Buffalo Rising Online

May 4th, 9:51am By Anthony Swinnich

It's not often you hear about someone moving from California to Buffalo to pursue a career in music, but Bernice Marie has done just that. A Niagara Falls native, she moved to Palm Springs when she turned 18, but ultimately found herself drawn back to Buffalo's closer-knit community.

Bernice played shows for about a year in California, but felt like she was lost in the shuffle.

“LA and Palm Springs are very overrated as far as music. You're just a small fish in a huge pond there. It turns out that when you leave Buffalo, you come to realize that you really love Buffalo. I mean, I really have honest 'Buffalove,'” she said.

She feels that Buffalo provides a better opportunity for artists, among other things. It's not like Bernice didn't get a fair shake in LA, where she played large venues like the Airliner and the Wire. She simply prefers the Queen City.

“We have better architecture, a better art scene, a better music scene. It's cheaper to live and enjoy yourself. The beer's cheaper. The venues are better.”

Bernice Marie's tunes might not be the most intricately composed music, but simplicity is part of its charm. Her music is perfect to sing-along to, because the lyrics are easy to learn. “Ode to You,” the opening track on her extended play version of “Being Here, Being There, Being Everywhere,” is unabashedly aware of itself. The lyrics say, “I know this is just another love song, but baby I could sing this to you all night long.” They feel more honest than if she would have used a convoluted metaphor to illustrate how she felt.

“A lot of my lyrics come from the weather and from love. It sounds a little flighty, actually, but those are the things I enjoy,” Bernice explained.

“The song “Storm of the Century” is about the first winter storm that I experienced in Buffalo, where I was stuck for like two days. And it's hard not to write about love, when you're in or out of it. You're either happy or you're sad, and that comes through.”

“I Want You to Know (remix)” is a peppy and energetic song that flirts with both the subject of the lyrics and higher production values, but still taps the same easy-going nature as the rest of the EP. Acoustic guitar lines strum over programmed drums, while the bass sets the main tune. Mid-way through the song Bernice lets out a few enthusiastic Hep-Hep!s and her love for dance-rock becomes apparent. Some of her favorite dance rock bands include The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, and Hot Chip.

“I'm a big fan of DFA [record label], really,” she said. “It's just dance rock at its finest.”

Bernice plays some of her songs solo, but some of them with fellow musician and partner Cameron Spivey, who is also a member of the local indie group The Tunesmiths. They also have a separate project called The Mom and Dad Parade, which is geared more toward dance than the more low-key stuff Bernice puts together for her solo act.

Bernice lets her voice shine during “Baby Blues,” the final track on the EP. The bluesy guitar playing is soulful and morose, and her voice matches the tone and style perfectly. The lyrics are nothing more than “Oh baby come back to me,” but the message more than adequately matches the music she's playing. The fact that it's only her echoing voice and the guitar during the entire song adds to the lonesome feeling.

Bernice has had a few memorable moments while playing live, like a show where she got “most of the crowd dancing” in Cali, but her favorite experience happened in January, when she opened for Jennifer O'Connor at the Soundlab.

“Cameron and I were playing a song called “The Leaves are Falling,” and the whole crowd was clapping along. I thought I was going to drop the pick and stop playing because it was so exciting to have everyone enjoying it,” she said.

Bernice is very thankful for all the support she gets from the area. She attributes some of her success in the area so far to Supernaut Booking, an online agency service. She also credits other local musicians, Jax DeLuca and the Tunesmiths for lending a helping hand.

Bernice's hard work and simple approach complement her down-to-earth style well, and may help her realize her goals. She said that she would love to open for bands like Feist, Band of Horses, or Broken Social Scene.

“I would love just to play music and make it big,” she said. “I would love to do tours and make money off it, but you know you really can't plan for that.”

More information on Bernice Marie, her music, and her concert calendar can be found at www.myspace.com/bernicemarie123.