Marcy Playground is an American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band consisting of three members:

John Wozniak John Keith Wozniak (born January 19, 1971) is an American musician best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Marcy Playground. Early life Wozniak was born and raised in Minneapolis. He learned how to play the guita ...

(lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "

Sex and Candy "Sex and Candy" is a song by American alternative rock group Marcy Playground, a single from their 1997 self-titled debut album. It is a post-grunge song with psychedelic elements. Lead singer John Wozniak was inspired to write the song after a ...

History

Early years

The band is named after the Marcy Open School in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, which is the

alternative school An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have political, scholarly, or philosophical orientations, wh ...

John Wozniak attended. He chose the name because many of his songs were inspired by his childhood. Marcy Playground emerged in the late 1990s. Influences include

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. Frontman John Wozniak's first effort, ''

Zog BogBean – From the Marcy Playground ''Zog BogBean – From the Marcy Playground'' is an album, self-produced and recorded by John Wozniak in his bedroom studio with some help from his then-girlfriend Sherry Fraser and her brother, Scott. A small run of CDs were self-released by Woz ...

'', was self-produced, recorded in his bedroom studio with some help from his then-girlfriend Sherry Fraser and her brother Scott in the early nineties. A limited run of CDs were self-released by Wozniak. "Our Generation" and "Dog and His Master", two songs found on Wozniak's ''Zog BogBean'' project, would appear on later Marcy Playground albums. As of April 2009, ''Zog BogBean'' was available for download at Marcy Playground's official site as well as other outlets such as iTunes.

''Marcy Playground'' (1994–1998)

After attending

the Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a ...

for two years, Wozniak moved east to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, in order to work with multi-instrumentalist producer Jared Kotler, who John had known from suburban Philadelphia. Jared believed in John's songwriting talent and put together money with his cousin Jeff White in order to pay for and produce the duo, along with studio musician Glenn Braver(bassist) to record at Sabella Recording Studios in nearby Roslyn, New York. After hearing the two records worth of material Jared produced of John's songs, Capitol Records became interested in the music.

Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel (born October 28, 1970) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader, producer, educator, keyboardist and record label owner. Biography Born in Philadelphia to a musical family, Rosenwinkel began taking piano lessons when ...

, a mutual friend, introduced bassist Dylan Keefe to John Wozniak and Marcy Playground began performing in NYC. The band was signed to Capitol in 1995 and they performed a series of NYC club dates that would be the first incarnation of Marcy Playground as a band. Personal problems between John and Jared reached a peak after a year of playing the New York music scene and drummer Dan Rieser was brought in to replace Jared whose interest was producing other artists. The self-titled album was released in 1997, with the first single, "Poppies", released soon after. Marcy Playground emerged into the mainstream with the success of the single "

". The song spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart. The album went platinum and managed to spawn two other singles, "

Saint Joe on the School Bus "Saint Joe on the School Bus" is a song by American rock band Marcy Playground. It was released as the second single from their self-titled 1997 debut album. Although far from being as successful as the band's later smash hit " Sex and Candy," " ...

" and "

Sherry Fraser "Sherry Fraser" is the name of the third single by alternative rock/post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid ...

". ''

Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit " Sex and Candy". History Early ...

'' is quiet and minimalist in tone. Wozniak's songs run in different styles: some are modern

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

; many have undertones reminiscent of children's songs; the blurred sound of

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

makes appearances; and then there are the songs with a clear

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

sound.

''Shapeshifter'' (1999–2000)

Marcy Playground's next outing was 1999's ''

Shapeshifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...

