I went to a church she went to from time to time in the 80s...really sweet and kind person...she loved people...Lone Justice was a great band...her energy onstage is second to none...super talented...and what an incredible voice ❤️
I did the interview. I dont think she was on drugs. She s just a very energetic and hyperactive person. She can get very excited about things that shes passionate about. In a positive way that is. Check her out here, 5 years or so before this. But same energy. I think she s fabulous. ruclips.net/video/rcl8xx5tPbc/видео.html
She's not on drugs. She has always been energetic and passionate as evidenced by her stage show. Any idiot that says otherwise doesn't know her or her music.
I worked with a guy who manages bands like these. I met her once backstage at a show at MSG and commented to him that she was high as a kite. He told me she absolutely did not do drugs and it's just her high energy personality. He was completely serious.
Maria McKee was way ahead of her time and I don't think the industry knew what to do because she was so talented and so unique. Shelter was and still is one of my all time favorite albums--every song still gives me chills. Her voice is so incredible how she belts out with the power of Ann Wilson singing Barracuda and yet she has this sweetness to her voice like Stevie Nick's original studio recording of Landslide. She's a fabulous songwriter, musician and performer with endless energy. I sure wish I could have seen her perform live. She has been an inspiration to me musically and I feel terrible how the music industry treated her. I have heard negative things about Jimmy Iovine from other artists and when I saw him on American Idol I got the impression he would be difficult to work with. Anyway, Maria is amazing--always has and always will be one of the best female rock musicians of all time. It's sad that people in the music industry ruin it for the rest of us--so many people would have embraced Lone Justice if they would have had a chance to know them.
Yes 🙌….. every word you’ve written is spot on !! Even my dear old Dad , who loved music 🎶 , watched her sing “Show Me Heaven “ on RUclips with me. He said “well there’s a girl that can hold a tune , what a beautiful , magnificent voice “!! My Dad was 85. And he knew his music. …. Rip Johnny Q., Maria , should of been recognised in the same league as EmmyLou , Bonnie Rait , Linda Rondstadt. She was just a talented & just so unique 💯🇦🇺♥️
I wish people would not judge her...don’t confuse high energy, passion, and talent for mania or drug use...go back in history...these are the folks that change the world!
"Can you give us an example?" And out of nowhere, she's playing and singing like she's possessed!! Amazing!! Can you imagine sitting in the room next door and hearing *that voice* through the walls?
She deserved much more success and fame, and she knows it. Must have been hard to see it all eventually pass her by. Such a talented young woman, on fire.
I think some people in the music industry failed this band miserably and what a loss because Maria was so dedicated to what she believe in, evident by her show stopping performances. I loved her music and would love to see her return.
Bands/musicians? They're just product. Product comes and goes in the record industry. if one product doesn't work according to expectation, it's on to the next. That's how it has always been.
Lone Justice was phenomenal before their album was released. They had this hillbilly cowboy punk thing going on that was really different than the Cramps or Tom Waits because Maria's voice was so piercing and twangy. Lone Justice shows were much more punk than the record was. The Geffen execs tried to turn Lone Justice into an Amy Grant MTV pop band which was just not who they were. Lone Justice shared space in the LA music scene with X and Los Lobos and the Blasters and the Cramps and blurred the lines between country and punk and rockabilly, it was an amazing time for music.
Saw this spitfire beauty wearing combat boots and a sundress strapped to a Fender Strat on a late night live music show back in 1983 and thought "what is this?" 2 years later I couldn't get enough of that powerful voice, those eyes, those blonde locks and Maria's force of nature physical presence on stage. Saw them in 85 open for U2 a couple of times and then thought "holy shit, this is THAT band!" Followed Maria ever since.
+Shadowlander 83 Same here. Saw her with Lone Justice when they opened for U2! I was entranced by her freak of nature voice and demeanor. I liked Lone Justice, and followed her solo career. I've seen her perform about four or five times. I have all of her albums. Maria is very unique; a force of nature!
@@robertstoico8012 Saw them on that same tour. I was already a fan before that, so I was so excited to see them. The audience was horrible. I never understand why people do this to opening acts. It doesn't bring the headliner on faster. If you don't want to see the opener, come in later. So I loved seeing them, but God I wish it had been in a club.
She's a great talent. Just give her a guitar and a mike and let her play. That impromptu song she played in the interview was better than anything the producers at Geffen cooked up in the studio.
That was not even a style of music I would usually like but she has such a natural talent and infectious enthusiasm I enjoyed it. So damned annoying that people in the biz feel they have to manipulate artists into something else. Go find someone like that and work with them instead - it isn't rocket science you morons. Hopefully Maria will make an autobiographic film about all of this one day.
Disagree. That Geffen S/T album is spectacularly good. Put that out a few years later (amidst Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan) and it hits bigger. But that adult/female rock thing hadn't quite happened yet when her first solo album appeared.
I went through years walking through how to do what I wanted in life...and Maria sang me through a lot of it. I was (and still am) absolutely in love with her voice...
great comment. I think iovine but not Geffen tried to help her as did little steven and mike Campbell of heartbreakers. this style and scene was years ahead. bono u2 among others were enamored. scene not integrated enough versus the other more populist trends on empty(mtv) tv. cant sell real soul like she has. cant.
Fame isnt what its cracked up to be , and i'd bet she is better off w/o it-sadly the world could have been blessed with sooo many more songs & performances by a True Super Blessed Talent-and that industry is reknowned for screwing people over !
I have seen Maria several times live on stage and she is one of the GREATEST singers and musicians I have ever witnessed! Everlasting songs and performances! SO MUCH LOVE!!!
Maria is wonderful 2 great albums with Lone Justice (and damn they are fine) Several great solo albums too ... listen to the music she's produced Not a waste at all; she's done brilliant work
She is a true talent...we used to own a record store back in the mid 80's here in Calgary, Canada and I bought her debut album when it came out here...unreal....she should have been much bigger because she is the real thing...what a voice....
She had a fantastic voice and I had the privilege of seeing her live at a small venue. The demise of this band shows just how corrosive the music industry is to young artists.
I listen to both albums weekly while working in the yard or garage. I can’t get enough. Wish there were more songs! Graduated HS in 1983 - great time to be alive. The new music was so great! Wish Maria and the band all the best. Wish you would get back together and hit the road!
