True Margrit

I love the name of this band because it reminds me of my grandmother, sitting on the edge of her chocolate brown pleather sofa, surrounded by piles of TV Guide and Reader’s Digest (you know how pack-ratty some grandmas are) and reading Grit magazine. Even as a kid I knew that John Wayne had True Grit, and later, I came to know that even singing cheesy lounge tunes, Ann-Margret had style like almost nobody else.

The band True Margrit has a little bit of the cool sexiness of retro toe-tapping jazz. Vocalist and pianist (wait for it) Margrit Eichler doesn’t need to rely on rockstar obfuscations of distortion and reverb: With nary a guitar string in sight, her husky voice shines with only the black and white keys of a piano, a bass and a drum kit to back her up. Eichler doesn’t just tickle the ivories; she occasionally slaps them too, climbing on top of the keyboard to whack them into submission. There’s a little bit of hard-nosed vulnerability, just like in the movie, when Rooster Cogburn tells the young Mattie about his wife and son who never liked him anyway. Eichler’s voice is flexible like Aimee Mann’s, and her ability to lay the truth bare just as powerful. Eichler’s processing whatever issues she has with plucky sass. Prop me up with a piano, give me a thesaurus and a devilish wit, and I hope I would do the same. - Eugene Weekly

I love the name of this band because it reminds me of my grandmother, sitting on the edge of her chocolate brown pleather sofa, surrounded by piles of TV Guide and Reader’s Digest (you know how pack-ratty some grandmas are) and reading Grit magazine. Even as a kid I knew that John Wayne had True Grit, and later, I came to know that even singing cheesy lounge tunes, Ann-Margret had style like almost nobody else.

The band True Margrit has a little bit of the cool sexiness of retro toe-tapping jazz. Vocalist and pianist (wait for it) Margrit Eichler doesn’t need to rely on rockstar obfuscations of distortion and reverb: With nary a guitar string in sight, her husky voice shines with only the black and white keys of a piano, a bass and a drum kit to back her up. Eichler doesn’t just tickle the ivories; she occasionally slaps them too, climbing on top of the keyboard to whack them into submission. There’s a little bit of hard-nosed vulnerability, just like in the movie, when Rooster Cogburn tells the young Mattie about his wife and son who never liked him anyway. Eichler’s voice is flexible like Aimee Mann’s, and her ability to lay the truth bare just as powerful. Eichler’s processing whatever issues she has with plucky sass. Prop me up with a piano, give me a thesaurus and a devilish wit, and I hope I would do the same. - Eugene Weekly

True Margrit is a San Francisco based trio who recently released The Juggler’s Progress, a cerebral foray into rhythmic piano pop.

The group is instantly set apart from other piano singer songwriters because of Margrit Eichler’s one-of-a-kind voice. Let me put it you this way, if her voice were a road, it would be rocky and very texturally interesting, maybe a bit unpleasant at times (not due to any fault in technique, mind you), but it would guide you through the most beautiful overlooked landscape you had ever seen, so that when looking back at the experience, you would remember the lovely ride and not the individual bumps.

I got to experience her most memorable idiosyncrasy at their recent tour stop at the Echoplex in Echo Park, CA last week. When Margrit plays the piano she doesn’t just play the piano, she, um “plays” with the piano. As in, she unabashedly mounts it to play a few chords for their song “500 Years.” Needless to say, the crowd loved it.

Now, the piano-humping was not the best part of the performance, but it really established that True Margrit is the kind of band that is not only smart and insightful, but doesn’t take itself too seriously, an awesome quality. Actually, to tell you the truth, between the band’s chemistry, the quirky lyrics, Margrit’s voice, the stage antics, and the bouncy music, I really couldn’t tell you what part of the show was the best—I loved it all. - www.eatsleepbreathemusic.com

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

So, I notice that I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut when it comes to introducing bands. Frankly, I’m quite bored with the whole thing, so I thought I’d try writing up a new kind of intro, maybe a haiku? You may be asking “Why the sudden change, eh? I kinda like your intros” to which I might respond, “Thank you, you’re really much too kind, but after reading True Margrit lyrics and blog posts, I’ve decided to step it up and be a better writer. And also haikus are awesome.”

