Fink and Marxer Release CD Reflecting Diverse Families

Inspired by Marlo Thomas' "Free to Be A Family," longtime musical duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer have released their 44th album, "Dancin' In the Kitchen: Songs for All Families." The CD is the first of its kind to celebrate diverse families, from LGBT families to grandparent caretakers, extended families, adopted families, mixed-race families, twins, and even those with pets.

"The idea has been in our minds for the past 10 years," said Fink. "It was ahead of its time, but luckily, times have changed some, and we felt that we wanted to do an album that embraced family diversity."

Inspired by Thomas' definition of family as "a feeling of belonging," the two wrote the song, "I Belong to a Family." The song, which became the cornerstone of their new album, became a finalist in the John Lennon songwriting competition.

Fink and Marxer have been writing songs together for 20 years, almost since they met at a folk festival in 1980. Marxer was touring with an all-female folk group called Bosom Buddies, and Fink was performing solo. The two ended hanging out together and by 1984, had played so many musical festivals, they decided to team up.

They divide their time between folk and Americana music for adults, and music for kids and families. They like to think of themselves as well-rounded musicians who have the ability to connect with and entertain just about any audience. Fink said that they often lead sing-alongs at the senior assisted living facility across the street from where they live, as well as performing for children and at square dances.

"Our career is based on versatility, not just on whom we perform for, but as recording artists, studio engineers, mixers and producers," said Fink. "We wear a lot of different hats, and feel lucky that we've always enjoyed doing it, because now, that's what it takes to make a living making music."

This versatility extends to their performances. Marxer plays percussion, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, hammer dulcimer and a wide variety of hybrid banjos. Fink plays guitar, banjo, ukulele, fiddle and accordion.

"We're music players and we love to jam, to learn music the way it was played 100 years ago, and then do our own thing with it," said Fink. "That kind of versatility is part of the play and fun of it for us."

So when Fink and Marxer got ready to put together "Dancin' In the Kitchen: Songs for All Families," they tapped into their wide array of instruments and their vast knowledge of different styles of music to make each track on the album memorable and different.

"One of the delightful things about the genre 'kids and family' is that there really is no genre associated with it; the sky's the limit," said Fink. "What's important to us is that they're really authentic. We can celebrate diversity in a number of ways, and one way is to expose kids to different styles of music. We do this with the people who really make that music, and that's what makes it authentic."

The title song, "Dancin' in the Kitchen" was inspired by the parties and gatherings they've had where, even though there's a living room or even an entire house where people could gather, everyone always ends up in the kitchen. When they wanted to make this Cajun zydeco track, they went to Louisiana and worked with the Savoy Family Cajun Band, who has worked for years to revive traditional music in Louisiana. When they looked to add a Celtic track, they teamed up with the all-female Irish group Cherish the Ladies to write "Howdy Little Newlycome."

"It's the real deal for us: we are not faking it or hinting at it," said Fink. "We want kids to hear great, organically made music. And it needs to be a lot of fun, or kids won't listen to it."

The album deals with the idea of families in all their diverse iterations. Fink said that she loves it when messages of tolerance can come in through the back door of music. She points to the song, "Who's in Charge of Naming the Colors," as a way for biracial kids who aren't really 'black' or 'white' to understand themselves.

She looks at Sue Ennis' "Soccer Shoes" as a metaphor for children whose parents are divorced to understand that maybe they can't remember which household their things are in, but they know they're still loved. The songs can still resonate with kids in general, who misplace things all the time. The album is a way to open up conversations about these issues between kids and parents, and a way for kids to understand that their lives aren't so different from other kids.

"We think it's very important for every child to feel like they belong, and for every family to have a song that feels like it fits them," said Fink. "This is why we've partnered with HRC's Welcoming Schools program. The way we accept and embrace diversity is by approaching it from every place we possibly can. We need resources for teachers, parents and kids to set the example for the next generation. We want to build children who not only tolerate diversity, but embrace it."

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Children Youth and Families Program is partnering with the two to increase awareness about their music and celebrating the diversity of families.
Unlike rock musicians who tour to promote a new album, Fink and Marxer tour all the time, from arena venues to concerts at churches, community centers, libraries and festivals. They consider themselves very accessible musicians, and welcome requests to perform and do outreach. The duo also recently did a marathon concert broadcast live on the web, in which people can chime in to make requests or dedicate songs.

Other family oriented albums they have produced include "Help Yourself" (pre-school safety and self-esteem); Nobody Else Like Me" (celebrating racial, physical and cultural diversity); "Scat Like That" (connecting music and literacy); "Banjo to Beatbox" (a collaboration between folk music and hip hop) and "Sing to Your Baby" (a book and CD designed to empower parents to be the first singer their children hear and bond to).

If you're looking for music to share with your family, Fink and Marxer are a real one-stop shop.