MaryAnne Muglia at Twilight

I recently caught MaryAnne Muglia—singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist—at Twilight Cafe. She’s on tour for her album Try Hard, but goddamn, she makes it seem like she doesn’t need to try at all. Flawless, etherial, and emotionally devastating vocals tore through the room floating on jazzy piano and acoustic guitar. Save for the few songs that a guest vocalist joined her on stage, Muglia supplied all the instrumentals, vocals, and harmonies herself. I must admit that when she was setting the stage for a solo set, I was a little disappointed—but before anyone gets mad, let me explain…

I came across MaryAnne’s music not too long ago when a track titled “What You Wanna See” happened to play on a random Spotify playlist that I was listening to in the car. Sometimes, ever too rarely, a song plays that slaps you in the face and forces you to take notice. I was pulled out of my driving hypnosis and forced to be present. It ended, and I played it again. Then I played it a third time. The song was amazing. It showcased Muglia’s incredible voice, of course, but was also built upon driving bass, drums, and electric guitar. When I saw that she was going to be in Portland, I wanted to experience that driving rock song live. But she didn’t bring a band, she brought her family in an RV. My disappointment in that fact melted away in approximately 15 seconds after hearing her voice live, It was more than enough. 

I think if you snuck up behind Muglia and scared her, she’d scream in perfect pitch. I think she could sneeze harmonies, and find melody with a stubbed toe. 

Throughout her set, the audience was captivated. After every song there was roaring applause and then complete silence as the crowd waited to see how their emotions would be manipulated next. Muglia herself commented that the venue was eerily quiet, but I think that was a testament to her talent and presence—no one wanted to break the spell. The last song of the night was an emotional punch to the gut highlighting the challenges of motherhood, change, and the trials of life. Looking around, I could see tears. I could see nods of agreement. I could see connection. 

If you get the chance to see MaryAnne Muglia in an intimate setting I would highly recommend it, because I think come her next tour, she will be playing much larger rooms.