Margrit from True Margrit sees the world through her own bent kaleidescope and effortlessly churns out curious little sentences that look to be right out of a novel. Her imagery and sophisticated insight on Seaworthy and The Juggler’s Progress (the two albums I’ve listened to) show off her writing talent and quirky voice and are a grand departure, when you want to try something new. So True Margrit, this one’s for you:

Forget what you thought
True Margrit’s not seaworthy
They are hear-worthy

You guys are currently on a west coast tour, what has been the best city so far?

We love every show as though each one were our only child. But with that said, this time through Eugene, Oregon really showed the love with a cool write up in the Eugene Weekly, two radio shows, and awesome dancing fans at the gig.

True Margrit was invited to play the International Pop Overthrow Festival in LA, how did you get involved with them?

Who hasn’t heard the legend of IPO, the world’s best independent pop fest, and David Bash its founder?? He has been a staunch supporter of True Margrit and we are super proud to participate. This year we have a cut on the IPO compilation CD, “Syllable” from The Juggler’s Progress.

Your new album, The Juggler’s Progress was released early this year, how did you come up with the title?

Haha, speaking of juggling metaphors…I wanted to mash together the (possibly discordant) themes of evolution, mountain climbing, and somehow incorporate a bunch of Shakespearean themes/references, so the title seemed to cover all those necessities…

Can anyone in True Margrit actually juggle?

Gary juggles potato pancakes, Andrew juggles drumsticks (both chicken and the kind one hits a drum with), and I juggle metaphorical clouds

On August 8th the band will be performing in San Francisco at Bottom of The Hill, we hear you’ll be unveiling a new music video, any funny outtakes we should know about?

Haha. There might be some footage of me climbing on the keyboard which didn’t make it into the video. And …footage of the three giant meals we ate during the 12 hour video shoot.

Why is Gary’s nickname “Cupcake,” what are Margrit’s feelings on the unique spelling of her name, and is Andrew related to Kevin Bacon?

Gary bakes a mean black bottom cupcake. I feel good having a more phonetic streamlined spelling of Margrit (and we like making a cinematic reference to the film True Grit, which, by the way, is being re-made by the Coen brothers!) Andrew is sometimes related to Kevin Bacon—when it serves his evil purposes—but technically, he’s not, no.

You just filmed a video for “Opposite Man” can you explain the story behind the song?

“Opposite Man” is that rare breed of song, a rueful anthem about making bad choices that really worked out for the best after all.

What is next for the band after the tour?

Finishing up new songs for the next recording, booking the next tour and then we’re back on the road in October, mostly in Northern Cal, but maybe a few dates in LA. Stay tuned and rock on!

Find them here or on Facebook - Music Goat

As with O.C. and L.A., San Francisco has long had a thriving power-pop scene, as evidenced by the strength of this trio’s fifth release. Because singer-songwriter Margrit Eichler’s principal instrument is piano, her group’s sound immediately stands out from the majority of the genre’s guitar-anchored outfits. But if her songs were lousy, it wouldn’t matter what these musicians (including bassist Gary Hobish and drummer Andrew Bacon) were playing. The Shakespeare-mining “Fly It Like a Flag” and the reflective title track are among the many standouts of this 13-song set. See the band Aug. 5 at the Echoplex (1154 Glendale Blvd.) - Orange County Register

As with O.C. and L.A., San Francisco has long had a thriving power-pop scene, as evidenced by the strength of this trio’s fifth release. Because singer-songwriter Margrit Eichler’s principal instrument is piano, her group’s sound immediately stands out from the majority of the genre’s guitar-anchored outfits. But if her songs were lousy, it wouldn’t matter what these musicians (including bassist Gary Hobish and drummer Andrew Bacon) were playing. The Shakespeare-mining “Fly It Like a Flag” and the reflective title track are among the many standouts of this 13-song set. See the band Aug. 5 at the Echoplex (1154 Glendale Blvd.) - Orange County Register

"Next time someone announces that True Margrit is playing, don’t dillydally around. Check it out."---April Corbin, LAS VEGAS WEEKLY

"Margrit is a genius in the vein of Pete Townshend.”
Joe Cote—San Francisco Spectrum

This is a really unique recording. It's not really rock, not really pop, certainly not country or folk… at times reminds me of both Stephanie Rearick and of Leah Callahan. It's that cabaret pop-rock thing that I find so charming.