Timing is everything and their self-titled 'Lone Justice' album was stylistically ahead of its time. Had they come out a few years later towards the end of the 80s when roots-rock 'Americana' by the likes of Bonnie Raitt had suddenly become popular, they might've gotten some traction with the music-buying public.
Completely agree - I posted this on the Shelter video page - This group unfortunately hit the scene about 8 years too early. If they released in 1994 or later, they may have ridden the country crossover wave that was starting with the Judds, Mary Chapin Carpenter, etc, which I think was also the top age of female country music. I was never a huge country fan, but these crossovers almost turned me. Anyway, it's too bad Lone Justice didn't go much further. I've combed through McKee's solo collection and I wasn't as impressed as I was with the Shelter album. One thing I think groups don't realize is that sometimes their differences and opposite inputs could lead to great outputs (music). Yet alone, the sound is incredibly singular and lacks dynamo.
What a powerful talent Maria McKee is! Just goes to show you how the "industry machine" can chew you up and spit you out! She kept her sanity and isn't a victim . Her solo work is filled with some "wow" stuff but she like any act needed support and fame is a fleeting thing if it doesn't kill you! I'll keep listening to your awesome voice Maria! And you've given us some great music that will outlast the crap produced today!
LOVED this band in the day! Still do. I totally remember seeing them in Philly and then on the street later and stopped and told her how much we loved her!
I think she could make a comeback today, even though the music business is screwed up more than ever, people love underdogs, people love comebacks & happy endings
Why do so many think she was high on coke? Could it be that she has a natural hyper personality,and is just a sharp, quick thinker and fast talker? I've never heard of her having any drug issues. She always seemed to have the smarts to be above all of that nonsense. I never got that vibe from her. I've followed her career from Lone Justice through her solo albums and I've attended many of her shows.
Zenbone65 she does look a bit jacked up on something here, but thats just the young Musicians Lifestyle, partying....notice how she threw right into that song, though...didnt miss a note or a beat even "high" as she was. Natural Talent, one in a million lifetimes that girl
+Zenbone65 Maria never had a drug problem, Like a number of great creative people, Maria has the quick wit, passion for her craft and memory reference that she often displayed during interviews... she was always a critics favorite and one of the great lost artists of all time.
+Zenbone65 I've always assumed this was Maria's natural state. If you watch any clip of her performing live, she's a complete spaz. So it doesn't surprise me she's hyped up here. in fact, I think this is pretty subdued for Maria. :-)
It's a shame because if Lone Justice were coming up today, they could have just stayed independent and not sold out. Everybody today acts like the streaming music era is so horrible and evil, but the fact of the matter is that artists today have a lot more artistic control because they can put their music out without signing some Faustian bargain with a big record company who will change what's great about a band to appeal to the masses.
Great interview Bram! I saw “Lone Justice” perform sometime in 1985 at a small venue in San Diego. Maria had the packed house at full attention for their entire set (I can’t even remember who the headliner was) and I recall thinking to myself “there is no way this gal isn’t going to be a huge star”. Well she was, is and always will be a goddess and a star. Unfortunately the “industry” part of music can really fuck things up bad and not letting Maria just be Maria was one of the biggest “fuck ups” in the history of the “Music Industry”. Had “Lone Justice” just been allowed to grow up a little over time, be “groomed” as they used to call it, Maria would be a household name. They can take someone with a voice like a Taylor Swift and turn her into a major star but they couldn’t take Maria McKee who possessed the pipes of an angel and turn her into gold? What a crime. I still think Maria’s version of her brothers song “Don’t toss us away” (written by her brother Brian Maclean of “Love” fame) is one of the prettiest ballads I’ve ever heard.
I remember that album. It had a cool laid-back, stylized feel for the 80's. I was 15 and loved it. Didn't realize that she was so incredibly talented and such a serious musician.
If they came out 10 years later during the country music explosion of the '90's they would have been huge. As it was, I was a huge fan when they came out in 1985 (freshman year of High School) and was totally in love with Maria McKee :)
me too. A friend dragged me to a posh record store on the Plaza in Kansas City and he bought the new Beastie Boys album that I hadn't heard anything off of yet called..... something or other their first album and I got Lone Justice and nobody I knew had ever heard them or of them and never did afterward either but I will never forget her voice.
This is going to sound ridiculous but you know since Blake Shelton is so f****** big back now with all of the country he's got so much damn money but he seems like a good guy Underneath It All oops no pun intended that was just an accidental reference to one of Gwen Stefani's best songs but I don't know I was just sitting here thinking about how he should produce her and bring her out now at this time when country is actually Crossing over in a lot of places musically and I'm assuming probably too much here but you know with such a hard and manipulating team of quote-unquote handlers in the beginning it's almost like PTSD is hard to know how to judge things after that and she might not have s*** tons of money to actually come back it's not like in the old days where just like Tom Petty talks about the last DJ you know it's the person with the most money that gets the most airplay that's just the way it is there's no taking your demo tape anymore and just making it straight on your talent it's all commercialized b******* but I would trust Blake Shelton with her career and just getting her off the ground again she's too incredible to just fade away unfortunately unless you would have really smart when she was 18 and invested her money wisely she probably doesn't have enough to buy her way back into the f****** business which is really sad that you have to do that nowadays
CEO: Funny you should say that---I always thought that too. Both Lone Justice and another country-punk rock band called Blood In The Saddle both should have been big, but it didn't happen for them---the latter group barely got any promotion at all.
Lived my 60 year old life putting up with the same uneducated comments. Some folk just have to put you in a box of sorts to try to understand, or just to drag you down. Bought both alone Justice albums upon release and thoroughly enjoyed this interview. Bugger the rest of them Maria, you just go your own way and try to be as happy as you can.
Maria, I have every CD you've released and love you utterly. When I saw this video I didn't think drugs. I envied your energy. Fuck the haters. This comment is bloody wonderful. Oh and by the way, fuck Bob Dylan, their mistake was not letting YOU write your songs.
Maria, I've enjoyed your music for many, many years. Your talent is awe-inspiring. I'm sorry to hear about the ADHD but I hope you are finding ways to cope with that. I hope that you see this and know that your music has found a welcome home in my heart and mind (as well as the hearts and minds of many others as well).
I've been a fan since "Ways To Be Wicked" first showed up on MTV, and Late December is her best album yet. She's one of America's greatest, yet underrated, talents.