''. Shapeshifter was released on November 2, 1999. A minor controversy came to light when

Paul Leary Paul Leary Walthall (born May 7, 1957), known as Paul Leary, is an American musician and music producer from Austin, Texas, best known as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist for the rock band Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers ar ...

of the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

revealed on Marcy Playground's website forum that the cover art (a painting by

Mark Ryden Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or pop surrealist) art movement. He was dubbed "the god-father of pop surrealism" by ''Interview'' magazine.Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, former home of the Butthole Surfers and then-current home of Marcy Playground, had pitched the artwork to Wozniak as original work from its own art department and that Marcy Playground had no knowledge of the work's origins. Upon learning the truth, Wozniak proclaimed that he was "honored" to have an album cover designed by Paul Leary. " It's Saturday", the album's lead single, managed to hit No. 23 on the Modern Rock Charts, and followed by a second single, "Bye Bye". After ''Shapeshifter,'' drummer Dan Rieser left the band to pursue other interests. The position was eventually filled on his recommendation by Gonzalo "Gonz" Martinez de la Cotera, a friend whose previous band

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

had opened for Marcy Playground.

''MP3'' (2004–2006)

After a considerable hiatus, Marcy Playground recorded a follow-up to ''Shapeshifter''. Marcy Playground's third album, ''MP3'', was released in 2004. Marcy Playground did some touring in support of ''MP3''. The album's first single, "Deadly Handsome Man", was a song featured on the ''

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written, co-edited, and directed by Kevin Smith and produced and co-edited by Scott Mosier. The film is the fifth set in the View Askewniverse, a growing ...

'' movie soundtrack a few years earlier under its original title, "The Devil's Song". The second single, "Punk Rock Superstar", surprised many fans while bringing in some new ones, when it was featured on the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

's playlist upon its release in 2006. Other singles from the album include "Blood in Alphabet Soup" and "No One's Boy"; both were featured on promotional ads for ''MP3''. One album track, "Paper Dolls", was co-written by Jimi Haha of the

band Jimmie's Chicken Shack. On the track titled "Hotter Than the Sun", Wozniak reflects on the band's one-time success and remains positive about the band's future.

''Leaving Wonderland...in a Fit of Rage'' (2009)

Marcy Playground's fourth album, '' Leaving Wonderland... in a Fit of Rage'', was released on July 7, 2009. Originally conceived as a solo record by John Wozniak, he brought Dylan Keefe into the project and the record was released under the band's name. ''Leaving Wonderland'' features 12 songs, including the singles "Good Times" and "Blackbird". Also included on the record is a version of "Memphis", a Marcy Playground B-side that Wozniak's wife felt deserved a second breath of life. Sherry Fraser, Wozniak's longtime friend and lead vocalist of Two Ton Boa (a.k.a. 222), designed the album cover. ''Leaving Wonderland'' was coproduced, recorded and mixed by Jeff Dawson. After Gonzalo Martinez's departure from the band, family friend Shlomi Lavie stepped in as drummer for the band's 2009 tour. After a successful 4-day Carnival Cruise show in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

alongside

post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...

band

Sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...

, it was announced that the band would tour for the spring of 2009, playing in venues along the

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

coastline, including the Key Club, as well as cities in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

''Indaba Remixes from Wonderland'' (2010–2011)

Marcy Playground's fifth album, '' Indaba Remixes from Wonderland,'' was released on September 28, 2010. ''Indaba Remixes from Wonderland'' is a new CD and digital collection of remixes from Marcy Playground's 2009 album ''Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage''. Marcy Playground partnered with

Indaba Music Indaba Music is a web-based company that provides a music collaboration environment for musicians: "a place to build a profile, promote their tunes and collaborate with other musicians" as well as enter opportunities like remixing and songwriting ...

to offer fans the opportunity to remix songs from the ''Leaving Wonderland'' album. Marcy Playground then selected its favorite mixes from hundreds submitted to be included on ''Indaba''. This is the first time Marcy Playground had an album produced exclusively from fan submitted remixes to Indaba Music where the winners received royalties from album sales. John Wozniak stated: "I wanted to make this record to show people what the online music community is capable of. I believe the talent reflected in these tracks speaks for itself. This community is thriving. It's thriving because musicians feed on inspiration they get from other musicians. Music is not meant to be a solitary endeavor; it's something we like to do with other people."Yahoo.com Finance
Marcy Playground was to tour many venues in support of the album through 2010.