Even though it reminds me of these mentioned ladies, I wouldn't say it sounds like them. It has really got its very own personality.

I've listened several times now and each time I hear something new and interesting. Let's see if I can describe it at all.

Like I said, cabaret-ish at times. But also when I hear some of the songs on their own (that is, not in line with the rest of the album) they sound almost radio pop-like.

Margrit Eicher's voice is great. She's got a deep theatrical style.

The main instrument is piano, but there's so much else going on. True Margrit is made up of three musicians: Margrit Eicher (Voice, piano, keyboard, glockenspiel), Gary Hobish (basses, percussion, guitar, voice) and Andrew Bacon (drums, percussion). Thought there are three main members of the group, there are at least 10 other musicians that helped on this project and it shows.

This is a very classy recording from the songwriting to the musical performances to the production. Everything sounds great!

"If you're looking for something out of the ordinary that will please your ears, give this a listen. Stand out songs: "From Another Zone", "Electricity", "Members Only" reminds me of my Rock Star Boyfriend Ben Folds so you know I love it. "Amy Lotsberg, Collected Sounds


“…Eichler is an excellent writer you would like to hear more of.”
Diedre Johnson—Knoxville Daily Beacon

“Margrit’s voice is big and bit smoky. Her melodies soar…the hooks float into your head and stay there.”
Scott Mobley—Redding Record Searchlight

“True Margrit has to be one of the best keyboardists around town.”
David Womack—Haight Ashbury Free Press

“…wild-woman keyboard-player has the heart and soul of a gifted chanteuse.”
Michael Cronin--Teenage Kicks

“immediately likable…lures you into repeated listenings”
Wayne Bledsoe--Knoxville News-Sentinel

“Oh Margrit; you know they’ll tell you anything you want.”
Neva Chonin—San Francisco Bay Guardian - various publications

Piano-pop. It’s fun, that’s for sure. Smart and witty lyrics with borrowed lounge piano that bubbles with pop bliss is the main theme veining throughout “Seaworthy”. The female vocals are sultry alto with perfect harmony and great accuracy. But perhaps the most impressive element is that they arrange their songs with a brilliance that never mask the intimacy of the lyrical content. They add in oboe, sax, flute, bassoon, cello, and guitar to a piano-pop sound that would make Ben Folds jealous and blush with delight. Get this album now.

- J-Sin - Smother.net

Margrit Eichler is a full-time working musician who wears the badge with pride. Over the years she has put in hours teaching piano lessons, moonlighting in the metal band Sparrows Point, producing albums for others in her new home studio (Absolutely True Sound), and fronting her own piano pop-driven ensemble, True Margrit (Eichler on keyboard and vocals, Andrew Bacon on drums, and Gary Hobish on bass). Eichler can claim to fit into both the folk and rock spectrums – she regularly gigs at a range of Bay Area venues, from the Rose Street House of Music to the Red Devil Lounge – and in True Margrit, she straddles the line between both genres. The band's latest album, Seaworthy, is a collection of Eichler's clever and sea-salty ruminations on space, time, vanity, and ethereal connections. The songs are part of a still-in-progress rock opera titled Glampyre on the Bounty, about a time-travel reality show that dumps contestants onto an 18th-century ship. Eichler's lyrical sensibility melds with her infectious beat-heavy piano licks. Bacon and Hobish ably back her, adding counterpoint and weight to the band's overall sound. Those who are tired of tremulous emo-drenched acts, and want to hear a singer-songwriter whose words and music stand up for themselves, should give this album a listen. (Laurie Koh) - San Francisco Bay Guardian

Sometimes you can listen to the radio for hours and
have the music float right over you. But then a new
song starts and it immediately grabs your attention
and reminds you that music is supposed to be
enjoyable. Such was the case with “True” by True
Margrit off their album Seaworthy. Perhaps it was the
strident piano that is soon accompanied by staccato
cello that leads to an ominous verse that often takes
a relaxed, hopeful breath in the simple chorus. More
orchestration occurs as the song develops, at times
refreshing and then suddenly threatening, taking the
listener through many moods in just three and a half
minutes without ever leaving it’s original melody.
Breath-taking!

