A Marvey King web page and appreciation site of the totally unauthorised kind . . . .

Who is Marvey?

She is a singer-songwriter with a fine voice and some great songs.

Where is Marvey?

She is sometimes seen around Auckland, largest city in Aotearoa/New Zealand. She has played at various venues around the town and currently appears weekly at the Grand Central Bar in fashionable Ponsonby Road, one of New Zealand's most trendy boulevardes.

Why should you care?

Marvey is brill (and so of course is Georgina). She is the bee's knees and the cat's pyjamas. She has some chops on the guitar, she can pen a tune and perform it, and does a few cool covers. Marvey is a queen of song. And like the man said, it can't hurt your musical career being a looker.

Who is Georgina?

Georgina Cooper plays the cello along with Marvey on guitar and vocals. She does great work in accompanying Marvey, and also sings alongside her on some numbers. Georgina has worked with many of the current crop of twenty or thirty something New Zealand musicians around Auckland.

Is Marvey the next big thing, or just another very good girl singer?

Sheesh, hard to say. Sometimes it's hard to know whether something is merely good, or great? What will rise above the noise? Music is a cruel industry by repute. Marvey is in passage from being a girl to becoming a woman, what will become of her talent? There are some philistines who say she is just another very good girl singer. Fie upon these cynical beings!

How many Marveys are there?

There is Marvey the gamine. There is Marvey who wrinkles her nose, the mischievous Marvey, the miraculous Marvey, the magical Marvey. There is Marvey who asks lateral questions and tells lame jokes. There is Marvey the heart-breaker, Marvey the heart-broken. Above all there is Marvey the creative with her treasure chest of songs.

Where can one be lucky enough to see Marvey in performance?

Sunday evenings at the Grand Central Bar around eight-thirty in the evening. The bar is at 126 Ponsonby Road.

Where does Marvey come from?

Some say she went to school in Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand.

Has Marvey ever been on Shortland Street?

Yes she has, in 1998. She played a character called Christine Hastings for a few weeks. (Shortland Street is a popular NZ TV soap). More recently she also played in a New Zealand short film (14 minutes) of the dramatic sort entitled As Dreams are Made On.

Has Marvey played at a festival?

Sweetwaters in 1999. She also was once in an all girl band which played around New Zealand, but the critics don't all have fond memories. The band was a fourpiece called Growler which is a NewZealandspeak slang term for the female sexual organ (believe it or not). They were 'grinding groovy girl rockers', that's what it said on the posters.

What does Marvey look like?

Being as how this page is totally unauthorised there are no pictures. There is the odd one on the Web, left as an exercise for the reader to find. However it can be said that Marvey is a slip of a girl, not a netball player. She has long fingers and long black hair which she likes to tease out with the fingers while she is talking to people. Marvey is not a classic beauty, but she has charisma. It would not be seemly to comment on her sensuality.

What kind of bird would Marvey be?

Maybe a cross between a fantail/piwakawaka and a thrush?

Discovering Marvey

Finding out about Marvey began with the Girl's Own Show on Radio B (Auckland's student radio) when host Ellie Lim lauded Marvey's singing. Then there were Marvey's red boots seen walking. What was to lose with the bar just along the road? Once I heard the music there was no turning back. Marvarella.

Is Marvey's heart empty?

No, goshdarn it. Well, I suppose we should be pleased for her sake. Marvey told us about her heart when she was talking about a song by Belly called Full Moon, Empty Heart. The moon was full and bright in a cloudless sky at the time.

What guitar does Marvey play?

Currently she has a Maton. Up until recently she played an Ibanez. Both are acoustic cutaways with built-in electronics. Marvey even does barre chords, though sometimes she complains they hurt.

What other girl singers have influenced Marvey?

Marvey likes Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donnelley who have played in groups such as Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly. She and Georgina do a nice version of Your Ghost which Hersh recorded with guest vocals from Michael Stipe. Top of the pops for Marvey though is Heather Nova if you want a female singer-songwriter.

Artists Marvey may not have heard who might interest her

Curtis Mayfield. Dee Dee Bridgewater. Shirley Horn. Rita Coolidge. Cassandra Wilson. Claire Martin. Maxwell. Brian Wilson. Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks. Sulata.

Does Marvey have a manager?

Supposedly Marvey is being handled by Zany Productions, based in Auckland. The jury still seems to be out on Marvey's beautiful career, where it's going?

The best thing about all this?

When Marvey and Georgina get together and play, it's wonderful. Maybe you could even call it rocking when they get in the groove and Marvey puts that immaculate sense of rhythm to work with George providing some counterpoint and bass. Most of all it's Marvey when she sings, and the songs she writes. Lots of respect for Marvey. Marvey is the message. Kia kaha.

Is that about all?

Yes it is. Last updated in early August 2001. All facts have been checked to the best of the writer's ability. Interpretations are of course purely my own. Maybe this is a FAQ? Or maybe more an Infrequently Asked Questions.

Initially put together on an old Mac with the late Adobe SiteMill. Subsequently tinkered with in Netscape 3.04 for 68k Mac and OmniWeb in OS X. It's crude but just about any browser should be able to read it.