Mary Fahl

Mary Fahl (born Mary Faldermeyer, July 1, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and actress known for her work with October Project in the mid-1990s.

More recently she is known for her solo singing and acting career.

Mary Fahl was born Mary Faldermeyer in Rockland County, New York on July 1, 1958.

She was raised in a large Irish/German family in Stony Point, New York; Fahl has stated that as a child she used to sing along with her older sibling's records to practice her voice.

She formed her first makeshift recording studio in the household bathroom.

She attended Albertus Magnus High School, and graduated from North Rockland High School.

She later attended McGill University to study medieval literature.

After graduating, Fahl and her sister left the United States to spend 1½ years in Europe; she said that she received an "informal graduate degree in music" by checking out vinyl records at a library in the Netherlands and listening to and analyzing them.

She also earned money by house-sitting and singing in cafes.

In 1990, Fahl briefly considered attending a post-grad pre-med program at Columbia University.

Upon returning to New York City, she was introduced to lyricist Julie Flanders by a friend.

Flanders introduced Fahl to Flanders' collaborator and boyfriend Emil Adler, a composer.

Together with guitarist Dave Sabatino they formed the early incarnation of the band October Project, with Fahl handling lead vocals.

Fahl stated they "rehearsed forever, a year and a half sort of finding where we were."

They soon added vocalist Marina Belica and began touring the coffee house scene with their original music, eventually releasing their self-titled debut in 1993 on Epic Records.

They released a second full album, Falling Farther In, in 1995 on Epic, and the album made it to the Billboard 200.

The group toured with acts such as Sarah McLachlan and Crash Test Dummies.

The group disbanded in 1996, reforming in 2001 with Belica (lead vocals), Flanders and Adler.

While she was the lead singer of the October Project, the media occasionally depicted Fahl as "a goddess of Goth, a figure admired by followers of the vampire movement."

Fahl, however, has stated she does not identify as Goth.

She has theorized that because she had little money at the time, leaving her unable to afford any more than one black dress, and chiefly wore that one black dress to all her public appearances, the media misinterpreted her image.

After leaving October Project, Fahl spent time earning a living by working in the commercial world.

She has also voiced spots for Audi, Crystal Light, Russell Athletic, and Fisher-Price.

After leaving October Project, Fahl embarked on a solo career.

As a solo artist, she writes her own songs, usually in collaboration with other musicians.

Fahl released an EP, Lenses of Contact, in early 2000 for Rough Mix Records.

It featured four songs: "Raging Child", "Paolo", "Meant to Say", and "Redemption"; the title of the EP came from a line in "Paolo".

The EP contained elements of folk music, rock 'n' roll, and pop.

Jeffrey Lesser, a producer/engineer who has previously worked with Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, and The Chieftains, produced the EP.

She toured to promote the EP backed a by a five piece band of rock musicians.

Many of the members of her newly formed backing band later became the band Ollabelle.

The EP was released to favorable reviews.

Allmusic gave it 4½ out of 5 stars.

They compared her to Mitchell and Judy Collins, although noting that she belted more than Mitchell, and concluded, "This promising solo debut demonstrates that Fahl is a very spiritual and moving storyteller in her own right."

She released an EP Lenses of Contact in 2001, and a full album The Other Side of Time in 2003 on Sony Classical.

From the Dark Side of the Moon, was released on May 10, 2011.

2013.

She teamed up with producer John Lissauer, who also produced Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," for her fifth full-length album, Love & Gravity, released in 2014.

Her music has been featured in the film Gods and Generals, as well as the film version of the play The Guys.

She also wrote the theme song, "Exiles: The Wolves of Midwinter," for the audiobook version of Anne Rice's novel The Wolves of Midwinter, which was released on Oct. 15.