Fortunately the rest of the album is just as
impressive. The band is formed around Margrit Eichler
on piano whose lead vocals are lonely and soulful,
expressive and sensitive without a trace of ego,
similar in times to Aimee Mann or Mary Lorson of
Madder Rose. Joining Margrit is Gary Hobish on basses
and guitars and Andrew Bacon on drums, plus a whole
slew of friends on cello, flute, sax, oboe, bassoon,
and percussion. The music they create is very
organic, sweet, and sincere, mixing pop, folk,
cabaret, and jazz, a kind of friendly Dresden Dolls
without the cruel self-aware pomp.

Consider the dramatic “Everyone Wins” where Eichler
examines our need for love with a wistful longing,
singing “It’s just a game / If there’s no risk / The
whole world wants this” in a resigned fashion,
building to an aggressive chorus of pizzicato strings
and digging cello. The sedate “Electricity” cleverly
compares the interaction between electricity and water
to human relationships: “We never touch / We’re
separate atoms.” Muted sax and a midnight feel lend
to the stark and sobering feel of the song.

Seaworthy deftly combines mostly upbeat, bright,
cheery melodies with a dark or melancholy edge a few
yards below the surface. “Deliver Me” sounds like a
breezy Randy Newman song with a hint of New Orleans
jazz but the lyrics deal with blame and revenge. In
the enjoyable “Members Only” Margrit recalls a dream
in which she “joined the club” and became “endowed in
ways I was not born”, stating “Now when I drift off
the sleep/ I want my piano but you keep/ Strapping
that guitar on me/ An instrument I do not need”, all
with a wistful, playful, jaunty piano riff.

Thirteen songs and not a sinker in the bunch. True
Margrit composes appealing songs in a variety of
styles whose melodies are as playful as their lyrics,
incorporating everyone from Carol King to the Breeders
into a cohesive unity. The band gracefully rounds out
their adult-oriented sound with enough layers,
instrumental variety, rich harmonies, and rousing,
singable melodies to bring you back to their open
waters time and time again. Available at cdbaby.com
and Amazon. - Whatzup Magazine

Oak Ridge expatriate and current San Franciscan Margrit Eichler (who records as True Margrit) creates the kind of songs that only get better with repeated listens. Once a regular on the Knoxville music scene, Eichler has grown greatly as a songwriter, performer and recording artist since the release of her 1999 debut disc, "Deceptively True." "Seaworthy" is the work of a complete artist. Like Aimee Mann, Eichler draws from the great singer-songwriters of the 1960s and '70s for stylistic inspiration. Her piano-based pop features catchy melodies and is tinged with a little jazz, R&B and, occasionally, classical music.

Songs are often augmented with understated string and woodwind arrangements and Eichler's own sweet vocal harmonies. And standout tracks, including "Hours in Reverse (Deja vu)," "Everyone Wins" and "Great Praise" dig into your subconscious and draw you back again and again. - Knoxville News Sentinel--review by Wayne Bledsoe

Hey, there’s a band … and someone humping a piano

By April Corbin

“Hey, there’s a band playing back here...”

An Elvis Costello look-alike shouts this to the main portion of the Boomers crowd Saturday, but the two dozen or so people that hear him largely ignore the outburst. Maybe their conversations are just that good or maybe they have given up caring about this Neon Reverb show, which is starting an hour later than advertised. Whatever the reason, nobody seems in a rush to head to the Boomer’s backroom to catch San Francisco-based True Margrit.