She's absolutely nuts isn't she?! The first Lone Justice album was so good. I still play it on vinyl. Saw them live too and her solo, when she was living in Ireland. I really wish she was still around today in a major way. Her live performances were manic.
Sums up everything bad about the music industry. Fuckin shame they weren’t just left to get on with it. She was a true talent with a great voice. And you look at the shit that turns into icons these days. Tragic
What happened to Lone Justice? Simple... Imagine a Record Producer grabbing Greg and Duane Alman just six months after their first gig...and IMMEDIATELY pressuring them for that pop-catchy-smidge-of-blue-all-station-friendly "I'm no Angel" first...leaving Statesboro Blues, Whipping Post, One way Out, Rambling Man, etc. etc. behind forever in a vault, because its "too country" for "mass appeal"
Like in the liner notes of Zappa & The Mothers' first album, _Freak Out_ - "nillis prettii" (there's nothing pretty in there; we can't use it) - say the record label execs. Frank, being Frank, basically said F.U. to them, and went forth on his own. His own band, his own songs, his own label, his own gigs, ... And the whole music scene was enormously the richer for that decision. RIP, FZ, "musical bicyclist." So Maria, you're about the age Frank was when he succumbed, way too young, from prostate cancer (obviously no threat for you!); but you still have decades of life in you. Go for it, girl! Fred
The songs and her vocals on the debut are heavily country sounding, roots & rocking. And you say “catchy” like it’s a bad thing. That can just mean her lyrics and the music has some memorable hooks 🤠🎶
My dad says they show the problem with burning passion, that it sometimes consumes your very soul and that when it burns this strongly, it can't burn for long.
She not only sounded incredible, but when she was with LJ she gave everything in her live performances, just a few years later her performances became more subdued, which I guess would be expected with a solo act. The original LJ lineup was the best and the Vaught Tapes can attest to that. Speaking of the Vaught Tapes I just finished reading the liner notes and it seems pretty clear they were meant for something bigger, that is until they signed with Geffen. The original lineup appeared to be a Godsend, the original bass player and drummer left making room for Etzioni and Heffington and that led to the Vaught Studio and those Recordings. If you think about it they had everything they needed, but I guess they felt they needed to sign a contract with a big record label. Can you imagine the music we could’ve ended up if LJ wouldn’t have signed that contract, now if only McKee, Hedgecock, Etzioni, and Heffington would get back together. omnivorerecordings.com/shop/this-is-lone-justice/
So glad they contributed even what they did. One of my all time favourite bands. Well done Maria and I know there are many, many other popular songs you have written and contributed to. Many, many thanks.
One of a kind voice, one of a kind sound, one of a kind band. I was fortunate to see them once - opened for U2 (IIRC). After the concert, the next day I could not get to the record store (Strawberries) fast enough to buy the cassette tape. I think I may still have it, somewhere. Really sucks how they were treated by Geffin.
What a shame. I at least bought the first album, and it was wonderful. The band - at the very least -Maria - should have been huge. She still has of the most astonishing voices in music. Just incredible. The Talent practically flashes out of her fingertips. So beautiful, too. Nothing against Brittany Spears who is a fine entertainer, but she can’t even begin to compare to Maria. The music industry is so fucked up these days. You need not have talent in some cases - just a “look.” Someone else will write your songs, they’ll auto tune you & put out an album & voila! You’re a star. This doesn’t apply to every singer out there of course, but I can think of several for which it does. When you have this - this musical goddess named Maria McKee who needs none of that - she’s spectacular singing acoustic in a hotel room. Damn, life is unfair.
She may have been forced to write with certain people per mandates by corporate bosses, but God gave her brains and talent to do what He wanted her to do. God gave her the energy to perform on stage and say what He wanted to say.
In 1985, I was a junior in high school when Lone Justice started getting A LOT of attention through the release of the Jimmy Iovine-produced, Shelly Yakus engineered self-titled LP. At the time, it was heavily touted as the "next big thing." Music critics were going ga-ga over Maria McKee and her [clearly] astronomical vocal and stage talent, enough so that she was being hailed as the one to eclipse even Madonna, even though the only real similarities they both had was they both were named after Catholic dieties. Even so, Maria was clearly the real deal, the real talent who honed her stellar pipes playing live and listening to rock, country and the blues from an early age. I clearly remember buying the LP for the first time, checking out the album credits and thinking, "fucking Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's band is playing on this record----wow!" So, yeah, it WAS big deal! And it was clearly long before Jimmy Iovine eventually ended up running Interscope Records and ultimately becoming the co-founder of Beats. And as for those people who are commenting here about drug use? Hello! This is the RECORD BUSINESS IN THE 80'S!! Cocaine and the rest of her friends are about as common a staple as the deli and veggie platters at the breakroom in every recording studio in that era! And it wasn't necessarily the band and it's members who brought it there, but those bloodsucking record company people who saw Maria as nothing but a giant Brinks truck money bag!
@@northernmuse9 Well said, I think Maria is more of antidote to drugs. Pure natural talent that is if they didn't finally manage to screw her up, I hope not.
I always liked Lone Justice and her later solo records but it did feel like there was something more that was being held back.... and that impromptu bit of song right at the beginning of this, wow! So much more raw and real.
'Million young poets Screamin' out their words To a world full of people Just livin' to be heard Future generations Ridin' on the highways that we built I hope, that they have better understanding'- John Mellencamp Someday-Someway ----future generations are going to understand what a colossal artist she was...
Hard to figure how the music industry machine did make a star out of Patty Smythe..and Maria had TWICE the voice...and she was beautiful...the music beast is fickle
nikkisman: To be fair, Patty Smythe was a very good singer in her own right, and decided to leave the business after her second or third album. It's cool to hear in McKee's own words why the band broke up, because I never understood why they didn't blow up, either---especially with her as lead singer, because she had a hell of a voice. My impression was that the band sounded too country for the rock 'n roll stations, and too rock 'n roll for the country stations. Apparently, I was wrong, lol.
Their first album is to me one of the best albums of the 1980s. Why the band didn't find much of an audience? Probably they were too hip for country listeners, while the hip rock crowd where they might have found an audience, wasn't terribly interested in country-rock in the 1980s.
