Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Still Floating

Singer-songwriter Marie Haddad was five when she started playing piano, but she drifted into other endeavors a few years later. At one point she had to sell her piano in order to stay in college.

“I discovered a grand piano in one of the local hotels that was unattended most of the time in the evening,” she says. “So I started sneaking in to practice on it.”

After playing with various local cover bands, Haddad joined the San Diego Beat Organization, which was nominated as Best New Artist at the 2002 San Diego Music Awards. When that group split, she began performing and recording solo.

“I play piano and sing sort of à la Kate Bush, one of my favorite musicians,” says Haddad. “Her innovative songwriting and production ideas paired with that unmistakable voice captivated me early on.”

She cites Leonard Cohen as the biggest influence on her lyrics. “My copy of Stranger Music — his book of poems, writings, and lyrics — has so many pages bunny-eared and phrases underlined that it’s like a lovingly worshipped textbook.”

Marie Haddad appears March 28 at “IndieFest V” in North Park.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

“There are some pretty swirly CDs in my player at the moment, like P.J. Harvey’s White Chalk, Manuok’s No End to Limitations, and Blonde Redhead’s 23. There’s also Laurie Anderson’s Strange Angels — I’m still floating after her amazing show and lecture at UCSD recently. I’ve also been playing Vive La Fête’s Jour de Chance, which is a lot of fun.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

MUST-HAVE DVDs?

“My first three choices are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Amélie, and David Lynch’s The Straight Story. Each shows a unique and honest look at relationships, and all three very much spoke to my heart.

“Also speaking to my heart, but for completely different reasons, is The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a documentary about the super-nerdy and super-wonderful Donkey Kong championships.

“The last one would be 1980’s classic Xanadu, with Olivia Newton-John — in leg warmers, playing the daughter of Zeus — who inspires an unknown painter and Gene Kelly to open a roller-skating rink together. Wow!”

WHAT MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DO YOU ALWAYS RENEW?

“Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. I’m into making arts and crafts and things and stuff.”

MOST VISITED WEBSITES?

1. The Minisode Network. “I’m especially fond of the Fantasy Island ones.”

2. YouTube.com “How many versions of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ do you think are on there?”

3. Etsey.com “They have arts and crafty things.”

4. Oinkernet.com “It’s a live guinea pig cam!”

5. livefromdarylshouse.com “For Daryl Hall’s internet webcast, he performs with musical guests like Nick Lowe, Chromeo, and K.T. Tunstall — and even John Oates every once in a while.”

TOP FIVE GUILTY PLEASURES?

1. “Staying in my PJs all day.”

2. “Taking way too many photos.”

3. “Creating little creature characters out of food.”

4. “HGTV marathons.”

5. “Onion rings.”

SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WITHOUT?

“I always need to have a piano keyboard. I went a bit crazy when I tried to live without one.”

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD KNOW OR GUESS?

“I have a certificate of completion from a Radio Shack TRS-80 course.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Too $hort & DJ Symphony, Peppermint Beach Club, Holidays at the Zoo

Events December 19-December 21, 2024

Singer-songwriter Marie Haddad was five when she started playing piano, but she drifted into other endeavors a few years later. At one point she had to sell her piano in order to stay in college.

“I discovered a grand piano in one of the local hotels that was unattended most of the time in the evening,” she says. “So I started sneaking in to practice on it.”

After playing with various local cover bands, Haddad joined the San Diego Beat Organization, which was nominated as Best New Artist at the 2002 San Diego Music Awards. When that group split, she began performing and recording solo.

“I play piano and sing sort of à la Kate Bush, one of my favorite musicians,” says Haddad. “Her innovative songwriting and production ideas paired with that unmistakable voice captivated me early on.”

She cites Leonard Cohen as the biggest influence on her lyrics. “My copy of Stranger Music — his book of poems, writings, and lyrics — has so many pages bunny-eared and phrases underlined that it’s like a lovingly worshipped textbook.”

Marie Haddad appears March 28 at “IndieFest V” in North Park.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

“There are some pretty swirly CDs in my player at the moment, like P.J. Harvey’s White Chalk, Manuok’s No End to Limitations, and Blonde Redhead’s 23. There’s also Laurie Anderson’s Strange Angels — I’m still floating after her amazing show and lecture at UCSD recently. I’ve also been playing Vive La Fête’s Jour de Chance, which is a lot of fun.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

MUST-HAVE DVDs?

“My first three choices are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Amélie, and David Lynch’s The Straight Story. Each shows a unique and honest look at relationships, and all three very much spoke to my heart.

“Also speaking to my heart, but for completely different reasons, is The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a documentary about the super-nerdy and super-wonderful Donkey Kong championships.

“The last one would be 1980’s classic Xanadu, with Olivia Newton-John — in leg warmers, playing the daughter of Zeus — who inspires an unknown painter and Gene Kelly to open a roller-skating rink together. Wow!”

WHAT MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DO YOU ALWAYS RENEW?

“Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. I’m into making arts and crafts and things and stuff.”

MOST VISITED WEBSITES?

1. The Minisode Network. “I’m especially fond of the Fantasy Island ones.”

2. YouTube.com “How many versions of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ do you think are on there?”

3. Etsey.com “They have arts and crafty things.”

4. Oinkernet.com “It’s a live guinea pig cam!”

5. livefromdarylshouse.com “For Daryl Hall’s internet webcast, he performs with musical guests like Nick Lowe, Chromeo, and K.T. Tunstall — and even John Oates every once in a while.”

TOP FIVE GUILTY PLEASURES?

1. “Staying in my PJs all day.”

2. “Taking way too many photos.”

3. “Creating little creature characters out of food.”

4. “HGTV marathons.”

5. “Onion rings.”

SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WITHOUT?

“I always need to have a piano keyboard. I went a bit crazy when I tried to live without one.”

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD KNOW OR GUESS?

“I have a certificate of completion from a Radio Shack TRS-80 course.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Live Five: Rebecca Jade, Stoney B. Blues, Manzanita Blues, Blame Betty, Marujah

Holiday music, blues, rockabilly, and record releases in Carlsbad, San Carlos, Little Italy, downtown
Next Article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader