HOME WHAT'S NEW ABOUT GIGS CD PRESS PHOTOS   Boston Globe Sidekick December 16, 2006 — “Like a pair of jeans that never should have shrunk, I only think about you when I’m drunk,” sings Steve Mardon on the track “When I’m Drunk,” a tune on the Steve Mardon & the Typos album “Critic’s Darling.” Obviously, Mardon has a sense of humor, and his country-rock tunes are nothing short of clever. Consider his song titles “I Think We Need to Talk (Six Words Nobody Wants to Hear),” “Coffee and Beer,” and “This Will All Seem Funny.” You can hear the band today at 3 for free. Plough & Stars, 912 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Reviews of Critic’s Darling CD www.FreightTrainBoogie.com: Critic’s Darling has all the elements of your classic coffeehouse/college radio/Borders Books type singer/songwriter folk rock. What sets it apart is his sly humor throughout the whole CD. Office politics, failed romances and songs about house cats make for a pleasant break from the “oh so serious” folkies out there today. www.Americana-UK.com: Mardon is a clever songwriter, displaying the same wry, intelligent use of lyrics that Randy Newman employs ... He is as good a performer as he is a writer. Relaxed and confident, he slips into the role of storyteller with ease. The Country Startpage: I like the album design, I like the music, I like the vocals, and man do I like the lyrics! Soundcheck magazine: Mostly humorous, country-based tunes from a guy with a happening singer/songwriter vibe ... well-written, insightful, etc. ... I like it! Even though Steve’s no virtuoso, he’s fun. The words, the double-entendres, the puns, and Steve’s general outlook on life are the things that make this CD. I could quote a few songs to try and hook you, but that’s not the best way — take the time to go check this guy out! www.CountryReview.com: Bostonian Steve Mardon is one humorous listen. I mean, this guy rib-tickles with tunes soaked in the atmosphere of keen observation, paced to attentive lyrics. He’s funny, he’s timely, and he’s a little out of the norm, and, in my book, there’s nothing wrong with that. On his generous self-released 18 tracker, Critic’s Darling comes bearing a moderate country twang, all seasoned with mischief, suspicion and loads of giggles. It’s an album that skips around the familiar. For instance, how many albums cover the topicality of Viagra? Then there’s an involvement with a music critic, one who awards our hero’s performance with five stars, and, among other gems, a teaching tale of doctors. Doctors who are doing incredible things, rebuilding your knees, among other parts, with implanted metal and springs? Yeah, it’s that kind of album. Mardon is a dealer in rhyme, quick lines and humorous images. However, you need look beyond his simple song titles to hear the active brain of an off-the-beam writer. There are ditties like “Doctors Today,” a rag about medicos saving this and that, except there’s no cure for heartache. Then there’s the ode to “Coffee and Beer,” where we learn our hero starts his day with coffee and ends it with a beer — and between wonders what the heck he’s doin’ here. There are love songs, of sorts — “High On Your Love,” a rocking shuffle of mood altering proportions; “Short-Term Romance, Long-Term Pain,” an emotional drag that limps with a tell-all title; the “CD Song,” a recognizable tale of parting, only to ask for one’s CDs before the door slams shut. And there’s the revealing “Rated X,” which doesn’t cover the divorce advice offered by the similar tagged tune by Loretta Lynn, though the song folds in the same way — both parties in both songs are in the “ex” files by the end. In Mardon’s tune, he plays with ratings, suggesting their romance started as a “G,” but life and love’s losing path has her now rated “X”. It’s a funny take on a miserable event. Steve Mardon’s humor is raw and tingles, and his subject matter and content are suburban and recognizable. Given the predictability of what’s heard on radio, we need more of this musical diversity in the marketplace. While being a critic’s darling is a stretch for me, overall, I enjoyed what I heard. He made me laugh. And isn’t that what it’s about? www.theseriouscomedysite.com: Usually, the funny song genre is not our forte: few songwriters have a real sense of humor and most confuse sophomoric and childish for funny. Steve Mardon does not make that mistake on Critic’s Darling: Damn, he’s good and those are catchy tunes. Critic’s Darling is a collection of story songs with a humorous twist. Even those that are not really meant to be funny, like “Right On Red,” have a hidden smile here and there. Of course, since this is in many ways a funny song CD, there is a song about a cat, “Tex’s Tune” and it is a cool bluesy number. “CD Song,” is funny and it’s obvious: basically, the guy is getting over his breakup but really misses the CDs his ex has kept. It seems she liked his music more than him. You could just picture this song as a case for Judge