Girls from Mars sing and play SWING music from the 30's and 40's; songs made popular by such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, The Andrews Sisters, The Boswell Sisters, Cats 'N The Fiddle, Billie Holiday, and Glen Miller.
Some of the song titles include: Chattanooga Choo Choo, Take the A Train, Stompin' at the Savoy, and of course, It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing.
GIRLS FROM MARS (Annie, Lauren & Wendi) began singing together nearly 25 years ago, and are still going strong. They have traveled millions of miles in a car together, and have had TONS AND TONS OF FUN. The joy they get out of performing together is a big part of what makes Girls from Mars so enjoyable to listen to. Though they now hail from three different states, they still make it a point to get together at least a couple of times a year to keep this wonderful music happening. Here they are:
Wendi Bourne, (www.wendibourne.com), from Souderton, PA, was a founding member of swing band, Big Nite Out! She is the guitarist for Girls from Mars, performing on her bee-u-tee-ful 1951 Gibson L7. When she's not making music with "the girls", she plays & sings with Philadelphia area bands, Swing City (with The Guys from Mars), The Coyotes (old time fiddle music) , and Western Swing band, Beat's Walkin', as well as free-lancing as a jazz vocalist. She is the coordinator for Swing Week at Augusta, a week-long "camp" for adults, held in West Virginia, dedicated to teaching and preserving the music and dance of the Swing Era... more info about Augusta at www.augustaheritage.com/swing.html.
LAUREN JANSON sang with swing band Big Nite Out for 15 years. She has studied voice with acclaimed Philadelphia vocalist, Linda Carrol. Lauren has performed with jazz artists Eric Spiegel and Randy Sorrels, as well as Maryann Price, Tom Principato, David Fry, and as a solo performer. She can be heard on many radio commercials and voice-overs, and currently makes her home in Glorietta, NM
ANNIE PATTERSON sang with swing band Big Nite Out for 7 years. She co-edited the song book, Rise Up Singing, with husband Peter Blood. Annie produced and sang on companion tapes for Rise Up Singing for the Sing Out Corp. She has appeared as a solo artist as well as with Peter at many festivals and camps across the US and Canada, including the New England Folk Festival, Augusta Heritage Center, Vancouver Folk Festival and Clearwater Hudson River Revival.Annie currently resides in Amherst, MA.
Girls from Mars are often accompanied by "The Guys". Over the past 25 years, we've worked with a TON of wonderful musicians. Listed below are our usual earthling accompanists:
HOWARD SITRON: Trumpet
TROY CORLEY: Saxaphone
MYLES ROTHWELL: Drums
RALPH GORDON: Bass
We also have several pianists we can call on to work with us, as well as additional horn players.