After a few minutes, people meander over, standing by the entryway to give the piano-driven trio a listen. What they get are cerebral lyrics inspired by time travel, mountain climbing and centipedes, paired with upbeat keys and a dynamic on-stage presence from frontwoman Margrit Eichler, who jumps on (and humps) her keyboard on at least two occasions. Most like what they hear and see — what’s not awesome about a grown woman that humps her keyboard? — and edge in closer, filling up space in the industrial-area bar.

Lesson learned: Next time someone announces that True Margrit is playing, don’t dillydally around. Check it out.--April Corbin - LAS VEGAS WEEKLY--APRIL CORBIN

[WORDY POP] Generally, I wonder why bands bother printing lyrics in their liner notes—because generally there's not much there worth reading. But True Margrit frontwoman (wait for it) Margrit Eichler has studied her Elvis Costello and, from the sound of things, a fair deal of jazz standards, and it shows in her songwriting. Eichler writes bouncy, booksmart piano-pop that has a feel all unto itself. I'm glad I was hounded to listen to the San Francisco-based band's disc, because there's a lot here to like. CASEY JARMAN. - Willamette Week

True Margrit
The Juggler's Progress

True Margrit's third long player, following up the mastery of the knockout Seaworthy, is another propulsive, piano-as-attack-dog master-craft lesson in how to roll out the pop by investing the entire rainbow of emotion, peppered by a bubble of crusty ambivalence, in songs about foibles, follies and honest mistakes.

Played, once again, by the ace, core trio of piano magician Margrit Eichler, bassist Gary Hobish and percussionist Andrew Bacon, Eichler's highly literate songs roll like little 3D movies--music made for IMAX theaters, widescreen imaginations...and air pianists everywhere.

Each song here is a workout that brings the senses to hair-standing-on-end attention, perhaps no more so than on the clear-the-room, here-we-come ferocity of "Syllable," during which Eichler pounds the lower octaves of her piano with singular ferocity, Bacon's cymbals providing the high-end icing to her low-end, thick cake fillilng--that is,when he isn't matching every one of Eichler's lower-range piano thrusts with bass tom precision, note for note for note. All the while, Eichler's seductive melody follows atop it all, an impossible-to-ignore hook, sinking in deep, a spectacular, top-to-bottom creation.

A different kind of ferocity lies at the heart of "Lucy," about a girl who wants her emotional cake and the opportunity to engulf it, heart and soul. "I will not wed thee, I am free," she sings, stating categorically that she will have her life both ways. It's a demonstration of duality that we have all been witness to in our lives, if not out and out performed, a crisscrossed emotional roller coaster that we satisfy by putting off a decision until whenever. Listening to Eichler and her cohorts playing this ride out builds to a breathtaking musical compote, underpinned by Gloria Justen's hefty violins. "I will not wed thee, I am free," Lucy sings, and the strings give way to Bacon pounding the skins, Hobish bashing his bass, and Eichler pulling the melange together with a determined head-to-toe wash of the piano from top note to bottom. It's a tremendous moment.

As are the other moments, deceptively momentary, across the canvas on which this album paints--in the straight-ahead, sing along pop majesty of "500 Years," which correctly sums up our out of control pop culture with the assertion that "If they see any charm in our legacy/It proves they've never seen reality TV,"; in the beautiful, melodic ballad "Metaphor," which turns the "rose is a rose by any other name" theory of life on its pinpoint head; in the opener, "Opposite Man" and its album coda cousin, "Opposite Opposite Man," songs about duality both, which, come to think of it, is The Juggler's Progress in a nutshell--an album-length consideration of the art of choosing, right or wrong or right again.