I had a big ol' thing for Maria McKee back then. If there's anything good that's come out of the collapse of the music industry model, it's the fact that a lot of what she's talking about here is OVER and is never coming back again. Great live footage of the band!!
I'm in England and have just discovered this Band they are sensational,seems they are no more,what a great pity,Maria has to be the best female rock singer ever,we certainly have no one like her in England,
Robert, Lone Justice was a PHENOMENAL band, and it is truly sad that they did not all get the acclaim they truly deserved. I would also point out: Phantom, Rocker, and Slick. To me, Lone Justice and Phantom, Rocker and Slick should have been a natural double-bill with some shared performances, and some collaborations on multiple albums. Neither band got the recognition nor fame they truly deserved. Sad, really, because SO much talent was there in BOTH bands. I have every tune either band ever recorded, and my music collection would not be complete without ALL their music.
B Ropous Many thanks for Marie McKee . Documentary,seems like the group were a bit self-destructive.I'm a great fan of the' Who' and ' Paul Weller' Decent female Rock Singers don't seem to excist in England.Viewed Phantom Rocker and Slick now,very impressed,all the best,Bob
Incredible. She had something of the dynamic Cyndi Lauper about her in that period 84-86. What energy levels! and frenetic performance style! But she had changed by 1990 when she sang Show Me Heaven in that mature power balad style and never went back (unlike Cyndi). Also - messed with by the music business but got that second chance. How did she get that oportunity, resulting in a total change of style?
Talk about being before their time...the world (well, the US -- Europe was) wasn't ready for Lone Justice in the mid-80s; if they'd come out say within the last ten years, they'd win every music award out there.
I am not understanding why Lone Justice didn't last longer because i listen to Shelter a Sweet sweet baby to this day many times every week and i share it with the world blasting it loud on my JBL flip 5 bluetooth speaker every where.
Saw them open for U2 in the late 80's (? all a smidge fuzzy, lol). Loved them just from their album but seeing her and the band live was mind blowing!!!!! Miss you much, Lone Justice!!!
I'm 46 and have never heard of Lone Justice. I guess that would be the same as most Americans never hearing of some of our Canadian bands who didn't make it big. Anyway, I heard a song from them on Coasttocoast tonight and fell in love with Maria's voice. I'm sure glad George mentioned who was singing the song otherwise I still would be in the dark about Lone Justice.
Well, I'm 65 & I HAVE heard of LONE JUSTICE. No one has a voice that can replicate hers. So strong, gritty, & pure. Whatever happened to her is a waste & sad. Wish we were still blessed listening to her "gift".
I hadn't heard of Lone Justice but was wondering why Maria McKee hadn't made an album in such a long time that brought me to this excellent interview. Maybe she is just focussed on film making these days but it would be great to see somebody so natural make a comeback.
A rare talent. Genuinely talented musicians especially women rarely get the exposure and record deals they deserve. Music has been manufactured shite for a long time. Last ones I can remember are KT Tunstall and Amy Mcdonald
She's just a wonderful, bat-shit crazy, amazing lady. Loved her music since the very first single and ever since, and she still has the ability to send shivers down my spine, even on youtube at 240p ;) Thanks for everything Maria.
I went to a church she went to from time to time in the 80s...really sweet and kind person...she loved people...Lone Justice was a great band...her energy onstage is second to none...super talented...and what an incredible voice ❤️
I did the interview. I dont think she was on drugs. She s just a very energetic and hyperactive person. She can get very excited about things that shes passionate about. In a positive way that is. Check her out here, 5 years or so before this. But same energy. I think she s fabulous. ruclips.net/video/rcl8xx5tPbc/видео.html
She's not on drugs. She has always been energetic and passionate as evidenced by her stage show. Any idiot that says otherwise doesn't know her or her music.
And if i want to put a big smile on my face...i watch "i found love" performance
I worked with a guy who manages bands like these. I met her once backstage at a show at MSG and commented to him that she was high as a kite. He told me she absolutely did not do drugs and it's just her high energy personality. He was completely serious.
She's been diagnosed as bipolar and this is just clearly a manic episode. A very difficult illness.
bram van splunteren - you lucky bastard!
Maria McKee was way ahead of her time and I don't think the industry knew what to do because she was so talented and so unique. Shelter was and still is one of my all time favorite albums--every song still gives me chills. Her voice is so incredible how she belts out with the power of Ann Wilson singing Barracuda and yet she has this sweetness to her voice like Stevie Nick's original studio recording of Landslide. She's a fabulous songwriter, musician and performer with endless energy. I sure wish I could have seen her perform live. She has been an inspiration to me musically and I feel terrible how the music industry treated her. I have heard negative things about Jimmy Iovine from other artists and when I saw him on American Idol I got the impression he would be difficult to work with. Anyway, Maria is amazing--always has and always will be one of the best female rock musicians of all time. It's sad that people in the music industry ruin it for the rest of us--so many people would have embraced Lone Justice if they would have had a chance to know them.
Yes 🙌….. every word you’ve written is spot on !!
Even my dear old Dad , who loved music 🎶 , watched her sing “Show Me Heaven “ on RUclips with me.
He said “well there’s a girl that can hold a tune , what a beautiful , magnificent voice “!! My Dad was 85. And he knew his music. …. Rip Johnny Q.,
Maria , should of been recognised in the same league as EmmyLou , Bonnie Rait , Linda Rondstadt. She was just a talented & just so unique 💯🇦🇺♥️
I wish people would not judge her...don’t confuse high energy, passion, and talent for mania or drug use...go back in history...these are the folks that change the world!
This woman is a genius, if I ever make Desert Island Discs - Dixie Storms will be my first spin.
Only a fool would say that.
"Can you give us an example?" And out of nowhere, she's playing and singing like she's possessed!! Amazing!! Can you imagine sitting in the room next door and hearing *that voice* through the walls?
She deserved much more success and fame, and she knows it. Must have been hard to see it all eventually pass her by. Such a talented young woman, on fire.
….she was the real deal. TRUE to herself. Music running thru her veins. 🎸🎼
Totally agree. Totally talented and the industry didn't appreciate her. She had some success but not what I ever imagined she should have achieved.
Their performance on SNL in 1986 when William Shatner hosted is still one of my favorite live performances by any band ever.
I think some people in the music industry failed this band miserably and what a loss because Maria was so dedicated to what she believe in, evident by her show stopping performances. I loved her music and would love to see her return.
