Smart Indie Rock Music, One Talking Shoe, Free MP3's

Smart Indie Rock

One Talking Shoe, (formally Crooked Smile) is musician, singer, songwriter Mark A. Garcia and vocalist Patricia McQuarry. A husband, wife duo from N.E. Minneapolis. They've been performing together for over 16 years.

Pianos, keyboards, percussion, sax and violins, less guitar, spooky spoken sensual collage couple vocals.

Imagine Ray Davies, Rod Serling, Lou Reed, Kurt Vonnegut, Neil Young, Suzanne Vega, Laurie Anderson stuck in late 60's 'Traffic' watching early 80's 'Television' listening drifting soaking up the new decades freshest college radio. Original, literate, dynamic, dark, funny, eclectic songs for those ' so much older then but younger than that now'

"Hit Of The Good Life" was recorded at Terrarium Studio's and engineered by Tommy Roberts (27 Various, Polara). A 3 song demo under their former name Crooked Smile was engineered by 'Roberts' in 1996 at Terrarium and was written up favorably in Cake Magazine that March. A full length CD called 'speaks volumes' was toasted on Toast 'online' Magazines 'Demorama' a couple years later. With this new project One Talking Shoe, Mark has added his love of dialogue and visuals to their shows and have performances at the Center for Independent Artists, Patricks Cabaret and the Frinje of the fringe Fest. Have gotten some airplay on KFAI and will have music on nateondrumst. Their songs are intelligent, literate, original and can also be fun and good for you. There is quite a backlog of very good material now in the works. Been doing all recent recordings at home studio using a digital 8 track and DAT machine. Would like your feed back on that.

Email Mark for info on writings, future shows and mp3s.

Demorama Reviews for February 2001

CROOKED SMILE: Speaks Volumes.

"Speaks Volumes", a prerelease CD from the Minneapolis-based duo Crooked Smile, sounds like the musical child of a prophetic poet and a traveling comic that was dropped on its head. This child is, as a result, off-centered, slight ly twisted - and endearing. Integrating movie/TV samples with orchestral sound bites and homespun storylines, Crooked Smile's creature is an underdeveloped schizophrenic. From the use of a traditional round in "Revolving" to the John Carpenter-Halloween piano in "A Will Of Our Own", Crooked Smile adopt their eclectic original sound. I want to like these guys. Although I can't relate to all of their antics and get sidetracked by the obscurity of their shenanigans, this kid is harmless, entertaining, and slyly ingenious. (Craig Alan)

CAKE. VOLUME 11, ISSUE 22

CUTTING EDGE MUSIC STUFF

Crooked Smile certainly made the corner of my lip turn upward as I heard the first sound of the "Good Life" begin. The vocals blended together so smooth and yet slightly hauntingly. It intrigued me and delighted me as I realized a slight resemblance to some of my favorites by groups like The The and Bronski Beat, yet somehow I knew the whole tape would not monotonously follow suit. Anxiously I moved on to the next tune. Again I found a true surprise. "Paper Was King" had dropped the keys and added an upbeat strum on an acoustic to the layers of vocals. Hard to categorize, I realized the depth of this duo. The last song "Everybody's Gone" is a softer folk tune. Equally as enjoyable as the first two. A few days later I received the paperwork to go along with the tape. I was not surprised to find that Mark Garcia and Patty McQuarry have been together quite awhile. In fact, Crooked Smile was runner-up in June of 1988 in WMMR's "Best Unsigned Bands in America" contest. They are a tight group and their lyrics are also original and refreshing and real. After all which of you hasn't "picked a number then prayed that you win". Well here's a chance. (KM)