Marvin

Marvin Etzioni established his initial reputation in the mid-'80s as bassist and songwriter for Lone Justice, the L.A. cowpunk band. Following their lone Geffen Records album, he departed and issued his first solo project in 1992, the subdued and moving The Mandolin Man. Etzioni draws from austere folk-rooted material to gritty, Stones-like rock tracks, weaving in accents of mandolin, accordion, harmonium, hurdy-gurdy, and violin together with ample drums and electric guitar. A vinyl devotee and analog purist, Marvin conducts the mastering sequence from analog sources through vinyl pressings to digital, so that the needle drop and tone arm lift remain audible on the CD. His next release, Bone, was tracked in tandem with The Mandolin Man yet surfaced only later in the same year.

Etzioni’s production and songwriting work has extended to Victoria Williams, Peter Case, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and the Williams Brothers, and he has kept issuing recordings independently, resisting prevailing industry fashions.