I agree! The breakup of her band happened about 10 years after the breakup of Scandal. The situations were similar! The industry failed BOTH bands.
She's still around, making music and movies
To this day Can't Pull The Wool Down is in my top 10 favourite songs
It's never to late, I think she should try again, I'd buy a new album from her.
Bands/musicians? They're just product. Product comes and goes in the record industry. if one product doesn't work according to expectation, it's on to the next. That's how it has always been.
Lone Justice was phenomenal before their album was released. They had this hillbilly cowboy punk thing going on that was really different than the Cramps or Tom Waits because Maria's voice was so piercing and twangy. Lone Justice shows were much more punk than the record was. The Geffen execs tried to turn Lone Justice into an Amy Grant MTV pop band which was just not who they were. Lone Justice shared space in the LA music scene with X and Los Lobos and the Blasters and the Cramps and blurred the lines between country and punk and rockabilly, it was an amazing time for music.
Saw this spitfire beauty wearing combat boots and a sundress strapped to a Fender Strat on a late night live music show back in 1983 and thought "what is this?" 2 years later I couldn't get enough of that powerful voice, those eyes, those blonde locks and Maria's force of nature physical presence on stage. Saw them in 85 open for U2 a couple of times and then thought "holy shit, this is THAT band!" Followed Maria ever since.
+Shadowlander 83 Same here. Saw her with Lone Justice when they opened for U2! I was entranced by her freak of nature voice and demeanor. I liked Lone Justice, and followed her solo career. I've seen her perform about four or five times. I have all of her albums. Maria is very unique; a force of nature!
@@robertstoico8012 Saw them on that same tour. I was already a fan before that, so I was so excited to see them. The audience was horrible. I never understand why people do this to opening acts. It doesn't bring the headliner on faster. If you don't want to see the opener, come in later. So I loved seeing them, but God I wish it had been in a club.
She's a great talent. Just give her a guitar and a mike and let her play. That impromptu song she played in the interview was better than anything the producers at Geffen cooked up in the studio.
Was just thinking the exact same thing. That song is gorgeous, and I love the stripped down sound.
That was not even a style of music I would usually like but she has such a natural talent and infectious enthusiasm I enjoyed it.
So damned annoying that people in the biz feel they have to manipulate artists into something else. Go find someone like that and work with them instead - it isn't rocket science you morons.
Hopefully Maria will make an autobiographic film about all of this one day.
Disagree. That Geffen S/T album is spectacularly good. Put that out a few years later (amidst Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan) and it hits bigger. But that adult/female rock thing hadn't quite happened yet when her first solo album appeared.
I went through years walking through how to do what I wanted in life...and Maria sang me through a lot of it. I was (and still am) absolutely in love with her voice...
A perfect example of how the music biz kills music.
great comment. I think iovine but not Geffen tried to help her as did little steven and mike Campbell of heartbreakers. this style and scene was years ahead. bono u2 among others were enamored. scene not integrated enough versus the other more populist trends on empty(mtv) tv. cant sell real soul like she has. cant.
She let her lesbian lifestyle get in the way of her music!
She is so talented, it's a shame Lone Justice didn't achieve the fame they so much deserved.
Fame isnt what its cracked up to be , and i'd bet she is better off w/o it-sadly the world could have been blessed with sooo many more songs & performances by a True Super Blessed Talent-and that industry is reknowned for screwing people over !
I have seen Maria several times live on stage and she is one of the GREATEST singers and musicians I have ever witnessed! Everlasting songs and performances! SO MUCH LOVE!!!
One of the more talented artists of all time and a classic example of how sometimes talent doesn't get appreciated.
Maria is wonderful
2 great albums with Lone Justice (and damn they are fine)
Several great solo albums too ... listen to the music she's produced
Not a waste at all; she's done brilliant work
She is a true talent...we used to own a record store back in the mid 80's here in Calgary, Canada and I bought her debut album when it came out here...unreal....she should have been much bigger because she is the real thing...what a voice....
She's the real deal - killer voice! Ka-POW! performance every time! Colossol talent, that Maria - she should have been huge!
She had a fantastic voice and I had the privilege of seeing her live at a small venue. The demise of this band shows just how corrosive the music industry is to young artists.
I listen to both albums weekly while working in the yard or garage. I can’t get enough. Wish there were more songs! Graduated HS in 1983 - great time to be alive. The new music was so great! Wish Maria and the band all the best. Wish you would get back together and hit the road!
Timing is everything and their self-titled 'Lone Justice' album was stylistically ahead of its time. Had they come out a few years later towards the end of the 80s when roots-rock 'Americana' by the likes of Bonnie Raitt had suddenly become popular, they might've gotten some traction with the music-buying public.
Agreed. I just wrote she was too early and then too late to really emerge. 👍
@@InstantKaarma so true. Such a talent. She should have been a legend now.
Completely agree - I posted this on the Shelter video page - This group unfortunately hit the scene about 8 years too early. If they released in 1994 or later, they may have ridden the country crossover wave that was starting with the Judds, Mary Chapin Carpenter, etc, which I think was also the top age of female country music. I was never a huge country fan, but these crossovers almost turned me. Anyway, it's too bad Lone Justice didn't go much further. I've combed through McKee's solo collection and I wasn't as impressed as I was with the Shelter album. One thing I think groups don't realize is that sometimes their differences and opposite inputs could lead to great outputs (music). Yet alone, the sound is incredibly singular and lacks dynamo.
That little lady can sing, not only as a lead vocal but in the background too, I cry every time I hear her with Steve Earle, on Nothing but a Child
What a powerful talent Maria McKee is! Just goes to show you how the "industry machine" can chew you up and spit you out! She kept her sanity and isn't a victim . Her solo work is filled with some "wow" stuff but she like any act needed support and fame is a fleeting thing if it doesn't kill you! I'll keep listening to your awesome voice Maria! And you've given us some great music that will outlast the crap produced today!
I love her vocal style. She can really fly between chest and head registers ;D Whoooo!!!
LOVED this band in the day! Still do. I totally remember seeing them in Philly and then on the street later and stopped and told her how much we loved her!
I think she could make a comeback today, even though the music business is screwed up more than ever, people love underdogs, people love comebacks & happy endings
It's one of my favorite musical hotelroom interviews, especially when she does rattlesnake mama of course
And breaks her pick when recounting difficult times...
