Virginia Plane 2011 CD release show. Photo by John McNicholas
- Virginia Plane is Atlanta singer-songwriter Mary O. Harrison, usually accompanied by McGregor Button, Tracy Clark and Govind Dixit. Virginia Plane offers a playful, off-beat brand of folk pop music served up with a touch of melancholy. Mary O.’s vocals have been compared to those of Suzanne Vega and Kirsty MacColl.
Mary O. began writing music for the former Atlanta band Charm School in 1999 and released a solo album, Factory of Days, in 2008. Various musicians played in her backing band, the Tiny Tears, and in the summer of 2010, Mary O., Tracy, McGregor and Govind adopted the name Virginia Plane while recording their self-titled EP with Ben Price (Studilaroche, Atlanta). “It was clearly a band project, not a solo one, by that point, and we wanted a name that could represent all of us but that I could still use for solo shows,” says Mary O. The EP was mixed and mastered by Jason NeSmith (Bel Air Studio, Casper and the Cookies) and released in June 2011 by Two Sheds Music.
McGregor, Tracy and Mary O. switch instruments often, allowing for unexpected things to happen – like Tracy’s typewriter playing on “Old Fashioned Girl” and McGregor’s distinctive piano part on “Idiot Soup.” McGregor (Russian Spy Camera) plays bass, piano and guitar.Tracy (the Preakness, the Blue Hour, Chickens & Pigs, etc.) sings backup and plays keyboards, bass, melodica and guitar, while Mary O. sings lead and plays guitar, piano and flute. Govind (ex-Charm School) holds down the drumming duties.
The name Virginia Plane is a quasi-Roxy Music reference, putting an aerodynamic twist on the iconic glam rock hit “Virginia Plain.” (The song title actually came from one of Brian Ferry’s paintings.) “I love Roxy Music – although it would be a stretch to hear it in my writing. A lot of music energizes and inspires me without the connection being obvious,” says Mary O. More direct influences include Carol King, Guadalcanal Diary, the Roches, and, of course, the Beatles.
On tour Mary O. usually plays solo, although a Virginia Plane set often draws in other musicians, including regular guest Kurt Ebersbach on Telecaster and former Tiny Tear Kim Ware.
Mary O. is the younger sister of Austin musician and songwriter Robert Harrison of Future Clouds and Radar (formerly of Cotton Mather).
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