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Music is therapy for area singer-songwriter
By John Benson
Singer-songwriter Jamie Marich (vocals, guitar, violin) says the music she plays alongside her musical partner, Jim Stafford (guitar, mandolin), reflects the duo’s diversity. The styles can range from folk, country and rock to pop and blues.
“We often make the joke we cover Patsy Cline together with The Grateful Dead,” said Howland resident Marich, who is a 1997 Chaney High School graduate. “But sometimes Jim says it’s either that or it reflects our total lack of direction, depending on how you want to look at it.”
Whatever the case, the twosome has spent nearly a decade playing its folk-based material around Northeast Ohio. Lately, the act is supporting Marich’s new album, “Grace of a Woman,” which came out this past spring.
Material on the recent release includes the blues-tinged “Burly Man Blues,” old school country-sounding “At Arms Length,” pop-a cappella-heavy “I Think I’ll Let You,” the acoustic-driven “Prayer for my Daughter” and spiritually based “Journey Blind.”
Though many artists suggest their music is therapeutic in nature, Marich’s claim is supported by the fact by day she’s a counselor-psychologist. More so, there was a gap between album releases for the Youngstown native due to the fact her career got in the way of her hobby. Then life got complicated for Marich, who turned to music, her outlet for self-therapy.
“I went through a really rough patch in my personal life last year after going through a divorce, and kind of picked up the guitar again,” Marich said. “I’ve always found that during tough times, song material just flows. I even got back into doing more gigging last year because of the personal struggles.”
Today, Marich is excited about her return to music. Not only is she enjoying playing her new material but also a few choice covers. This includes “Defying Gravity” from Broadway musical “Wicked,” which appears on “Grace of a Woman,” and also tunes by Stevie Nicks and Chuck Berry.
Still, despite any success locally or regionally she may experience, Marich doesn’t have any dreams of stardom.
“Do I ever see myself building a national career in music? No,” Marich said. “That’s never really been a goal. I’ve always felt that if I did that I would lose my love for it. But I definitely love to interweave it with my teaching and training career with psychology.”