The Minnesota music community has been reeling after the news that we lost a friend and music supporter in Rebecca Marx last weekend. She died in a kayaking accident. The news was shocking and overwhelming but, in its way, comforting to know that she was doing something she loved with someone she loved – albeit decades too soon.
Becca wore many hats. She was a proud mother and happy wife. She was a healthcare warrior on the frontlines of the keeping people (and their teeth) healthy during COVID. She loved yoga and her cats. She always had a positive word for everyone. We were friends through our love of music. I wanted to share my memories and asked just a few people to share theirs too.
We met through Krista Vilinskis at Tinderbox when I wrote for the Twin Cities Daily Planet and Becca wrote for Rift Magazine. Krista knew us both and knew we’d hit it off. Krista shared her thoughts on Becca with me…
Becca was such a bright light. She loved supporting independent music, interviewing musicians, attending and reviewing live concerts. She was also a huge supporter of other females in the industry. She will be so very missed and our music community was so lucky to have her. She was also an amazing mom of two beautiful kids, a fellow cat lover and I will miss our chats at shows and emails about music.
In the musical world of collaboration, I ended up writing for Rift Magazine, while Becca was editing. At the time, Becca was in greater communications with the writers than founder, Rich Horton. Rich, who called her Becky, shared his memories too…
Becky came along for Rift when I had run out of gas, trying to cover as much as I could locally. She would go out and meet people, go to shows and then write about it. To see her discover new artists and make so many friends, she was enjoying herself. Just seeing all the local music people post after the news hit that she was gone – it was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. She loved the local music scene and the people that created it. I will miss her enthusiasm and the great person I had the honor of hanging out with on occasion for over thirty years.
Becca’s timing was impeccable that way. She knew when you needed a boost or a little help. She was always there with a helping hand. She was my introduction to Little Man. She often sold merchandise for them (and others) and I would often go as much to say hello to her as to see any band. She had great taste in music and I knew it would be worth seeing it if she was there. Chris Perriccelli, lead singer of Little Man, also shared thoughts of Becca…
She’s someone that shined very bright in a genuine way. We’d just gravitate towards each other and there was always a big smile and a photo together and we’d talk about style, which she had plenty of, meditation, and we’re honest about how things were in our lives in conversation. Becca was so generous, offered a lot of help to me. There’s a lot of love.
Sometimes Becca and I would write about the same shows. I always enjoyed her view. One of my favorite stories was her review of Genital Panic at the Seventh Street Entry Saturday from 2018. It’s an art to turn music into social justice and keep politics at the door…
I know sometimes it feels so utterly overwhelming coping with the politics of politics, but I think what Schlieske was actually getting at as she questioned where the punk bands were, is really about where is the punk rock attitude to rebel against what we don’t believe in? To protest what we feel is wrong in whatever way we can? She’s right to remind us to never forget that the government works for us, they represent us, and you owe it to yourself to get out there in November to let them hear your voice! Power to the people.
And I loved her review of the Lowest Pair in 2017…
Throughout the evening it became obvious that their songwriting is largely informed by their personal experiences. So much of a lyric’s beauty can be found in the simplest observation that inspired it. In the case of the song “Dreaming of Babylon”, Winter found herself obsessed by Richard Brautigan’s iconic private eye noir novel of the same name, and that is where its inception began. A song with a beautifully stark Capella ending “Dock My Boat,” tells the tale of a well worn life ending, and was written by Winter who related that she in fact lives on a houseboat in Puget Sound.
Due to COVID, the last time Becca and I went out was November (2019) to see Palmer T. Lee (half of the Lowest Pair) at the Hook and Ladder. Going to see a show with Becca was always a treat. Minimal talking during the show – and only conversation pertinent to the show. It seems silly but music is what we love and at least one of us was probably writing a review. But once the music was over, everything was fair game.
Becca had kind things to say about everyone. When I started doing reviews, she had great advice on how to draw out certain performers. She’s share secrets – like ask him about album X or she likes to talk about song Y. Because Becca wasn’t gossipy. Secrets were sharing the gems inside of people. She brought out the gems in people in her support, in her writing and in her friendship.
While we hadn’t seen each other for a while, our last interaction was on Facebook after I had sent a postcard (a play to help save the Post Office and say hello to people I missed). So our last words were a mix of love-yous and let’s see music. For that I am thankful and that will be my last lesson learned from Becca – say your love-yous and plan to see more music!
Mostly Minnesota 