmates at St Gertrude's and at their graduation. And, you know, so she was the soloist. And but she said, I never had the guts to do what you and your brothers go out and be on stage. But Christmases at our house and my mother's side, there were just beautiful voices in the family and they would take harmonies on Christmas carols. You're like the Celine Dion of the United States. I would love to say that. But that's no Celine Dion. But yeah. So you have brothers who any sisters? Just brothers. No sisters. Two older two older brothers that were just viciously mean. The whole race that way it raised itself. I was raised by war. So there you go. Yeah. There you go. But they're musicians as well. That's wonderful. You know, they did more like the real jobs and then played on the weekends. So I was the one that took that all the way to like, this is what I'm going to do for a living. And my mother was like, Don't you want to be a secretary, honey? Everybody just a fool, you know? So that that not a lot of support there. But but you've. You've gotten awards like you. You have a substantial background now. You've got a lot of awards for a middle rung singer. I've done very well in the middle of the world. That's your niche. That's you got to say, you know, they you know, you know, it's not about the accolades. I mean, it is I appreciate all of it. But honest to God, where I came from with all the trauma and stuff growing up to where I ended up with this amazing partner in this beautiful place to be able to create, you know, the book or just get an idea and you go home, you Google. How do you write a children's book? You know, and I've got a PR guy working with me now who's basically saying, well, you just tell him literary you know, children's literary stuff. I when I don't know where to get that stuff. It was an idea that downloaded and I said this would be a great children's book. And then my girlfriend said, Marianne, that's genius. And honestly, I don't hear those words uttered very often. It's interesting because it sounds like you're really I mean, you've had success and now you're really coming into like a really full I will show you gifted this to my daughter. Thank you. So she can start feeling well that day, right? She had it your infarction or something. He had an ear infection and she's still that was on the Wednesday and then on the Friday she still needed to stay home for some cuddles and love. That's the worst there is. Anger is back to school. Yes, back to school stuff. So thankfully she's pretty good now. But yeah, we enjoyed this. Thank you. And as very sweet said, you saw is it you're on your knees or somebody beeping? Oh, I was I was with my girlfriend Lori, who was gone. Bo We were given I was given the two of them arrived back to their hotel. She travels with the dog everywhere and she was broken in. And I just said, she goes, she's going to drop it. And I'm like, Oh, that's great. I guess he's very believable. And then a lot. Ding, ding, ding, ding. You know how I really believe? Like there's just some sort of news that floats around when you get these creative ideas and I just said that would be a great idea for a book. And then I Googled like how you write a children's book. It's that extra point 60 rhyme. I'm paraphrasing and I'm like, I can read. I'm, I'm a songwriter. I love that you write and you know, you know, would you laugh if you boop the giraffe and how did you meet your illustrator. She previously the year before I had had a photo of Madeline. This is Madeline. Yes. Come coming this year. And if I talk about it too much, I'll start crying. They don't last long enough. But she was a regular visitor and she was stunningly beautiful and she saw a photo that I posted on my socials and said, Would it be okay to do an illustration? I said, You can illustrate anything you want, but my photos and she gave me this beautiful photo, made this photo of her. And so as soon as the book downloaded, she was, of course, my first choice. Like if I could have anybody on the planet and this is her life. I mean, she Pendragon Studios, I think is her website. But you go look at her work. It's so incredibly soulful. The eyes that she creates are just they're just gorgeous. And she and Couric, her she also has some animation skills. So when the music came for the book, they created the animals and got them dancing and stuff on the paper. So that was very cute. Yeah. So just just to explain this QR code here on the back, you just your camera on it and the link will pop up into your screen and you press it and it becomes a little video music. You don't even have to have the book. You picked out a bookable song animation. It'll come right up so all the kids can play it over and over again. And I say, you know, my PR guy said, Oh my gosh, you have so many views on paper, but congratulate on the song. And I said that was just one kid. And I said, The parents are now in an institution, not in Fort Collins, but play it again and play it again. Play it. So I got to do a reading with Jennifer over at Great Falls Elementary, where the kindergarten a couple of years ago. And at the end they had the Smartboard and we all got up and dance to the beautiful song and it was just so