Interview: Marissa Licata of MARISSA LICATA AND THE RAGTAG COLLECTION: STRINGS ON FIRE at Chelsea Table + Stage

The violin is, arguably, the most expressive of instruments. It can wail, it can sing, it can growl. The entire gamut of human emotions can pour forth from those strings, and from the musician who has mastered this most fascinating of musical instruments. When this instrument joins with other musicians and certain other instruments, the result can provide an audience with an entirely new aural experience with what is a new, or possibly unfamiliar musical vocabulary or style.

Marissa Licata is one of those violinists whose mastery of the strings has given her the opportunity to play in virtually every kind of orchestra or band. The New York-based Honduran-American virtuoso has sold out 3 shows at the legendary Birdland; She's played in musical theatre pit orchestras and, now, she's bringing the sound of World-Folk fusion to the stage with her all-star Ragtag Collection - a band of musicians with enviable resumes who are making their debut at Chelsea Table + Stage this Sunday, March 5, at 7 pm. This concert is also a celebration, as Marissa and the band will be releasing their first single: "Cat's Cradle."

I had the chance to sit and chat with Ms. Licata and discuss the novelty of bringing World-Folk fusion to the cabaret stage.

This article has been edited for length and clarity.

Thank you, Marissa, for chatting with me. Usually, I'm talking to singers, comedians, and the like. It's rare for me to talk with an instrumentalist. Tell me about how you'd describe an evening with you and the Ragtag Collection.

It's a fun show - very high-energy. We like to think that we are bringing something new, something eclectic with sounds from around the world. We meld styles and familiar melodies from classical, folk, Latin, jazz.

Your press release indicated that this is a return for you, but you have this show listed as a debut for the Ragtag Collection. Tell me what it is like to rehearse an already-established concert show with new musicians.

It's a lot of fun. It is a return, in one sense: a return to New York for me with the band. It's also a debut of sorts in that, with this band, we wanted to bring pieces of a sound to the collective material that we are doing. I've played Strings On Fire at Birdland and at different places across the country. I almost like to say that it's more of an attitude, rather than the set staying the same. Our attitude is we are a "burning band," whether that be really in-your-face, high energy, fast with rosin flying off the bow, or a little bit more mellow with an undercurrent that is simmering. We will play some of the same tunes, but we also have originals. We have originals inspired by Eastern-European music (which we really love). I think this band, coming together, we all had the same idea that we really wanted to bring elements of Eastern-European music, rhythms, and melodies that we love. We wanted to play a part in bringing that all together as a band. I think that's the biggest difference from my solo show, which has some of the same music, but it's less of a collective, I think.

So, with that in mind, how would you define the World-Folk fusion sound to the uninitiated?

It's a tricky question, but I would say it's a fiery sound and attitude. No matter if it's soft, fast or loud or slow, it demands a certain attention. There's something in each of our sounds that draws you in to listen. We describe it as a folkloric fusion. The name Ragtag Collection came from the fact that we come from such different backgrounds and from all over the world. It's in jest, but it's this kind of "a little here, a little there" we slap it all together. Of course, these are first-rate musicians, but it is a mix. We do folkloric styles from all over the world, and some improvisation as well. We have a conversation (in music)... it ends up being a conversation that is unique with this collection of musicians. That's how I'd describe Ragtag's sound.

Your Ragtag Collection has quite a resume.

Yes, they do. We have multiple Grammy-Winners and recording artists and producers Bob Lanzetti from Snarky Puppy on Guitar, Dan Oestreicher from Trombone Shorty on Saxophone, Nori Naraoka from Jon Batiste on Bass, and Joey Peebles from Trombone Shorty on Drums. I like to think that the pop and rock tours I have done also bring an element that is different from the traditional folk styles that we do.

Tell me about your new single that you'll be releasing at this concert: Cat's Cradle.

