Eye to Eye
Inspired by the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran-Foer, Marina wrote Eye to Eye, performed it once at Eddie’s Attic, and maybe a few other times. Mostly it laid dormant, waiting until she could get back to it one day and fluff it up into its fullness.
Linked here is her saved-for-reference version, which she quickly whipped out one day onto Garageband on her Macbook when she had been lamenting to me about forgetting some of her earlier songs. I suggested she record them fast-and-dirty just for remembering, so this is what we have here.
A few years ago, Mike began listening to Eye to Eye a bit obsessively and started talking about finding someone to record it in a more professional form. After much simmering in the background of my life (and huge project list), a sudden brainstorm last year set me in motion to create something magical as a gift for Mike. I didn’t know at the time how special it would become, all I knew was that my whole body cringed at the thought of random people tinkering with Marina’s music.
The brainstorm (accompanied by my whole-body YES!) was that it needed to be done by people who knew her, loved her, and therefore would be most likely to infuse their version with her life-force and vibe.
I secretly (not-so-secretly) hoped that if I chose people she loved, she would also be more inclined to drop in with them and frolic alongside them.
DeDe Vogt took Marina’s sketchbook version of Eye to Eye and teased out the fingerpicked guitar part, then cobbled it together with gorgeous layers of percussion, bass, and synth, giving it a delightful new architecture.
After a few weeks of getting it where she wanted it, DeDe ferried it across the ocean in magical transport software to Sofia Dragt, who teased out a vocal line then added her own brushstrokes — a little more this, a tad less that, a new vocal touch — massaging it into a shimmering new art-piece.
These brilliant professionals who each loved Marina conjured a magical art-piece together.
They never once spoke. Never emailed.
The three of us “met” together for the first time a week later, to revel, to celebrate, and to smile BIG.
Sit down, friend, maybe even ask Marina to sit with you (she definitely will). Take a few deep breaths. It’s (literally) breathtaking.
I hope you love it. The three of us have been delighted by the whole process.
-Sharon Day, March 12, 2021
DeDe Vogt
is an Americana/folk music legend, especially in Atlanta, with a Grammy to her name when she collaborated with Indigo Girls.
She ran a celebrated sound studio as well. DeDe enjoys life in the North Georgia mountains as Performing Arts Director of the
Sautee-Nacoochee Center.
Marina had a few guitar lessons with her during the years DeDe was our neighbor in Pine Lake. They shared a stage once or twice, and DeDe helped Marina buy her first guitar (the legendary purple Takamine).
Sofia Dragt
Sofia Dragt sang with Marina every week during their 6-month
Up with People tour, including centerstage spotlight duets.
They were not especially close, aside from one stunning, mystical experience when Marina spontaneously started channelling Sofia’s grandmother and shared private stories no one else knew.
Sofia has continued to develop her voice and craft magnificently
Inspired by the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran-Foer, Marina wrote Eye
to Eye, performed it once at Eddie’s Attic, and maybe a few other times. Mostly it laid dormant, waiting until she could get back to it one day and fluff it up into its fullness.
Linked here is her saved-for-reference version, which she quickly whipped out one day onto Garage band on her Macbook when she had been lamenting to me about forgetting some of her earlier songs. I suggested she record them fast-and-dirty just for remembering, so this is what we have here.
A few years ago, Mike began listening to Eye to Eye a bit obsessively and started talking about finding someone to record it in a more professional form. After much simmering in the background of my life (and huge project list), a sudden brainstorm last year set me in motion to create something magical as a gift for Mike. I didn’t know at the time how special it would become, all I knew was that my whole body cringed at the thought of random people tinkering with Marina’s music.
The brainstorm (accompanied by my whole-body YES!) was that it needed to be done by people who knew her, loved her, and therefore would be most likely to infuse their version with her life-force and vibe.
I secretly (not-so-secretly) hoped that if I chose people she loved, she would also be more inclined to drop in with them and frolic alongside them.
DeDe Vogt took Marina’s sketchbook version of Eye to Eye and teased out the fingerpicked guitar part, then cobbled it together with gorgeous layers of percussion, bass, and synth, giving it a delightful new architecture.
After a few weeks of getting it where she wanted it, DeDe ferried it across the ocean in magical transport software to Sofia Dragt, who teased out a vocal line then added her own brushstrokes — a little more
this, a tad less that, a new vocal touch — massaging it into a shimmering new art-piece.
These brilliant professionals who each loved Marina conjured a magical art-piece together.
They never once spoke. Never emailed.
The three of us “met” together for the first time a week later, to revel, to celebrate, and to smile BIG.
Sit down, friend, maybe even ask Marina to sit with you (she definitely will). Take a few deep breaths. It’s (literally) breathtaking.
I hope you love it. The three of us have been delighted by the whole process. ~Sharon
Day, March 12, 2021
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