wonderful. Oh, that's sweet. Very cool. Yeah. Oh, that's very nice. And then for photography. So Mike got you a camera. And you have I mean, you have foxes, obviously, who come to visit. And I love your daily updates on Instagram and you know who is there and all this. I can I can follow that. I'm trying to think, you know, you've got deer. We've got lots of deer around here. Yes. You know, deer. Foxes. I've had, of course, for our kids. I have one that I think does run right up to me and scare the crap out of me. And I have I've had possums, I've had groundhogs, one that I named Dulcinea, because she's the most beautiful groundhog in the world. But she also I have a model. I just make this stuff up and put it on socials. And there was a blue heron that came to the bench. Once at nighttime, we have the flying squirrels. It's it's a wow thing, man. Do you need to come over one night? Hey, have you ever really wanted to understand the artists of today, not just what they create, but why they create it? At Wolfgang and Luke, art gallery and Creative Space. That's exactly what we do. We introduce you to emerging artists, share their stories, and make discovering new work feel approachable and personal. It's a space where you can connect with creativity, see the meaning behind the canvas and feel part of the bigger conversation. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, just scan the QR code or click the link in the show notes. Now back to the episode. I will this I see there's Coy Wolfe. That was the first time I've ever seen anything like that. We've had. How can you show it? Because, yes, we've had coyotes every once in a while, which is good. You don't want coyotes hanging around in your front yard. They can be they're very good predators. They are part of the ecosystem. And I honor them. I think they're amazing creatures. They can kill small animals more than people are. Much more dangerous, I think, than coyotes are. I was doing the reading at Jennifer's kindergarten class and she had me. I do a calendar every year with my photos that all the money goes to like wildlife. We have people, but I got to the coyote in that specific calendar and one of the little boys goes, My dad killed a coyote. And I'm like, Well, we got through this whole thing without trauma until right now, you don't just murder and you know. Well, oh, yeah, you know. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So when you see something, you just grab your camera and you run and you get it or what's your process? I'm the laziest photographer on the planet. I, I have a big tripod that's sitting right over there right now with a big, huge lens. And like that, I'm trying to get a little chickadee. So my friend Lucy cares for her grandson, who likes them. And so if I see something that's adorable, I just went outside and a lot of times it'll be gone by the time I get there. But, you know, if it's a gorgeous day or even if it's cold and there's something cute out there, I'll be out there. Yeah, but I think most wildlife people are out doing tracks and the mounds and, you know, all this arduous stuff. So I'm really I mean, really. Yes. A convenient time. But luckily they bring all this amazing gorgeousness to me. So I can't I just remember. You got the energy. You've got the vibe for it. I mentioned to you before, I've got a pretty good comment and I still Catholic, but our lady out front a little statue that my my daughter had picked and and funny enough, while they haven't been here for a while but it like a little Bambi's that three of them that come in they circle and then and I took some footage of it because I just thought, oh my gosh, they haven't been back in a while. I assume they've, you know, they're growing up and they're going to different, different pastures. But yeah, so special and we've got a couple of beautiful foxes in the neighborhood. One would curl up, but a lot of times I would just have the deer, the moms and, you know, the babies just, you know, kind of close look. And you go, oh, that's a it's a deer all kind of like wrapped up and taking a nap in the backyard. And you think, oh, I know that a lot of people see them as nuisances and, you know, they've got the deer flies and this and that, but it feels like it's like an honor to house. Oh, you know. I am 100%. And, you know, I had I was with a hairdresser one time, said something about, well, there's deer and they're spreading the lime. I'm like, they don't want the lawn. They don't want deer. Tick fever. You know, the deer ticks. But the Lyme disease, they're fine. It's not their fault. And, you know, the poor ticks that we don't want to do that. So, you know, you go gamble, go down the line there. But yeah, I then I took the photos and was ill and getting through all of that, the more I just connected and that one fox that showed up in 2018, I named him only and he he was just magic. He would come visit almost every other day he would never Peanut's off of the we put start putting peanuts on the bench because the deer were eating the third seed out of our bird feeder. So we just decided we'll help them out and put that out there. Well, then thoughts. Everybody likes peanut so the foxes would show up at he would come and he would