This IS my favourite interview of a musician
Genaro Flores thnx! Where you from?
One of my favorite singers and band of all times lone justice’s was playing in a record store I was at and just had to buy it so awesome.
Why do so many think she was high on coke? Could it be that she has a natural hyper personality,and is just a sharp, quick thinker and fast talker? I've never heard of her having any drug issues. She always seemed to have the smarts to be above all of that nonsense. I never got that vibe from her. I've followed her career from Lone Justice through her solo albums and I've attended many of her shows.
Zenbone65 she does look a bit jacked up on something here, but thats just the young Musicians Lifestyle, partying....notice how she threw right into that song, though...didnt miss a note or a beat even "high" as she was. Natural Talent, one in a million lifetimes that girl
+Zenbone65 I get this all the time as well. I'm so up everyone assumes I'm on something.
+Zenbone65 seems like ADHD to me. Or just being a genius. Very expressive.
+Zenbone65 Maria never had a drug problem, Like a number of great creative people, Maria has the quick wit, passion for her craft and memory reference that she often displayed during interviews... she was always a critics favorite and one of the great lost artists of all time.
+Zenbone65 I've always assumed this was Maria's natural state. If you watch any clip of her performing live, she's a complete spaz. So it doesn't surprise me she's hyped up here. in fact, I think this is pretty subdued for Maria. :-)
She's from LA as in Los Angeles. But I would have thought Louisiana judging by that first performance. Amazingly authentic.
Never seen this before. She's so awesome. Love her music in all her differente styles.
You could have been huge but the wrong people steered you. It is criminal. Awesome voice and the energy OMG!
Yep. They turned them away from what they loved and what worked. Sad.
It's a shame because if Lone Justice were coming up today, they could have just stayed independent and not sold out. Everybody today acts like the streaming music era is so horrible and evil, but the fact of the matter is that artists today have a lot more artistic control because they can put their music out without signing some Faustian bargain with a big record company who will change what's great about a band to appeal to the masses.
Great interview Bram! I saw “Lone Justice” perform sometime in 1985 at a small venue in San Diego. Maria had the packed house at full attention for their entire set (I can’t even remember who the headliner was) and I recall thinking to myself “there is no way this gal isn’t going to be a huge star”. Well she was, is and always will be a goddess and a star. Unfortunately the “industry” part of music can really fuck things up bad and not letting Maria just be Maria was one of the biggest “fuck ups” in the history of the “Music Industry”. Had “Lone Justice” just been allowed to grow up a little over time, be “groomed” as they used to call it, Maria would be a household name. They can take someone with a voice like a Taylor Swift and turn her into a major star but they couldn’t take Maria McKee who possessed the pipes of an angel and turn her into gold? What a crime. I still think Maria’s version of her brothers song “Don’t toss us away” (written by her brother Brian Maclean of “Love” fame) is one of the prettiest ballads I’ve ever heard.
Droo Phus hi Droo great song ‘dont toss us away’ in Maria s version. Just listened to it. Thnx!
Ron Eliot from the Beau Brummels said " The music industry is run by tone-deaf shoe salesman."
Loved Lone Justice, she has such a powerful voice.
I remember that album. It had a cool laid-back, stylized feel for the 80's. I was 15 and loved it. Didn't realize that she was so incredibly talented and such a serious musician.
Was a huge fan back in the day. Had all her albums. Really great talent.
still love her - have both albums..they´re two diamonds in my album collection
If they came out 10 years later during the country music explosion of the '90's they would have been huge. As it was, I was a huge fan when they came out in 1985 (freshman year of High School) and was totally in love with Maria McKee :)
me too. A friend dragged me to a posh record store on the Plaza in Kansas City and he bought the new Beastie Boys album that I hadn't heard anything off of yet called..... something or other their first album and I got Lone Justice and nobody I knew had ever heard them or of them and never did afterward either but I will never forget her voice.
I was a freshman that year too. Bought the cassette immediately. Flat-out incredible.
@@hunior89 -was an instant buy for me too.
This is going to sound ridiculous but you know since Blake Shelton is so f****** big back now with all of the country he's got so much damn money but he seems like a good guy Underneath It All oops no pun intended that was just an accidental reference to one of Gwen Stefani's best songs but I don't know I was just sitting here thinking about how he should produce her and bring her out now at this time when country is actually Crossing over in a lot of places musically and I'm assuming probably too much here but you know with such a hard and manipulating team of quote-unquote handlers in the beginning it's almost like PTSD is hard to know how to judge things after that and she might not have s*** tons of money to actually come back it's not like in the old days where just like Tom Petty talks about the last DJ you know it's the person with the most money that gets the most airplay that's just the way it is there's no taking your demo tape anymore and just making it straight on your talent it's all commercialized b******* but I would trust Blake Shelton with her career and just getting her off the ground again she's too incredible to just fade away unfortunately unless you would have really smart when she was 18 and invested her money wisely she probably doesn't have enough to buy her way back into the f****** business which is really sad that you have to do that nowadays
CEO:
Funny you should say that---I always thought that too. Both Lone Justice and another country-punk rock band called Blood In The Saddle both should have been big, but it didn't happen for them---the latter group barely got any promotion at all.
They may not have had a "hit" record, but I wore that Shelter cassette out. The whole album struck a chord with me. Saw me through many lonely nights.
I am outspoken about my ADHD. You should know better now then to assume someone with a disability is on drugs. Do better.
Lived my 60 year old life putting up with the same uneducated comments. Some folk just have to put you in a box of sorts to try to understand, or just to drag you down. Bought both alone Justice albums upon release and thoroughly enjoyed this interview. Bugger the rest of them Maria, you just go your own way and try to be as happy as you can.
Don’t let anyone put you down or try to stereotype you.I think you are an exceptional talent with a vibrant and electrifying individuality.
Maria, I have every CD you've released and love you utterly. When I saw this video I didn't think drugs. I envied your energy. Fuck the haters. This comment is bloody wonderful. Oh and by the way, fuck Bob Dylan, their mistake was not letting YOU write your songs.
Maria, I've enjoyed your music for many, many years. Your talent is awe-inspiring. I'm sorry to hear about the ADHD but I hope you are finding ways to cope with that. I hope that you see this and know that your music has found a welcome home in my heart and mind (as well as the hearts and minds of many others as well).
