Singer MaryJo Mundy is the extraordinary hostess of Open Mic every Tuesday at the Gardenia, called "Mundy on Tuesdays!" Her current CD entitled "Halfway to Heaven" is a live recording (done at the Gardenia) that I reviewed in October for the former reviewplays website. It is available for purchase at CD Baby and should be on the must-buy list of every serious collector of pop music. The lady’s talent has been compared to that of Barbra Streisand – she is so good, she should be singing a star role on Broadway - and her personality, more sweet and loving than one would ever expect to find in such a star package. Ladies and gentlemen, the incomparable Miss MaryJo Mundy!

Q: Tell me about your background and growing up in Chicago.

MJ: Actually I moved to Chicago from Tucson, AZ, where I went to college at the University of Arizona for Musical Theatre. Chicago was amazing, because that's where I learned what it was like to entertain real people. Chicago is the kind of city, like New York, where everyone goes to shows: cab drivers, bus boys, accountants, lawyers, everyone, no matter what the weather. Unlike LA where if the barometer dips below 70, people hunker down like it's a national emergency. The Chicago music scene is a very vibrant one and I was a little scared relocating to LA but am so glad I did.  

Q:  At what point did you make the transition to LA? Why not New York first?

MJ:  I moved to LA in 1996. New York is wonderful, but film and TV opportunities are here, and my husband Jim Bruce, is a comic and an actor. He wanted to explore those opportunities. So we decided that LA was a city where we can both thrive. 

Q: How did the fabulous gig at the Gardenia come to be?

MJ:  There is a place in LA for Cabaret, people who actually love the art form, but unlike NY or Chicago, there aren't enough rooms that cultivate that love. There was only one open mic going on in 1996 when I first came to LA, and it was at a place called Arbuckles, but it closed after a very short time. But that is where I started to meet many of the musicians that have played for us over the years like Todd Schroeder, John Boswell, Ron Snyder, and I am so blessed to have had that experience, so I could get started on my own. I wanted to sing and I knew others wanted to as well, so I finally decided that if it was going to happen, I had to make it happen, and lucky for me Tom Rolla gave us a home. Here we are eight years later going strong...amazing!

Q: I cannot give Open Mic enough praise. How do you feel about your accomplishments?

MJ:  Every now and then someone comes in to the open mic, opens their mouth, and they are amazing.  I live for that moment, and thankfully it happens often.  More than anything, the fact that talent can be nurtured makes me really proud.  And of course, there is a community of friends that might not have existed. My dear friend Keri Kelsey joined me in hosting it a few years back, and I can't say enough about her contribution to the night and its longevity. She has been an amazing partner and I adore her.

Q: Tell me about your vocal selections on " Halfway to Heaven".

MJ: Well, the CD is about a very specific experience, losing the weight and coming to terms with the fact that life isn't hopeless. I think it's a funny thing, because hope is something that can actually be very intimidating.  Suffering is probably more comfortable. I think that's true of most people, and that's what this CD is about.  My selections were fueled by that perspective, so Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and Jewel's "Fat Girl" and others speak to that journey. Also, I wanted to sing songs by local songwriters such as Geoffrey Lee Tozer, Ray Jessel, Shelly Markham, Ken Hirsch and Kirby Tepper, and this was my opportunity. I admire them all and am grateful for their generosity in allowing me to interpret their songs.

Q:  What's up next in your career? 

MJ:  I want to do more acting. I'm planning a new stage show, and of course, a new CD. I really want to get in the studio and record for the next one.

Q:  What is your number one aspiration at this point in time?

MJ:  To only do those things that make me feel alive. I don't want to waste time. I want to love the people I love, do art that feels right, and leave the regrets out of it. It's a hard trick, because there is only so much time.

Q: Who is most responsible for your success? Name one or two people.

MJ:  My parents for bad reasons and my husband Jim for good reasons.  The things we do are not just based on who was good to us, but those people who put challenges up that we had to get around. I have to just say that Jim is an incredible support to me in all aspects of my life but especially career wise...he is such an optimist and he is always saying to me "What is next?" which I need to hear...he is my biggest fan... oh along with my boss Gary Smith who has just been the best to me in regards to my singing. He plays my CD for all of his friends and actually came to my show and videotaped it for me...I love him! I am one lucky girl to be surrounded by such love and support from all.

Q: Tell me about the transition from BIG gal to slimmed-down MaryJo!

MJ:  Wow. If you asked me that one year out from my surgery, I would have had a very easy answer, but the changes keep coming. You never realize how much being the heavy girl limits you until you are faced with all the possibilities after you lose the weight.  It's the difference between being poor and rich.  And just like when a poor person first gets money, you end up trying to take advantage of every opportunity, buying everything, until you start to realize you just have to slow down and enjoy the fact that possibility exists. After losing 160 pounds my life has changed in too many ways to list but I wouldn't change a thing ...I always say if all I could eat was hay for the rest of my life the surgery would still be worth it for me.

Q: You’re the best and I look forward to the new concert and CD that I understand will include some torch songs from Janis Joplin among others.

MJ: Yes...it will be called "Sufferin' Sirens" and will feature the music of Joplin, Garland, Mama Cass and more! I have always been fascinated with the subject of suffering for your art ...I look forward to exploring the music of those women who did just that. Lastly I want to end with a big thank you to you Don, for your work and promotion of local artists and theatre...it is a wonderful thing and I wish you continued success!

Visit MaryJo on the web at www.maryjomundy.com