by the end with five years he would visit. I would be upstairs and out back. We have a fence yard for the dogs and passed the fence shod on a stump that would be on only looking up in the the second floor window for me like hey lady. You bring me that. You know. I mean, he's just he was magic. I mean, it wasn't even the food. A lot of times we'd just sit out there and he would just curl up and we'd hang out alone. Even though you have dogs, which is amazing. I think we've got baby gates in the back of the house. So they're not, you know, in the mall. At the window. At them, which is a good thing. But yes. So because is he's not having it in the night too. I have a brother. Thought so sister. I'm not one. Oh, oh. Well we had a we had 30 years worth of Airedale terriers. You know, we went through and they are you know, I just thought, well, one of them probably there is some kind of mix of animal out there from Oscar. And then, you know, with Wolfgang, it was the porcupines. You know, he just had a thing for the porcupine. Oh, and Luke had. A thing for the skunks. And so we were always imagining, you know, these these combinations. But the funniest thing is actually in my parents house, we had two dogs and and and usually at any given time and and my parents and they overlook, you know, the big backyard in the countryside and they have a patio. And from the kitchen, the the squirrels would come up and their little, little eyes and they would kind of be like, where are they? Were the boy. And they just like to come and just line them up because they knew they were sick. And they will they will. Often. Flying squirrels at night will actually come down and taught the foxes. And I've got video of the foxes jumping, trying to catch the they're all. It's a game. They're all out there. You know, you watch the birds and they're like, Oh, look at the pretty birds. No, they're aggressively trying to kill each other all the top, right? Yeah. Do you still write music? I like to look at, like, kind of creative process. You're interesting because you've got, you know, different, different mediums, so to speak. I was working with Danny Leonard, my guitar player, who basically revived my singing stuff by the end of We. We were doing every Sunday night at the harp in Seattle for 20 years, I think it was so my hands before the surgery were I felt like somebody was sitting on them with and we were just all ball out. So COVID actually gave us all the club folded after a little bit, but we all just stopped performing for a while. Sorry. It was just a club in D.C.. It's Maryland and Bethesda. The harp and settled. Okay. And it was like being in my living room for 20 years. And I'm so grateful to have that, you know, be able to play with the guys that I play with because they're all stayed. They are amazing maestros. But so towards the end of COVID, we're like, Well, what are we going to do? And I just said, you know, so Danny, let's see if you have some arrangements. And I sent him some songs and he worked out some arrangements that were just beautiful, like boys. This summer we actually did a video for it and he did True Colors that was just stunning and all these different things. So I'm like, you know, we should try to write together. He sent me on a voice recording the music for Bigger, Bolder, and had ordered another, but I had one on the side are getting better days, so I got a different one. And the one that showed up, take it and it's sitting out there at the till. And I would say he could come down because again, every time I come in the driveway, it looks like somebody's sitting and it's like a life size, but it's not like that. But but anyway, so with all the horse crap that's going on in the world today, I just thought, you know, he sent me this music and I'm like, in my head, I'm like, I'm going to need a of beat up because this isn't work and I need there's too much stuff. And then so when the music came, I just thought, I'm going to need a bigger booth to excavate my soul, need a magic my truck to heal the world, the whole, you know. So it just flowed and then the rest of it came out and we finish the song and we get a lot of video right here in the solarium. Put it out there being able to see it. That was cathartic. Get out. I don't need to write pop songs anymore. Try to make it in the music. I just want to express the creative side and be grateful for what I have and go that way I can. But I don't. I don't work on songwriting. I don't I'll sit down like I need to work a song today. Yeah, those say so. It's what comes out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like the book. That's a gift. Yeah, you're very gifted. So gifts, man, it's all at this point. Yeah. Absolutely. Just beautiful. So we just. You and I met because you had a two night show at Katie's the old broke, and you showcase your artwork. As part of this other band. Yeah. Yeah. So. So that's great. And it sounds like you had a really, really great response. It was everybody started. Showing up and everybody was was very charmed, you know, by the animals. And it really, you know, it suits obviously the area and and it touches people and they say, yeah, I want a piece of that. I want this is grateful. So it's art