Judy. Mardon is a good songwriter who manages to explore a few musical genres on the same CD without any song clashing overall. The production values are there with full instrumentation and excellent backup singers when necessary. This independent release CD includes two tracks recorded live. “Crossword Puzzle Blues” is a nice take on unrequited love song but it’s about a crossword puzzle. It pays to listen to this one a couple of times to get all of the humor and writing talent behind it. “I Couldn’t Have Done It Without You” is another quirky song. Basically, it is a credit song where Steve Mardon thanks his ex for the many songs the breakup has caused. Steve Mardon: A good singer, a good songwriter, a solid musician, and a guy with an offbeat but real sense of humor. We really wish we could slam Critic’s Darling just from its title but we honestly can’t. Press for Critic’s Darling CD April 27, 2004, Alex Beam in the Boston Globe: Speaking of local fellows who can turn a phrase, alt-country singer/composer Steve Mardon and his band the Egregious Typos will be kicking off a series of early evening live music gigs at the Plough & Stars in Cambridge on May 7. I’ve listened to all the cuts on his CD Critic’s Darling, and there are moments when I hear the wit and the twang of the younger John Prine. You can listen to the title song, and several others, for free at stevemardon.com. I hope you appreciate the play on the words “greatest hits” as much as I did. January 23, 2004, Boston Herald: Country boy Steve Mardon has a soft spot for his cat. The Somerville singer/songwriter croons silly, clever tunes with such titles as “Coffee and Beer,” “New Girl at the Office,” “Short-Term Romance, Long-Term Pain,” and “Tex’s Tune,” a song about his “cool, cool cat” who chases tail when midnight strikes. Mardon and his band, the Egregious Typos, celebrate his CD release at the Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Their performance, at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, is followed by bluegrass band Chagrin River at 10 p.m. Reviews of Coffee & Beer EP Splendid E-zine website: Mardon blends his love for country music on Coffee and Beer with middle-class ideas and stories about things he’s experienced while living in the city. It all comes off as charming, something you would hear in hipster bars where everyone, including the band, is decked out in vintage 󈧬s duds — the guys in suits and hats, the Bettie Page types in gingham dresses. He sings of the “New Girl at the Office” (“I dig her demographic / on her walk down to the subway, I wave to her from traffic”) and “Coffee and Beer,” where he comes off more of a Starbucks-loving yuppie in love with a goth-girl than some white-trash farmhand wallowing on a tattered sofa in his double-wide. There’s really no way to improve on or out-do the masters of the genre, and thankfully Mardon’s attempt is done in a light homage — a very refreshing approach and something welcome in the genre. Soundcheck magazine: 3 stars (out of 4) Steve’s got an appealing voice and he sings his light, amusing toonz with abandon. Bit of drums, lotsa acoustic, lotsa twang, and a couple harmonies. It’s enough to get their point across. Bostonia: Country-tinged tales mark this short CD, with Mardon on vocals and guitar and backing provided by Boston surf-twang band the Weisstronauts. Rueful humor is the rule of the day: the chorus “When I’m Drunk” is preceded by the line “I only think about you...” And “New Girl at the Office” is a minor classic-in-the-making, a tale of unrequited longing in the cubicles. John Scalzi’s IndieCrit website: Steve Mardon’s music is probably best described as “country cubicle” — which is to say that Mardon weaves tales of urban office pathos and sets them to music with a real Western twang. So you get lines like: “The new girl at the office / I dig her demographic / On her walk down to the subway / I wave to her from traffic” sung as if the balladeer were somewhere in the lonesome nowhere of, say, Utah. I’m not a huge fan of Western music, or of cubicles, come to think of it, but I like this well enough — Mardon’s clever, and he’s also pretty funny (these two things are not always synonymous), and even if I’m not too hot for the genre, the lyrics are amusing enough to carry you through. Aside from office angst, Mardon sardonically covers other territory familar to us moderns: “Short-Term Romance” describes the rapid rise and fall of a relationship, and “The CD Song” is the natural followup to that, in which Mardon graciously accepts the end of his relationship but wants his music back: “Please give me back my CDs / I’d get ’em myself, but you took back your keys.” And really, who hasn’t been there? That’s a universal pain we’re speaking about. Country Standard Time: It’s an age-old axiom “Write what you know” and one that Bostonian Steve Mardon has obviously taken to heart. Fortunately for us, the things that Mardon knows are things that all of us are familiar