It is great to see someone as yourself who has certain challenges turn around and succeed. It is an inspiration to others.
I've been a fan since "Ways To Be Wicked" first showed up on MTV, and Late December is her best album yet. She's one of America's greatest, yet underrated, talents.
She's absolutely nuts isn't she?! The first Lone Justice album was so good. I still play it on vinyl. Saw them live too and her solo, when she was living in Ireland. I really wish she was still around today in a major way. Her live performances were manic.
Loved Maria McKee and Lone Justice. What an incredible voice. Seemed like they were gone in a flash.
Sums up everything bad about the music industry. Fuckin shame they weren’t just left to get on with it. She was a true talent with a great voice. And you look at the shit that turns into icons these days. Tragic
One of the real deal honest heartfelt out there voices ever. Tingle factor honest - moves me.
What happened to Lone Justice? Simple...
Imagine a Record Producer grabbing Greg and Duane Alman just six months after their first gig...and IMMEDIATELY pressuring them for that pop-catchy-smidge-of-blue-all-station-friendly "I'm no Angel" first...leaving Statesboro Blues, Whipping Post, One way Out, Rambling Man, etc. etc. behind forever in a vault, because its "too country" for "mass appeal"
Red dress
Like in the liner notes of Zappa & The Mothers' first album, _Freak Out_ - "nillis prettii" (there's nothing pretty in there; we can't use it) - say the record label execs.
Frank, being Frank, basically said F.U. to them, and went forth on his own. His own band, his own songs, his own label, his own gigs, ...
And the whole music scene was enormously the richer for that decision.
RIP, FZ, "musical bicyclist."
So Maria, you're about the age Frank was when he succumbed, way too young, from prostate cancer (obviously no threat for you!); but you still have decades of life in you.
Go for it, girl!
Fred
The songs and her vocals on the debut are heavily country sounding, roots & rocking. And you say “catchy” like it’s a bad thing. That can just mean her lyrics and the music has some memorable hooks 🤠🎶
I miss the raw raw sound and the perfection of her voice
She had the voice, the lung power, the energy. I had a cassette of her music and commonly had her music in my cassette deck in the 80s.
She HAS ...
My dad says they show the problem with burning passion, that it sometimes consumes your very soul and that when it burns this strongly, it can't burn for long.
She not only sounded incredible, but when she was with LJ she gave everything in her live performances, just a few years later her performances became more subdued, which I guess would be expected with a solo act. The original LJ lineup was the best and the Vaught Tapes can attest to that. Speaking of the Vaught Tapes I just finished reading the liner notes and it seems pretty clear they were meant for something bigger, that is until they signed with Geffen. The original lineup appeared to be a Godsend, the original bass player and drummer left making room for Etzioni and Heffington and that led to the Vaught Studio and those Recordings. If you think about it they had everything they needed, but I guess they felt they needed to sign a contract with a big record label. Can you imagine the music we could’ve ended up if LJ wouldn’t have signed that contract, now if only McKee, Hedgecock, Etzioni, and Heffington would get back together.
omnivorerecordings.com/shop/this-is-lone-justice/
Beautiful Band Maria ♥... Miss You Babe!
She was powerful onstage too and i had a huge crush on her back then
Highly reminiscent ofthe young Grace Slick!
So glad they contributed even what they did. One of my all time favourite bands. Well done Maria and I know there are many, many other popular songs you have written and contributed to. Many, many thanks.
I bought the albums and I came to the gigs... thanks I loved you :)
One of a kind voice, one of a kind sound, one of a kind band. I was fortunate to see them once - opened for U2 (IIRC). After the concert, the next day I could not get to the record store (Strawberries) fast enough to buy the cassette tape. I think I may still have it, somewhere. Really sucks how they were treated by Geffin.
What a shame. I at least bought the first album, and it was wonderful. The band - at the very least -Maria - should have been huge. She still has of the most astonishing voices in music. Just incredible. The Talent practically flashes out of her fingertips. So beautiful, too. Nothing against Brittany Spears who is a fine entertainer, but she can’t even begin to compare to Maria. The music industry is so fucked up these days. You need not have talent in some cases - just a “look.” Someone else will write your songs, they’ll auto tune you & put out an album & voila! You’re a star. This doesn’t apply to every singer out there of course, but I can think of several for which it does. When you have this - this musical goddess named Maria McKee who needs none of that - she’s spectacular singing acoustic in a hotel room. Damn, life is unfair.
she was so beautiful in that white red flower dress back in the day while performing. soap soup salvation...
She sings and plays like she means it!
Jimmy Iovine is the hit maker...and he say it too. The woman is amazing!!! what a set of pipes - go girl!!!
She may have been forced to write with certain people per mandates by corporate bosses, but God gave her brains and talent to do what He wanted her to do. God gave her the energy to perform on stage and say what He wanted to say.
In 1985, I was a junior in high school when Lone Justice started getting A LOT of attention through the release of the Jimmy Iovine-produced, Shelly Yakus engineered self-titled LP. At the time, it was heavily touted as the "next big thing." Music critics were going ga-ga over Maria McKee and her [clearly] astronomical vocal and stage talent, enough so that she was being hailed as the one to eclipse even Madonna, even though the only real similarities they both had was they both were named after Catholic dieties.
Even so, Maria was clearly the real deal, the real talent who honed her stellar pipes playing live and listening to rock, country and the blues from an early age. I clearly remember buying the LP for the first time, checking out the album credits and thinking, "fucking Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's band is playing on this record----wow!" So, yeah, it WAS big deal! And it was clearly long before Jimmy Iovine eventually ended up running Interscope Records and ultimately becoming the co-founder of Beats.
And as for those people who are commenting here about drug use? Hello! This is the RECORD BUSINESS IN THE 80'S!! Cocaine and the rest of her friends are about as common a staple as the deli and veggie platters at the breakroom in every recording studio in that era! And it wasn't necessarily the band and it's members who brought it there, but those bloodsucking record company people who saw Maria as nothing but a giant Brinks truck money bag!
+JimmBailey Still doesn't mean the energy she shows here has anything to do with being on coke or anything else.
@@northernmuse9 Well said, I think Maria is more of antidote to drugs. Pure natural talent that is if they didn't finally manage to screw her up, I hope not.
Bram, so great. Thanks. PLEASE post the rest of this!