Cat's Cradle was originally written by our drummer, Joey Peebles, who is a multi-instrumentalist. He's best known for drumming, but he plays bass guitar and drums on this particular track. In writing it, this was one of his COVID projects - when we were all trying to figure out if we'd ever play together again in the same room. He said: "You know, I have your sound, I have our band's instrumentation's sound in my head. I'm just going to continue writing and, one day, we'll be able to do it." So this is really his conception. It was during the first big quarantine, he was kind of going a little insane in his room. So he was writing, and writing music for our band. It's a more mellow first introduction, I think, but I love that because that brings it to the band, rather than just a solo feature. It's very much a collaboration. Cat's Cradle is such an appropriate title because it has this lulling sound. It's a waltz. It's very relaxing and very calming. Yet, there's that element always waiting to burst out. This release is kind of a big deal for me because I've never released something where I'm a writer/publisher, so, in a sense, we are making this a mini-release party.

Did you write together, or do it on Zoom Calls? How did you manage to create together during the pandemic?

Some of the discussion was done on Zoom calls, except the finalizing of the writing. I am a co-writer on this track. Finally, just a few weeks ago, actually, we were able to bring the final touches. I added some of my ambient sound, always giving the hint of the violin being there. I would say that it does feature the violin, with the solo and the melody. We wanted to bring out the relaxedness of the rhythm. Sometimes a waltz can seem tame, and we knew we didn't want that. So when we got together to discuss this track, Joey and I knew that we wanted it to have drive, but not necessarily be too intense from the beginning in this initial release.

Tell me about your experiences with American Repertory Theatre. You played the initial productions of Jagged Little Pill and 1776.

My first experience with them was Jagged Little Pill. This was my first major experience with a Broadway-bound show and a show of that caliber.

Each one of these musicals has brought - especially Alanis' music, which was orchestrated - but it's brought my attention to hearing how the violin fits not only as a background instrument, how it can really manipulate how the vocals or the lead voice is heard. I really learned that, firstly, on Jagged Little Pill because of how the strings were brought out (on Alanis' original album). There were "string lines" that existed but they sort of "hovered," whereas they were really brought out in the musical theatre version of these songs. I loved it. I loved working with the actors, I loved (in the version at ART) I got the opportunity to be onstage, bring out some of the theatrical side of my performance. I've taken that part with me. When I'm onstage with my band - well, with anybody, but especially with this band - we're bringing our personalities to the stage: mine is definitely the high-energy "pusher." I love that we can each bring our sides of that. Through being onstage, and seeing actors and how they dialogue with one another, and how they interact with one another, I have learned a lot through just seeing that.

You've played on Symphonic stages, Orchestra pits, Concert halls: other than a concertmaster, how unusual is it for a violinist to be the front person for a band?

I think it's somewhat rare. It's not the typical bandleader instrument. That's what makes it all the more fun. I should also say that the band helps me to find my place within that role. I try to get feedback from the band. I want to do this really well and be someone everyone wants to work with. I want to have that on stage, as well. I believe it translates into our soloing, our trading, what we're saying to each other, and for the audience from the stage. I don't think it's typical for a violinist - a pure violinist with no vocals or other instruments... I don't know if there are any other bandleaders who are also violinists.

So you've kind of broken some ground.

I'd like to think so. I really have never thought of it that way, but now that I think about people who do exactly what I do, I think there's usually the element of another instrument, or they sing and accompany themselves, or something like that. I have made a conscious effort to be purely a violinist. I believe that my strength and convictions are there, with the violin.

You've never played Chelsea Table + Stage before: are you expecting a different experience as a musician?

This is a longer, narrower space than we are used to playing in, so the sound engineer will have to do some adjustments. For us, as long as we have the monitors and we can hear each other acoustically, our sound will remain intimate. We don't have a piano in this instrumentation, so I'm hoping that it makes us even more "snug," up there with one another, to find our sound. In every space, you hear differently. The trick is to find what you find in rehearsal, a real comfortable dialogue. We are brand-new to Chelsea Table + Stage and it's brand-new to New York, so I think there will be a lot of life there, just because of everyone's newness to the space. People can expect a very vibrant show. The band had a conversation about our sound. We want people to enjoy themselves, feel the rhythms, feel the music, however they experience it. We also want people to hear it and reflect, as they're enjoying the rhythms. We want the audience to think about how we achieved a certain sound or effect. Everyone's looking for that thing that makes their sound individual.

Thank you, Marissa for chatting with me and best of luck on your Chelsea Table + Stage debut!

Marissa Licata STRINGS ON FIRE plays Chelsea Table + Stage March 5th at 7 pm. The Chelsea Table + Stage website is accessible HERE.

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