that speaks to them. And you can tell everybody just loves you. Well. Yeah. Yeah. So I could see Britney, you know, she's so happy to see you. And anyway, it's just really nice to see, you know, the community like that. You know, that's that's the enjoyment of of a grateful village is when people you see people gel like that and it's it's fun. Yeah. We were Katie's this morning having breakfast, you know, or I was there with Lucy. But we go, like, every Sunday for brunch, and it's just it's a great it's like our cheers here and grateful. Yeah, that's wonderful. I'm imagining that you're busy kind of doing shows here and they're. Very sporadic gigs. I've got a couple in November. Okay. But I, I have a PR guy that I hired for the book, so Mike and I have to jump on a train next Thursday and we go up to New York and we do an hour on a kid lit studio platform thing,

and then we jump up on the train at 5: 27:13

00 to come back home. So if you know anybody that wants to watch my dogs and I'm also we're also picking up a cat with seven kittens today from Middletown. They saved them. They were supposed to be euthanized today. And I just couldn't I couldn't, you know, she took 11 FOSTER kittens off my hands, but I was like, totally at this one. These seven have a mom, and they're all these people that do the fostering and then the rescue. Animal rescue. I'm a big fan. Big fan of these people. They are so selfless and they do so much good work for these animals. And a lot of times it's just out of out of their own pockets, you know, like two foster kids. I'm connected to some people with Airedale Terrier Rescue because I was looking at potentially rescuing an Airedale and it hasn't happened yet, but just getting in touch with these people and, you know, just seeing what they do. And and actually, one of one of them that leads the group is in Middlebury. So we were just out there and it just makes my heart saying to Airedale and Airedale, I don't know if there's another breed that does this probably. But I know an Airedale singing voice over from plenty miles away, almost. So I walked in and they're you know, they started when the Airedale started kind of getting, you know, rambunctious and someone will start singing and then they're both singing. Oh. And this is this this wonderful cacophony. And then all of a sudden, up the road, you know, from the corner like this, this wolf hound. And I was like, oh, my God, this is this is a dream, like out Middleburg, you know, beautiful scenery. And, you know, you're rescuing animals and, you know, you got these gorgeous dogs yourself, and life can be good. Yeah. So you don't have any dogs right now? Not right now. No, I, I know. Well, my, my daughter's begging me for one, and I just said, well, you know, we've tried, but again, it just hasn't worked out with some of the Fosters and, and, but, you know, I have dogs for my friends and I can groom groom dogs. So I'll get like an Airedale terrier haircut, you know, ultimately. But yeah, I'll do that for some friends. And but she, like my mom was diagnosed with cancer this year. So I've been going back and forth. I've been traveling a lot. So I just said and it's just me, you know, and my daughter. And I just thought I always feel like what happens if, you know, the dog's sick in the middle of the night or something? Because I, I take very meticulous care of my animals. They're like a they're like a human. So I can't just let things go with an animal and my heart's bleeding for them. And but how do you tie all that in when it's just you, you know, looking after you? You have been travel for your mom. Well, right now they're in New York, New York City. She's getting treated at Sloan Kettering. But mid October, they're going to transfer back to Canada and then and then eventually come down here. So the idea is that when they come down here to live with me, then we can kick into the city. Yeah, yeah. So so that's the idea. But in the meantime, I said, well, if we're going to get a dog, then it would have to be a dog that I can travel with on the plane. Yeah. So we're looking at dachshunds she loves. She met my friends dachshund and a couple of my friends said, get a long haired dachshund because, you know, they have a little bit more, you know, charm to them kind of thing. You can brush their hair. And I thought, okay, so, so yeah. So we're looking and I thought, well, I do like two dogs. I'm like a two dog person. And, and I thought, okay, well, she's, she's set on calling her dog Rosie and my dog, my last dog was Wolfgang after Mozart. And, and I thought, okay, Rosie and but what I named my dog and and I thought Rosie, you know, short for Mozart. So Rosie and Rosie, so. Well, ready with the names, anyway. Now we've just got to find, like, a brother and sisters. That need them. They might have completely different personalities. They might. They might. We had Oscar who was this beautiful. Like, he was a good tenor. He had a beautiful tenor voice. So he heard Pavarotti playing and he just joined in. And then I got and then I got Wolfgang, and I thought, Oh, then they're all going to have beautiful voices. And I got Wolfgang and after Motown. So I thought, Oh, he's going to be very musical, because that's