J. Neo Marvin
 Email J Neo Marvin www. jneomarvin.com |
J Neo Marvin has been making music in the Bay Area for over two decades. His first band, X-tal, existed through 12 years and several incarnations, releasing seven albums and touring the US and Europe three times each. Although they never achieved anything resembling commercial success, X-tal had a small, devoted cult following, and every so often Neo runs into people who speak well of them. Neo has also made guest appearances on recordings by Barbara Manning, Ed's Redeeming Qualities, She Mob, and Bryan Harrison. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Neo wrote for Puncture magazine ("the magazine of punk culture") as well as contributing to other publications like BravEar, Snackcake, and the Bay Guardian. These days he confines his opinionated ramblings to the occasional utterance on his website and considers himself a retired rock critic. After a period of retreat following the breakup of X-tal and the death of his longtime girlfriend Maati Stojanovich, Neo re-emerged with a new collection of songs and a loose-knit collaboration with friends called the Content Providers. The first Content Providers CD, SLOWLY I TURNED, was self-released on his own Ear Candle imprint in 2001, and featured longtime collaborators like bassist Alan Korn and violinist Carrie Bradley, as well as new guests like Mekons accordionist Rico Bell, former Systemwide percussionist Tim Ennis, and Neo's brother Bob Bassham on drums. The second Content Providers CD, WHAT IS TRUTH?, features a total of 28 singers and players, and came out in 2003, receiving positive reviews from such publications as The Big Takeover, Americana UK, and Punk Planet. That same year, Neo and his wife and partner Davis Jones began assembling a more steady lineup of Content Providers, who played live shows around town throughout the year and continue to do so. New songs are being written and arranged, with the goal of releasing a new album entitled FREEDOM FRIED before the 2004 elections. |