MarilynMusic

Listening to MarilynMusic, one hears everything from rock, to pop, R&B and jazz. The range of styles in this duo's musical catalog is almost as vast as the experience of the writers themselves.

Casey Conrad and Michael Gaines, the two men behind MarilynMusic each draw inspiration and knowledge from a lifetime spent in the music and entertainment industry that began in early childhood. Between the two of them they have worked in every aspect of the entertainment industry including television, film, theatre, and the performance of music. In recent years MarilynMusic has shifted their focus to composing and producing music.

Named after each of their mothers, (both of whom had long careers in music and dance,) MarilynMusic combines a passion for authentic music with today's pop audience sensibilities. The composing duo collaborates on every aspect of the music from the writing to the finished production. Both play on the recordings - Conrad on bass and drums and Gaines on guitar. They also rely on the best New York City musicians/singers all of whom have successful music careers on their own.

With decades of combined experience in both music, film and TV, MarilynMusic is well prepared to expertly execute any project from songs, to film, to commercial jingles. While they are both the products of a family whose roots are in the entertainment industry, they learned their trade the old fashioned way, by vigorously working with the goal of perfection in mind.


Meet Casey Conrad
Not many people can say that they were born and raised in an entertainment dynasty, but Casey Conrad is one of them. His mother, Mara Lynn, was a Hollywood actress, his godfather was Buddy Rich, and his babysitters included actress Lauren Bacall, singer Sammy Davis Jr., and boxer Joe Louis.

Conrad's mother, a professional actress, exposed him to music and started Conrad on the entertainment career path. He began studying acting, voice and tap dancing at age eight at the Charles Lowe studio and soon discovered the world of jazz. His godfather, Buddy Rich, one of the greatest and most prolific jazz drummers ever known, gave Conrad his first drum set at age 10 and inspired him to study jazz music. "Watching Buddy perform," says Conrad, "inspired me to play drums, so I spent the next few years listening to mostly jazz and classical music." His passion eventually led him to other genres like funk, rock, calypso, fusion and latin music, all of which appear in his current work as a composer.

Conrad attended the Bronx High School of Science, during which time he began having jam sessions at his home with world renowned bassist Anthony Jackson. After graduation, he went on to study music at North Texas State University, and returned to New York in 1974 where he secured a spot on the New York session scene, playing the drums for musicians, bands and composers like Bo Diddley, Carlos Franzetti, Ruben Blades, The Fania All-stars, Hector Lavoe, and Chaka Khan (with whom he developed a longstanding friendship), and countless others.

Conrad and fellow New Yorker and famed musician Wendell Stuart also performed together from the mid 1970's until Stuart's untimely death at the age of 45 over a decade later. One of their favorite places to play in New York was "The Front," but it was the Bahamas where they really caused a stir. Their calypso/reggae record "Freedom" was number one in the Bahamas for five years. The duo was so popular there, in fact, that every New Year's Eve, they returned to play for the Prime Minister, Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling. Conrad fondly refers to Stuart as "the Frank Sinatra of the Bahamas".

Conrad continued to do session work through the 1980's at which time the business began to falter as the age of computers arrived. This setback didn't stop him, however, as he saw it, in fact, as an opportunity to explore new musical possibilities, and began learning about this new technology that would soon revolutionize the music industry. He bought an Atari computer with MIDI capabilities and learned how to compose and sequence. He worked with computers and music production throughout the 1990's while simultaneously composing and developing new artists and bands. During this period, Conrad's music was featured in films like Paid In Full and Juror #8 among others.

Conrad's latest work is a collaboration with childhood friend Michael Gaines on an extensive catalogue of compositions and recordings. Conrad co-writes, produces and plays bass and drums on the recordings. While he lists Beethoven, Stravinsky, the Beatles, and Miles Davis among artists that he greatly admires, he's very clear that John Coltrane and Jimmy Hendrix are at the top of his list. "Hopefully, music will continue to evolve past where these giants have taken it."

So what kind of response do you get from someone who has worked in television, film, off Broadway productions, and music when you ask which he likes best and why? An honest one, as Conrad responded "I like writing music best. The nuances and challenges of writing and composing are maintaining authenticity even when having to create something that has to be competitive in today’s market." His compositions fully reflect that reality.

Conrad is also currently working with Serabee, a fantastic new talent who just signed to Universal Republic Records.
Meet Michael Gaines
Michael Gaines' entire family it seems, is or was involved in the music industry in one way or another. His mother was a New York jingle singer and contractor for over 30 years. She was Burt Bacharach's vocal director for many years, singing on all of his major recordings. His uncles were accomplished songwriters. Over the course of his life he has participated in practically every conceivable part of the entertainment industry.

He began studying dance at age five, performed at age seven at the Carnegie Recital Hall and attended the American School of Ballet appearing as the prince in the NYC Ballet production of the Nutcracker at twelve. He also performed in numerous television commercials, shows and voiceovers. Gaines' earliest memory of performing in a TV commercial was the first Kit Kat candy bar commercial ever aired. He was six. He also modeled for various magazines including Harper's Bazaar.

Gaines went on to study music and guitar through high school, then at North Texas State University and later at the Manhattan School of Music in 1973 and 1974. After school he followed his family to LA to try his hand in the film industry. He began as a production assistant at Chartoff/Winkler Films and worked on movies like Raging Bull, RockyII and The Right Stuff. Gaines moved up in the ranks securing a position as story editor for Howard Koch/Gene Kirkwood Productions working on "The Pope of Greenwich Village." He eventually began writing and selling his own film and TV projects to studios like Fox, Paramount and Warner Bros. Gaines recently co-produced the film "Wednesday Again" and is an Executive Producer of a pilot currently being set up both on the internet, and cable television.

During his career Gaines has worked with legendary talent like Merv Griffin, George Balanchine, Robert Deniro, Sly Stallone and many others. But despite his success in film and television, music was always his first calling. Addressing where his inspiration comes from, he says, "New York City is a place that's inspirational to me. There are more interesting things and people on one block in New York City than in a ten mile radius anywhere else."