Margrit Eichler: a writer of pop songs with a lofty, ambitious goal? Elucidation? Entertainment? Both, I'm sure. Set your CD device on play and prepare to be stunned with a song cycle that has no equal in these early days of 2010. Cherish the progress of this musical juggler. You too will wish you were the opposite man.
Alan Haber
March 28, 2010
- buhdge

This is sunny and catchy piano pop that is surprisingly smart. If you like Ben Folds, play this. Even though you won’t find “let’s party in Cali” anthems like on a Jack’s Mannequin record, you will still be left with that mental acuteness and cracked smile that comes with being cheered up. Eichler’s voice is what hits you first. Husky yet so stretchable and tangible, inescapably endowing the record with a loveable quirkiness. The sparse production tricks, and lack of synths really cuts the fat and focuses the sound on the bass, piano and her amazing voice. I love how the bass guitar really grooves out sometimes. - KZSU / Zookeeper Online

Just when you wonder where all the Ben Folds clones are, along comes Margrit Eichler and her able-bodied trio, True Margrit, to dispel the myth. While there are some Folds comparisons to be made, this is no attempt to fan the keys of a piano in the style of one who came before or since; Seaworthy is a singular, astoundingly magical creation that announces itself like stride piano amplified for a very large body of water (go with me on this, will you?).

Possessing the soul of a jazz player trapped in the body of a popster, Eichler tickles the ivories and stomps on them, often at the same time. It is important to remember that the piano is a percussive, as well as melodic, instrument, and this talented, committed player uses that duality to her advantage.

Sweet at one turn and elasticized the next, Eichler's voice is somewhat reminiscent of Aimee Mann and Andrea Perry; she bends the notes when it’s appropriate and sings them straight ahead when it’s not. Hers is a remarkable instrument—emotive, sensitive, and aggressive when the mood demands. She’s quite the talent, one to be reckoned with.

Eichler's music falls somewhere in the pond in which swims Billy Joel, Elton John, Mann and Perry. She’s intelligent, and not afraid to run the style gamut; she’s confident enough to deliver a hysterical tour de force, a thinly-veiled song about sexual confusion (but on whose part?) that is two-thirds of a step away from brazen, “Members Only.” The poppy number is a catchy winner, masterfully crafted, with one of the great lyrics of the year: “Now when I drift off to sleep/I want my piano but you keep/Strapping that guitar on me/An instrument I do not need.” Brilliant.

In fact, Eichler's playful use of language and keen ability to flesh out a story, sometimes with the barest of details, is one of this singer/songwriter’s greatest, most affecting traits. In the beautiful ballad “Electricity,” Eichler plays with the idea of electricity and waters sparking attraction, if not necessarily traditional contact; the lines “How can you say lights like sparks on the bay/Don’t reflect on the way waters illustrate/How they connect like electricity” are boundless as thoughts to spark our brains as we consider the basis and veracity of our connections in life.

Channeling the stride piano and New Orleans jazz of Randy Newman on the sprightly “Deliver Me,” Eichler weaves a “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” type of tale about blame, something she sings is “easier to spin…I’m vain enough when I get killed/To smile at the tears you spill.” With blame, I guess, comes revenge. Hah!

The idea of wanting something so bad that you’ll take the risk to survive is explored in the fetching “Everyone Wins,” wonderfully arranged to spotlight Eichler's piano and widescreen vocal. The song builds to an aggressive harmony onslaught, as sweet as it is propulsive. The other ideas explored in these songs are common to everyone’s consciousness, and subconscious, to be sure; the spin Eichler puts on them—how she adapts them to her musical attack—is the key to listeners being awed by her.

Water can be an incredibly passive image; it just lays there, affected only by nature’s gyrations and human activity. The image of water floats in and out of many of these songs. In “Hours in Reverse,” polar ice caps melt; in “Deliver Me,” the narrator smiles at the tears a person spills; in “Great Praise,” stars rain down; and in the closer, “Nothing,” the question is asked whether there is a “peaceful sea/you can go when you’re not yet dead/where waters lap and now you’ve snapped/nothing needs to be said.” Water appears, then, to have somewhat of a three-dimensional personality, affecting us in many ways, even as simply as the first drops of a shower slapping one’s eyeglasses with a liquid stain.

At its most extreme, water gets us from here to there; drinking it makes us stronger, even when our bodies’ inclinations are to be weak. On this dramatically musical and literate album, Eichler and her cohorts Gary Hobish and Andrew Bacon, along with a parcel of special guests, shine their spotlight on all manner of water—perhaps, most especially, the people who are made of so very much of it.

Alan Haber
October 30, 2005 - www.buhdge.com