DC Rock Royalty Mary Timony Talks Music, New and Old

DC native and multi-talented musician Mary Timony is everywhere. The Friday before I was scheduled to chat with her, I found myself at comedian and musician Fred Armisen’s Lincoln Theatre show. And so did Timony – onstage with Armisen, performing an absurdly funny sketch about overbearing drummers and mean bandmates.

“Fred’s a friend from the music world and […] I play in a band with Carrie [Brownstein] who does Portlandia with him, so it’s all connected,” she says. “So many of my friends were on the tour. They were like, ‘Come on down!’ I had no idea Fred would be inviting me to come onstage until I got there, but it was fun.”

Aside from her one-night-only contribution to the comedy world, she’s recently lent her talents to local band Hammered Hulls. Popping up at local shows in venues like Black Cat and Comet Ping Pong, Timony graces the stage with Chris Wilson (Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Titus Andronicus), Alec MacKaye (Faith, Ignition, The Warmers) and Mark Cisernos (Des Demonas, Deathfix, Medication) as part of the DC supergroup.

“It’s pretty fun to play in [Hammered Hulls],” she says of its impressive roster. “I’ve always loved Alec’s stuff. I was really into his band Ignition and saw them play all the time when I was a teenager. I love Chris [and] Mark’s playing. Mark was basically trying to start a new project and it just happened. Mark is the songwriter and I’m playing bass, which is fun because I don’t do that normally.”

Timony can usually be found playing guitar in bands like Ex Hex, who just announced a new album, It’s Real, out later this month. She and bandmates Betsy Wright and Laura Harris were busy with their individual musical pursuits between their debut album and the upcoming record, and the break saw Timony’s band Helium reissuing and touring their material. But Timony says that crafting another Ex Hex record was always everyone’s main priority.

“We were just trying to get enough songs together to make it happen. It took awhile because we toured forever, but it was really fun to do other stuff like the Helium reissues. We toured too much and were a little burnt out and just needed to regenerate or whatever. Once we started going, it was a really exciting thing to put together.”

The balancing act of playing in multiple bands sounds like enough to keep one person perennially busy, but Timony finds time for another passion: teaching music. While she says she’s scaled back in the wake of her touring life picking up again – “I’m going to miss my students while I’m gone, but hopefully they’ll be okay” she laments with a laugh – she still has a handful of students under her tutelage that she guides into similar musical greatness. She even taught a few lessons to Maryland’s Lindsey Jordan, perhaps better known as Snail Mail, before Jordan broke out into the indie rock scene in a big way.

“I went to one of the first shows she played and I was like, ‘Whoa, she’s just so alive and mature beyond her years,’” Timony affectionately recalls of Jordan. “She has a real natural charisma and talent, so it’s been cool and totally crazy to watch. It was like a tornado. I’m really happy for her. It’s so exciting.”

While Timony herself certainly has a hand in shaping the world of DC music, whether it be through teaching, playing or joining forces with some of the city’s finest musical talents, she notes her excitement around the recent resurgence of rock bands in the District. She lived in Boston for a bit, but got her start in the DC-based, Dischord Records-signed band Autoclave. She recalls how when she returned home the scene had quieted down a bit, but much to her happiness it’s picked back up at full speed.

“It’s mostly kids in their 20s and the whole Sister Polygon label and everyone surrounding that. It’s really nice that it’s happening now. I’m glad that there’s creativity happening and people are putting out their own records and making all these cool shows happens.”

She adds with a laugh, “Although I’m like pretty old and never leave my house, so.”

On the contrary, Timony and her talented bandmates in Ex Hex hit the road in support of It’s Real next month, including a stop at 9:30 Club on Friday, May 10. For more on Ex Hex, visit www.mergerecords.com/ex-hex.

9:30 Club: 815 V St. NW, DC; 202-265-0930; www.930.com