what I decided for this dog. And I said, Okay, let's see, you know, Wolfgang or Oscar saying, So we got Oscar singing the first time Wolfgang saw Oscar saying he just he released his bladder and ran out of the room because he was scared. You know, you saw what's going on. But the next time he was ready. So he he looks at Oscar when he's singing and he starts to sing and it's it's and I thought, oh, boy, not all dogs voices are the same. And then we got Luke and Luke has this beautiful had this beautiful baritone voice. And I thought, well, of course, of course, my mom, because my mom's a singer or she was a singer, you know, and she looked at did not get passed down to me. So of course neither. When my dog get the voice. Pete So we'll see. But yeah. So there you go. That's a long little thing about dogs singing, but that's fun. Well, if we're talking about dancing in Indy just went viral again on Twitter and on Insta, not so much on Facebook, but she's got 1.2 million views. Oh, yeah, singing, you know, I laughing and think four, four, five, six. What's her what's her handle on tic tac toe? It's Marianne's menagerie. Oh, Carmen Instagram. It's just Marianne Red Band. She's a rescue. Both she and Mozes are from Blue Ridge. Border Collie Rescue. Border Collies are a thing like my brother just got one and it's our it's it's our in the whole, like, mix of dogs that we've had as family. I just thought they don't he doesn't turn off. He doesn't turn. She's 11 now. She starts needing a little break before. Starting at a. Dog. He's he's ten so he's starting he won't run as much as he used to, but he can still bark your head off. So you know. Yeah, right. Yeah. We talking. About you. Maybe look cute. Okay. So for people to track your music shows, how do they find them? W w w dot mary ann redmond dot com and marianne is Mra y and and Redmond already mo n d dot com. And that's got information about your photographs. Scott using everything. The photography is Marianne Bergman photography dot com so that'll take the visibility but I'm always posting my photography on the socials and stuff like that. So yeah, and they can just get in touch with you for that. And Britney and Katie. So it's like, we need to do this again. We need to do this more often. I think so. I think it was a really nice mix. You know, like I said it, I felt like it was like a brings to mind for me, Leonard Cohen's, because he was, you know, a writer and and, you know, soulful musician and and yeah. So I thought, oh, this is this is, you know, this is special. And here you can feel it. You can feel there is there's magic. In every song. I always love watching Stevie Wonder sang because he just the a joy on his face. You know, I. I wish I wish you know, if I sing too much my throat, I get like a throat infection. So singing just really not for me. I don't know. It's just like on more and and I just yeah. So I said that's that's one of the most beautiful things. So my hat's off to you that you can do that and, and that you shared, you know, so I know you probably feel like you can't help but share, but there you go. There's some KFC available. Would you faster after your original recipe. You know, investigations goes away so they. Used to they used to have when I grew up in the eighties, they had that orange colored potato salad. And I don't know if it was ever orange here, but in Canada, we had the potato salad, had like an orange tinge for whatever reason. And it was the most delicious potato salad ever. I was never into the macaroni salad. It was it was like, okay, chicken skin and potato salad, orange potato salad. So there you go. Do you have another book idea? I do, but it hasn't downloaded yet. I really want to write about the magic of Andre coming to visit. So in the the experience of connecting with wildlife, almost like they're your indoor canines, they're just out there. Because before I noticed or cared about the wildlife, it's like, you know, my focus was just on my own domesticated animals. But the more you widen and realize, Oh, wait a minute, we're not separate at all. We're all part of the same universe here, and the same goes for people, same goes for animals. And the more you can be honored, the connection and I think the better we'll all get along, you know. And the togetherness of it. Yeah, we're all in it. I, I always marveled the one thing of living in New York City did for me. I was there for about 13 years, was you've got, you know, small space for a lot of people. And generally everybody tends to give you a wiggle room. And that's the magic of the city is the wiggle room, the wiggle of the camera, all trying to do our thing. We're all trying to get someplace. We're all trying to survive and work hard and do something and the original and the ourselves and you know, that's that's always why I love the city so much. And and yeah, I learned that. I just said, you know, come on, you know, we're all just trying to find our way and let's give each other a little wiggle room or something like that. But how did you come up with the name on the. Oh, gosh, like anything you do, I named Omri. It just, you know, seemed like a fun name for Fox. And then, you know, I had more up. His girlfriend came Fleur. I figured