''Lunch, Recess & Detention'' (2012)

Marcy Playground announced in mid-June 2012 that they will be releasing a compilation of rarities, B-sides, and new material on July 17, 2012 titled ''

Lunch, Recess & Detention ''Lunch, Recess & Detention'' is the sixth major release by the band Marcy Playground. It was released for digital download on June 26, 2012, the physical CD was also released in Canada on this date. Physical release of the CD in the United Stat ...

''. The album's first single, "Mr. Fisher", was released on June 26, 2012. Marcy Playground joined

Everclear Everclear is a line of rectified spirits (also known as grain alcohol and neutral spirit) produced by the American company Luxco. It is made from grain and is bottled at 60%, 75.5%, 94.5% and 95% alcohol by volume (120, 151, 189, and 190 U.S. ...

Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single " Fly". Th ...

, Lit, and the

Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, '' New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released from that al ...

on the Summerland Tour 2012.

Band members

Current * John "Woz" Wozniak – guitar, lead vocals (1996–present) * Dylan Keefe – bass, backing vocals (1996–present) * Shlomi Lavie – drums, backing vocals (2009–present) Former * Jared Kotler – drums, backing vocals, bass (1996–1997) * Dan Rieser – drums, backing vocals (1997–2000) * Gonzalo "Gonz" Martinez de la Cotera – drums, backing vocals (2000–2009) * Conor Levis – backing vocals

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

Compilation albums

Singles

EPs

* ''It's Saturday'' College Sampler EP (1999)

Soundtracks featuring Marcy Playground

* ''

Hurricane Streets ''Hurricane Streets'' (also known as ''Hurricane'') is a 1997 American coming-of-age drama film directed and written by Morgan J. Freeman in his feature directorial debut. It stars Brendan Sexton III, Shawn Elliot, L. M. Kit Carson, and Edie F ...

'' * ''

Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble, and starring Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film, set in New York City among rich high s ...

'' * ''

Antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

'' * '' Simply Irresistible'' * ''

'' * ''

Zack and Miri Make a Porno ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (also known simply as ''Zack and Miri'') is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008. The film f ...

'' * ''

Wonder Park ''Wonder Park'' is a 2019 animated adventure comedy film produced by Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies, and Ilion Animation Studios handling animation. The plot follows a young girl who encounters a real version of her magical amusemen ...

'' * ''

Under the Bridge "Under the Bridge" is a song by American Rock music, rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the eleventh track on their fifth studio album, ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' (1991). It was released in March 1992 by Warner Records, Warner Bros. Records. Vo ...

Cover songs

- ''Hear My Train A Comin' (Zog BogBean - From the Marcy Playground)'' * Two Ton Boa - ''Comin' Up from Behind'' ( ''Cruel Intentions'' movie soundtrack) *

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

- ''And We Bid You Goodnight (live)'' *

- ''Needle and the Damage Done (live)'' *

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

- ''

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' (; , Modern ) is an interjection from the Hebrew language, used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Tanakh (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four times in the Christ ...

(live)''

Music videos

Touring partners

* Jolene (1997) *

Toad the Wet Sprocket Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss, ...

(1997, 2023) * Lincoln (1998) *

Fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

(1998) *

(1998) * Sonichrome (1998) * Pete Droge (1998) * Pure (1998) * Babe the Blue Ox (1998) *

Blinker the Star Blinker the Star is the recording and performance name of Jordon Zadorozny, a Canadian solo artist who has worked with various musicians to create eleven albums. Notable musicians who have appeared on Blinker the Star albums include Leland Skla ...

(1999) *

(2008) - Rock the Bahamas Cruise * Evoka (2009) * Summerland Tour (2012) -

, Lit,

* Summerland Tour (2018) -

Local H Local H is an American rock band co-founded in 1990 in Zion, Illinois by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, who has remained the band's sole consistent member. Following the departures of the early line-up's bassist and lead guitarist, Lucas a ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control American post-grunge musical groups Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups from Minnesota