Marcy Playground 'Shapeshifter' For The Children

10/04/1999 4:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(10/4/99, 1 a.m. PDT) - Marcy Playground is gearing up to tour in support of its new album, Shapeshifter, due on Nov. 2. The band, which has already played a few radio station dates, will launch a full-fledged tour Nov. 2 at New York City's Mercury Lounge.

Shapeshifter refers to a Native American term that means the spirit that comes to teach us things throughout life. The complete track listing for album is: "It's Saturday," "America," "Bye Bye," "All The Lights Went Out," "Secret Squirrel," "Wave Motion Gun," "Rebel Sodville," "Sunday Mail," "Pigeon Farm," "Never," "Love Bug," and "Our Generation."

Marcy Playground is popular with young fans, partly because some of its songs recall children's songs, such as those featured on the '70s Schoolhouse Rock series. The first single from Shapeshifter, "It's Saturday," is even written from the point of view of a kid who feigns sickness to get out of school.

"I like to write like that," singer-songwriter John Wozniak tells LAUNCH. "I love those songs. I love children's songs. I love songs that tell little stories, goofy little children's songs. I love children's records. I grew up on Free To Be You And Me...That is a classic. All those little stories and songs and [former football player] Rosie Greer singing 'It's all right to cry.' It's magic. That's the magic of music. If you can connect with kids, you can connect with anybody."

Marcy Playground refers to the Free To Be You And Me album in "Our Generation," a song on Shapeshifter.

To read a transcript of an exclusive LAUNCH.com chat with Marcy Playground, click here. A feature on the band is also available.

-- Darren Davis, New York

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