he was French. So her I learned already, although I didn't see her much. But then the shots came and set to set on real way and brought a mall. His girlfriend. So they brought their kits to the fore. After they chased Omri off. He came back after they had their baby. But they brought. He brought the kits to my front yard while Mike and I were trying to do a meditation class. I'm like, Oh, there's no way I'm doing about it. So I got the camera out. I'm taking photos of these little kids darting around my front yard, and he would bring them every night, dusk, sit there like a lifeguard, while these little beings would just run around and dart to and fro. And I they grew up. I had a couple that looked just like the two of them. And Mr. Gabor used to come and get his photos taken. He would pose on tables. And I have a look. This is. So. Funny. You know, the socks that come in the last few years? I haven't seen her lately and I'm worried about her. But I named her Coco Pops and she would play ball with me. I actually would throw the ball and she would grab it and throw it in the air and run around with it. It's just they're just my outdoor canines, so I love them. That's amazing. So it's funny because you were talking about your your singing debut was in French and now you have all these French named animals. I love it. It's it's the continuation of it. That's right. Yeah. It's all. Classic. Now, do you ever get together with your brothers in jam? Oh, Lord, no. My brothers and I are on different wavelengths. Yeah. And political spectrums. So I'm very, very liberal and inclusive. And sadly, they're not so much. So it's our I wish them well. I hope they find a little more grace and can be a little kinder to everybody but are inclusive with everybody. But they believe what they believe with conviction. And at least one of them does. The other one just I'm not sure what he's doing. And you played together, though, kind of growing up or like like did you play music together? Yeah, at 15. They were the ones that said we're putting the band together and you're going to sing. And one of our first gigs was at Fort Lee Officers Club, and we pulled our stuff in and there were makeshift runways with these Korean ladies and pasties and G-strings dancing for the men, and they loaded up their stuff and went out. My 15 year old self went up and sang Jesus is just all right with me, you know, today and afterwards. So that's kind of where I started. It's all downhill from there. But it's yeah, it's. It's is quite an experience for a 15 year old. Yes. I learned quickly. I had to learn very quickly being in clubs that are elite. Wow. Yeah, my my brother. My brother does. He started with guitar and that's the reason why I asked. I just thought, oh, that's. It's nice that if you if you could do that. My brother unfortunately though wanted to sing Ozzy Osborne, which, you know, not even being a singer, I just don't even have that register. You know, he is he was an incredible singer. So, you know, there are certain songs that I know by heart because, Lord, I did try to sing certain songs, but, you know, it just didn't pan out that way. But but I just it's just funny how, like, you know, what brothers can, like, try to pull you in, too. So there's just some, like, funny stories there. Read Your Daughter in musical. Disney is a girl. She loves to sing. So when she's just kind of, you know, bopping around the house and playing with her Barbies, she's busy singing away. She's she picks up on the pop songs of the day and stuff like that. And she's got a bit ear for for the music and she's she's doing piano lessons and I've got, I've got a little music kit set up here where she's got drums because she always, oh, we watched The Wiggles when she was very small. And, and Emma at the time was the drummer, you know, she was in the band and she really loved Emma with her, you know, big happy bow ties and stuff like that. And she was also a ballet dancer and Irish dancer. So Vivian would was picking up the ballet, picking up the Irish dancing as well. So The Wiggles is I really like that that vintage of Wiggles it just connected and time in a place anyway. So there was Emma and then there was also Ringo, Ringo Starr. I mean, she just we grew up with with Beatles and and she was so she just loved, you know, the drums. So anyway, so she'll get up on there and then I've got a ukulele and, you know, hot pink ukulele that you can get in pink. It's even better. And and she's interested in the guitar, so we'll see. But, you know, she's coming along on the piano and her hands are strong. And and she's she's emoting, you know, through the. Yeah. And so I'm you know, I'm kind of like, you know, okay, calm down, you know, just let it go. Let it go because I get so excited. But she wants to play duets, so it's making me jog through my memory of playing piano and sight reading and stuff like that. So, but it's good, it's really nice. And so, yeah, so I would, I just said, you know, if you guys want to ever start up a band with your friend, the garage, is there. You know. Mom for I would love that. I mean, it's like, oh, that's amazing. Yeah. This fun. So I just thought, why not? And you know. Yeah, so we'll see. I don't know. We'll