Marilyn Carino was born and bred in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and possesses the kind of self-assured, front and center presence as a performer that could cause her to come off as intimidating. Some may see an artistically gifted, intimidating woman as being threatening to whatever personal problems a person would need to have to be threatened by that. I see her as being a driving force, and an excellent example. Being a strong woman should be every woman’s goal, and Marilyn Carino has met that goal and then some.
This video for “When The Innocents Go To War” off her latest release Leaves, Sadness, Science is an example of all this. Once Carino captures your attention through your computer screen, phone, whatever, she’ll leave you unable to look away. Half questioning “what is this even?” Half brimming with proprietary ego over picking her music out of a crowd when others may not have arrived at such a wise decision just yet.
Although it’s hard to imagine her ever having the experience of being intimidated by anything herself, we asked her to describe the last time she had the feeling about a person, thing, or situation. Here’s what she said:
“The last time I felt intimidated was yesterday when I read that tardigrades can survive for ten years without water and up to ten days in the vacuum of space. I could never do that!”
(Let’s just go ahead and Google tardigrades together at this point.)
Leaves, Sadness, Science was released on April 14th and can be purchased here. The album was written, recorded, and mixed 100% by Carino herself, aside from the track “War and Peace” which is a bonus track co-written and performed by Mike Mills (bassist for R.E.M.)
The album’s title comes from a Frida Kahlo installation Carino saw featuring monochrome rooms equipped with notations on Kahlo’s feelings about the different colors. Yellow was madness, blue was peace, and green; leaves, sadness, science. You can read more about the album, and keep tabs on Marilyn Carino via her website.