with, things like workplace crushes (“New Girl at the Office”) trying to get your stuff back after a break-up (“The CD Song”) and — on the title track — America’s two favorite beverages. But most of us are not as adept at extracting the wit from these mundane moments of life as Mr. Mardon. He is especially gifted at clever turns of phrases and unexpected rhymes like “We’re always on a hiatus, how can you be such a sadist?” (on “Distracted”) and “Diamonds, et cetera, I woulda bought her / we coulda had a son or a daughter / instead she’s nothing but lyrical fodder” (from “I Couldn’t Have Done it Without You”) — not to mention the plethora of words ending in -unk on “When I’m Drunk.” And he should probably continue to exploit that talent since the only weak track on this eight-song CD “Smiles and Laughs and Dances” is the one where he plays it totally straight. Northeast Performer: Steve Mardon’s first album is classic Cambridge alt-country. Neither the sound nor the take on the subject are supremely original, but Mardon has a knack for capturing small moments in urban brainy-cubicle twang. And he’s funny. From the over-the-top existential title track to the plaintive “CD Song” (whose narrator begs his ex to return his CDs and parking pass) to the ineffable appeal of the new girl at the office, this brainy cubicle reviewer can relate. Coffee & Beer’s sound is reminiscent of all sorts of bands, from Johnny Cash’s American Recordings to surf rock to Roy Orbison to comic country/folk musicians Slaid Cleaves and the 5 Chinese Brothers. Mardon is backed by the Weisstronauts plus a few others; Pete Weiss’s smooth rockabilly electric guitar really revs the album up, and Emily Jackson’s drums and Alison Darrow’s harmony give the songs a solid underpinning. Mardon’s voice is straightforward and pleasing, light but full with a clear country touch that sounds natural (how is it that all these suburban guys sound like they grew up kissin’ cousins to Cash?). Overall, Coffee & Beer is an agreeable, entertaining album, with a great cover design of bottlecaps and coffee rings. If you heard Mardon in a bar, you’d think he sounded cool, and then you’d perk up your ears and pay attention. Metronome: Country flavored folkie Steve Mardon keeps things lighthearted and playful on his new CD Coffee & Beer. His lyrics are comical as he talks about the new girl at the office, thinking about you when he’s drunk, and on and on. More novelty than wisdom, Mardon’s music will put lots of smiles on folks looking for frivolous flights of fanfare. Studio Feedback Producer Pete Weiss’ Production/Engineering e-newsletter: STEVE MARDON has a gift for writing songs about the strange twists that everyday life can take. And he’s a hotshot with wordplay, to boot. Add a twangy combo making a racket behind him and you’ve got an appealing listening experience. I had the pleasure of playing lead guitar alongside Mercy James on drums and Kevin Quinn on bass/backup vocals as well as recording and mixing Steve’s three-song demo. Keep an ear out for Steve — he gigs around Boston fairly regularly. Boston Globe Go! Appearances April 8, 2005: “If you're one of the thousands of New Englanders who suffer from sinus problems and also likes twangy folk music, then the Plough & Stars is the place to be on Saturday, April 9.” So writes Steve Mardon in a press release about his next gig. Mardon has the intriguing distinction of being a health writer by day and a folk musician by night. He’s released an album, “Critic’s Darling,” full of singer-songwriter tales about falling in love at the Kendall Cafe while bonding over Commander Cody. Along with his band, the Egregious Typos, Mardon plays at the Plough & Stars today at 5 p.m. to celebrate the release of the book “The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healing Your Sinuses,” which Mardon cowrote with Harvard professor Ralph B. Metson. At 7:30 p.m. a party commences, and Metson will be signing copies of the book. Sometimes you can’t make this stuff up, really. (James Reed) February 11, 2002: If we seem a little edgy today, it’s because we recently learned that someone is trying to steal our job. Seriously. An aspiring singer by the name of Steve Mardon sent us a CD of his folk-pop tunes, accompanied by a manipulative missive carefully outlining how we should promulgate his show tonight at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston. “One possible angle,” he benevolently offers, “is that O’Brien’s is normally a loud rock club, but unbeknownst to almost everybody, Monday was designated as an acoustic night.” As if that wasn’t enough, he continues: “Another angle is that my songs are change of pace from the usual self-absorbed folkie thing.” Listen Mardon, we’ll come up with the angles around here. Just back off and focus on your music, buddy. And lay off that “unbeknownst,” while you’re at it. You’ve experienced Mardon’s journalistic vision; for the musical one, head to O’Brien’s Pub at 9. (Christopher Muther)