see what happens. But try not to. You know, I try to like calm down and, you know, she's she's beautiful with her art as well. So I just want artists to stay open to the news as as you are, you know, and, you know, if it comes to you, it comes to you. And, you know, we do a little videos together that we we put out there. And with her Barbie stories. And so it's just there's a story telling there and yeah, I just I just it's it's so great to be able to take risks through creativity and and to find yourself and be yourself and be happy with yourself and all that. And I teach voice to a lot of, you know, teenagers who are struggling with, oh, gosh, what is everybody else going to think? And you just have to go, okay, that's your super ego. You go sit down and you just say, okay, I might suck for a while, but I'm going to discover more about myself. And you just let them know that everybody has a learning curve and that's okay. And that's part of learning. This is failing and try something different or not even failing, but you have to, especially the voice is a muscle, you have to develop it and it takes a second. So and yeah, maybe there's something like psychological because I remember, you know, again, I grew up on the Beatles with my parents and playing it and I was in the kitchen one day. I think I must have been around nine or something. And I was I really, you know, I took a moment to try and sing in my mom's presents yesterday, which is a you know, why pick that one? I don't know, because it's hard for me. And and my mom laughed and I think that was it was like. Oh, I'm not. Trying to beat up on my poor mom, you know? But it's one of those things where you just kind of go, okay, note to self, you know. So what else? Maybe I did take when I was living in Charlottesville for a very brief stint, I was helping with the opera group down there and I got a call, not a not a singer, but I was I was helping. I would do kind of I was trying to get people involved from from a younger set. So trying to reach out to, you know, university students and and get groups of younger people going to the opera. So it's not just an old person playing or something like that that, you know. And so I would host singers, you know, to stay with me during the season. And I had one. She's so sweet. And and she she gave lessons and and she said, okay, I'm going to do a lesson with you. And I just, like, can't do it. I just can't can't let it out. Oh, yeah. But it's just, you know, it's not all that we're going to work on there being. That would be super fun. I mean, surrounded by all the animals and stuff like that, but that would be great fun just to kind of, you know, cause I just thought, Oh, it's in this world of self publication, you know, it's so wonderful that you can do interesting stuff. I what was I was watching this movie called I think it was called Puppy Love and was a movie that came out was actually a very interesting movie. It was a treatment of these, you know, a guy and a girl to love story. And they are coping, you know, really coping with the effects of COVID, you know, socially and stuff like that. And the other one, she's just kind of trying to find herself. And anyway, they both end up with dogs. They both end up one. The girl ends up taking on a dog who's just abandoned or just a street dog, and she feels sorry for it. And the other one, he opts to on to adopt the dog. And I think he's got the girl dog and she's got the guide dog. And anyway they meet on Tinder or something like that and they go for a walk and they do not hit it off, but their dogs end up, you know, getting together during that date. And then a few weeks later or however soon you can tell the guy's female is now pregnant with the other one. So now you know, now you meet together, okay? Yes, together. Together. So I was being delicate. So it's a family program here. So anyway, so they they end up, you know, they take responsibility. The girl takes responsibility and says, okay, well, there, you know, my dog got your dog pregnant. So anyway, and they end up helping each other. And but the reason why I get into all this is because they I didn't I don't know who the guy was. He's very talented guy actor. And I guess he was from also that show Glee. He was in Glee when I looked up is his I don't remember him from Glee but but he did this really cool version of All Through the Night from Cyndi Lauper. And he does it in a club because he's got like massive social anxiety after COVID. And so she gets him out of his shell and he plays a piece and even just thinking about it, it brings such a. Anyway, it was very special. And, and I just think I love it when you hear somebody do something so simple just with a keyboard and you and you take a new twist on a song, you don't necessarily need the whole band behind you, you know? And it's so funny how like, how deep a moment I got out of kind of a fluff movie, but actually I don't think it was a fluff movie. I think there was more to that movie than not. So Yeah, I'm making a recommendation for the puppy love. Oh, I really it. That's very sweet. Yeah. Especially because there is the animal, you know, aspect of it and kind of thing. So we'll try to skip by the porno part. You