I always liked Lone Justice and her later solo records but it did feel like there was something more that was being held back.... and that impromptu bit of song right at the beginning of this, wow! So much more raw and real.
'Million young poets
Screamin' out their words
To a world full of people
Just livin' to be heard
Future generations
Ridin' on the highways that we built
I hope, that they have better understanding'- John Mellencamp
Someday-Someway ----future generations are going to understand what a colossal artist she was...
I have loved Maria McKee since that first amazing record. Voice, writing, and those eyes…sublime
Love her energy and music. Sad record companies wouldn't let her be herself.
I wore out my lone justice album when it came out. She was/is just so fantastic.
I had the cassette
This is wonderful, Bram. Is the full program available somewhere?
Hard to figure how the music industry machine did make a star out of Patty Smythe..and Maria had TWICE the voice...and she was beautiful...the music beast is fickle
nikkisman:
To be fair, Patty Smythe was a very good singer in her own right, and decided to leave the business after her second or third album. It's cool to hear in McKee's own words why the band broke up, because I never understood why they didn't blow up, either---especially with her as lead singer, because she had a hell of a voice. My impression was that the band sounded too country for the rock 'n roll stations, and too rock 'n roll for the country stations. Apparently, I was wrong, lol.
Have always been in love with Maria. Still am! Conviction and confidence personified!
Their first album is to me one of the best albums of the 1980s. Why the band didn't find much of an audience? Probably they were too hip for country listeners, while the hip rock crowd where they might have found an audience, wasn't terribly interested in country-rock in the 1980s.
I had a big ol' thing for Maria McKee back then.
If there's anything good that's come out of the collapse of the music industry model, it's the fact that a lot of what she's talking about here is OVER and is never coming back again.
Great live footage of the band!!
my goodness... loved Lone Justice and was heartbroken at their quick demise
I'm in England and have just discovered this Band they are sensational,seems they are no more,what a great pity,Maria has to be the best female rock singer ever,we certainly have no one like her in England,
Robert, Lone Justice was a PHENOMENAL band, and it is truly sad that they did not all get the acclaim they truly deserved. I would also point out: Phantom, Rocker, and Slick. To me, Lone Justice and Phantom, Rocker and Slick should have been a natural double-bill with some shared performances, and some collaborations on multiple albums. Neither band got the recognition nor fame they truly deserved. Sad, really, because SO much talent was there in BOTH bands. I have every tune either band ever recorded, and my music collection would not be complete without ALL their music.
B Ropous Many thanks for Marie McKee . Documentary,seems like the group were a bit self-destructive.I'm a great fan of the' Who' and ' Paul Weller' Decent female Rock Singers don't seem to excist in England.Viewed Phantom Rocker and Slick now,very impressed,all the best,Bob
Loved her!! So much talent
Neighbor across the motel wall is like, "IT'S 3 FREAKIN A.M AND I HAVE AN EARLY MEETING!!"
Then Maria whipped that ass with song
Incredible. She had something of the dynamic Cyndi Lauper about her in that period 84-86. What energy levels! and frenetic performance style! But she had changed by 1990 when she sang Show Me Heaven in that mature power balad style and never went back (unlike Cyndi). Also - messed with by the music business but got that second chance. How did she get that oportunity, resulting in a total change of style?
She is bubbly & full of energy, not induced by liquids or chemicals.
How do you know?
Such a shame -- that band was one of a kind . . .
Great Job Bram,
All Maria fans will appreciate this
Talk about being before their time...the world (well, the US -- Europe was) wasn't ready for Lone Justice in the mid-80s; if they'd come out say within the last ten years, they'd win every music award out there.
I am not understanding why Lone Justice didn't last longer because i listen to Shelter a Sweet sweet baby to this day many times every week and i share it with the world blasting it loud on my JBL flip 5 bluetooth speaker every where.
Saw them open for U2 in the late 80's (? all a smidge fuzzy, lol). Loved them just from their album but seeing her and the band live was mind blowing!!!!! Miss you much, Lone Justice!!!
It's great to hear Maria's and the Band's story!
I'm 46 and have never heard of Lone Justice. I guess that would be the same as most Americans never hearing of some of our Canadian bands who didn't make it big. Anyway, I heard a song from them on Coasttocoast tonight and fell in love with Maria's voice. I'm sure glad George mentioned who was singing the song otherwise I still would be in the dark about Lone Justice.
Check out the 'Maria Mckee' record and 'Late December' two of her best. Lone Justice couldn't contain her talent
What did he play?...in what context did they come up?....does he play a lot of music?
betpow
it's a talk show...................he uses music as bumpers between segments/ad breaks
Well, I'm 65 & I HAVE heard of LONE JUSTICE. No one has a voice that can replicate hers. So strong, gritty, & pure. Whatever happened to her is a waste & sad. Wish we were still blessed listening to her "gift".
I hadn't heard of Lone Justice but was wondering why Maria McKee hadn't made an album in such a long time that brought me to this excellent interview. Maybe she is just focussed on film making these days but it would be great to see somebody so natural make a comeback.
Checked these guys out after they opened for U2. Loved their music. Stil listen to them pretty regularly. Wish they did more music.
A rare talent. Genuinely talented musicians especially women rarely get the exposure and record deals they deserve. Music has been manufactured shite for a long time.
Last ones I can remember are KT Tunstall and Amy Mcdonald
Thanks for the great clip!!
She's just a wonderful, bat-shit crazy, amazing lady.
Loved her music since the very first single and ever since, and she still has the ability to send shivers down my spine, even on youtube at 240p ;)
Thanks for everything Maria.
LEGEND to those who know good music. Seeing her do "The Way Young Lovers Do" on stage was unforgettable.
A truly rare and rough diamond like her should be left alone.....no shaping, grinding and polishing.....some things should just be left to Be.....
Great interview. I'd love to see the rest of the documentary!
I never thought for a moment she was 'high'. Complete bollox. Clearly a very gifted, motivated, beautiful and inteligent woman.
the last minute of the interview is the best. and she wasn't high...just a great ADD person it seems. that's not coke talking.
Outstandingly beautiful!
I got hooked on them immediately. Thanks
Saw her at USF in Tampa somewhere between 84-87 She played on a stage in front of one of the school's buildings. It was a great free concert
Very cool! Please post the rest.