‘Your music is brilliant, full of winds and messages of the soul! Excellent!’
Giogos Dimitriadis

‘The sensual, otherworldly soundscapes found on Mahri Autumn’s Ri-Solv reveal plenty about digital-era music-making: while the bulk of the album was crafted by Autumn in her Wollongong home studio, embellishments were added by Brian Siskind, in New York, without actually meeting the gifted Ms Autumn. He also mixed the album. And if it’s indeed possible to sound familiar yet new at the same time, Autumn has achieved just that, as she channels such timeless voices as Linda Thompson and Sandy Denny, while simultaneously nodding in the direction of 21st century free spirits Ani DiFranco and Sarah Blasko, amongst others.’

—Jeff Apter, author of A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley

mahri autumn is the project of multiinstrumentalist, singer songwriter and composer  Marianthe Loucataris.

The first album ri-solv was released March 2010.

The music defies boundaries.  Ambient New World.

It is a radical and natural integration of  my diverse cultural heritage and creative experience including indie rock, classical, folk, traditional Egyptian/world music and sound design.

Lush accordian drones,  ambient piano, Egyptian percussion, guitar, sounds & unearthly vocal harmonies.

The lyrics are melodic mantras embedded in complex rhythmic structures.

Love, death, transformation, gender, religion and politics laid bare.

Created largely on my own but with inspiration, sound additions,  mixing and mastering from New York based musician/producer Brian Siskind (FOGNODE)  via email, without a single “conversation”  (we met on myspace)

(Siskind has also worked with  Michael Schrieve (Santana), Bat for Lashes and Clare Burson)

Formed in the ether between the cultural frontier (Wollongong, Australia) and one of the centres of global culture (NYC). Over the past 12 months my in-box has held an unusual and wonderful fascination as mixes have one by one returned from Siskind in New York. In response new songs were written and recorded, inspired by the latest sounds and sonic explorations from Siskind.

I  have contributed broadly to the Australian arts scene through music, dance, theatre and cross artform work. My band work includes 4 years with J Walker and machine translations, including national and international touring, as well as countless bands in various roles.

I studied traditional Egyptian percussion with drum master Ibrahim el Minyawi in London. I continue to play and teach this intricate and beautiful form of rhythm. These rhythms inform the basis of my music. See www.drumming.mariantheloucataris.com for more info.

I have also worked extensively as musician/composer/performer for theatre, dance and multimedia work. I am currently working with the Mozaic Dance Co as composer/performer and dancer. I work as a Community Cultural Development worker and believe in the importance of the arts being used as a means of  creating and maintaining a healthy and meaningful human culture of peace, equality and beauty. I am currently working with young people in disadvantaged schools, at risk young people especially from non english speaking backgrounds, people suffering from mental illness, people with disabilities and the general community. For more information see www.mariantheloucataris.com

Short  listed for the APRA professional development awards in 2009.

Listed in a prominent music licensing library in the U.S.

Featured with my first video on the Metropolis ArtPrize on Babelgum.

Extensive airplay including ABC Radio National, community radio stations around the country and blogs internet radio all over the world.

See here for reviews:

230,000 hits on the you-tube channel.

I have been holed up in an unassuming suburban house, perched under the astounding Mt Keira, surrounded by exotic percussive instruments, permanently plugged into my Mac and obsessively watching my inbox for  too long.

It is  time to head out of the studio and offer ri-solv to the world  ; )

At home in just about any performance context including theatres, pubs, cafes and festivals : with an impressive performance history, with various lineups, including Woodford Folk Festival, The National Folk Festival, The Melbourne Fringe Festival and many a pub and community hall between Paris and Batemans Bay.

I am currently performing solo and with a revolving lineup of musicians The Chameleon Collective.

Selected GIGS

Illawarra Folk Festival

Viva La Gong Festival, Wollongong

Music @ The Creek Festival. Majors Creek NSW

Earth Festival Centennial Park, Sydney

Wombarra Bowlo, Wombarra

Choreographic Centre with Hilal Dancers Sarah Hamilton and Rachael Hilton, Canberra

The Grosvenor Hotel, Waterloo, Sydney

Wedding Gig | Kiama
(A wedding procession with drums and horns. A romantic accordian set and then an upbeat latin drum section with audience participation!)

with Machine Translations at Rydges CBD sports bar, Wollongong

The Ryans Hotel with BIG ERLE, Thirroul

Master Builders Club, Wollongong

Sidetrack Theatre- Featuring dance by The Mozaic Dance Co + music by The Chameleon Collective Marrickville, Sydney

Acoustic Lounge @ The Ryans with Paul Greene, Thirroul

Ryans Hotel with Big Snore Hammers & Big Erle , Thirroul

Acoustic Lounge @ Ryans Hotel suppporting Frencham Smith, Thirroul

Bulli Heritage Hotel with DONNY, Bulli

Headlands Hotel |Poetry Night 2, Austinmer Headland

Acoustic Lounge @ the Ryans Hotel, Thirroul

Mt Kembla Festival

Musicians and Singersongwriters, M.A.S.S hosted by Michael-John Azzopardi at St Andrews Church Hall, Balmain, Sydney