were talking about. The. Oh my. Gosh, it's so funny. But but yeah. So I just always thought, well, there's always room in the world for artists who maybe, you know, I don't have an operatic voice. I don't have, you know, a pop star voice and stuff like that. But even with I mean, I'm also not Taylor Swift. But, you know, I know that people have said about Taylor Swift, she actually doesn't have that great a voice, but she's got that honesty that comes through, I guess. You know, there are a lot more talented people than me that have not made it. And a lot less talented people that have made it. And it really there's a lot of luck about a lot of a lot of, you know, involved with their business, but especially the music business. But if you're doing what you love, but really gratitude is an reward and doing what you love is its own reward. And you don't need a bunch of accolades to actually appreciate a beautiful being and all that. I take the photo of, I get to look at it again. I mean, for me, I never thought I would be putting photos on a wall and having them on exhibit, but here we are. But really, I just I am probably over 200,000 photos in my computer, all almost, you know, whatever those two. But in most of them are crap and that's okay. You get one good shot and then you work with that and then you use some magic that my tone taught me how to do so, but it really it's its own reward. Artists, its own reward. And I believe we're here to create great artists. And a lot of times we're so busy doing stuff all the time, we don't sit long enough to have the muse come and say, you know, this would be a good idea, have at that. You know. This is trying to capture it. You know, it's like it's in the air and you're like, oh my gosh, do I need to, like capture it right now? And sometimes it feels as fleeting as, you know, a dream that you wake up and you go. But it was just so there a minute ago. But but it's it's great stuff to live for. And and I just love that you live in that space. You've dedicated yourself to that space. That's that's courageous. So. Well, I'm very lucky. And if I didn't have Mike, I'd be driving an Uber and we would not be having this conversation right now. I'd just be paying bills and doing whatever I needed to do to get to the next week. So I'm very lucky. Well, you were sent. Mike, Mike, your angel. So that's lovely. And you've blessed him, so that's all lovely. What you've offered is maybe to do a husband and wife thing at still kind of hope. Well he said he's interested so. Well, hopefully that's one of the. Things he can do. Acadia's can do. Yeah, I've got the list up. I've got the sign up list. I'll make sure to send it to you. You guys can pick the guest session and there's that. And then also Blue Tick and bakery, which can be an option too. So. So yeah. No, it's, it's, I'm so glad to talk because there's, there's, there's so much, so much more than I even I even thought, you know, and just kind of your life journey is, is, is fascinating and inspiring. So you're the one who say your Laura thank you so like you're very soon it's. Kind of neat also that you've become like this like lovely couple, you know, and in the mix of things and and your own thing and and you can seem like so happy with you and and you were all, you know, we were hanging your stuff up and you were so excited. And he says she hasn't been jaded yet. And I thought she might she might not ever be jaded. And you look at the success you already had. So I thought, you know. Well, music, music I definitely got a little jaded with. But I was, you know, doing the wedding circuit and all this stuff that just steals your soul. And until I got back to being able to just do the things I wanted to do, write the songs, I was saying that that created a whole new spark. So yeah. I love it. Well, I'm looking forward. To working with you again to hang out, looking forward to coming over for some voice lessons. I just have to bear with me. I look forward to releasing a song with you. I'm finally going to nail Crazy Train. Oh. That's awesome. Oh, that's awesome. That is awesome. Yes, we will definitely. Be doing the open mic. We'll be doing the open market, the old brogue. You'll be out there doing that. That'll be awesome. Oh that'll. That'll be the day. Let me tell you little. Oh, my gosh. What a pleasure. Oh, my gosh. Okay, so we've got your info of how to find you, how to find your concerts, how to find your art and and your book and your book. Your book is on, on on Marianne Redman dot com or the Marianne Redman photography. So Mary Redman dot com. It's also like Amazon bootable book. I mean, it's in Barnes Noble you can you can find it. Well, fantastic book of all. All right. Thank you so much. All right. Thank you for coming and listening to. Yeah, so much fun. Okay. Efficient, you two. Thank you. Thanks for sitting down and having a tea with us today. If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to follow. Sit down and have a tea wherever you get your podcasts to explore more art and connect with the community, visit us at Wolfgang and loop dot com or stop by the gallery in Sterling, Virginia. Until next time, keep discovering, keep creating, and keep sharing the art that moves you.