Filing Cabinet -- Maria Ventura's Bio

Maria's been singing almost constantly since her crib days, but it wasn't until Paige van Antwerp, the drummer from the band Plymouth Rock, heard her playing guitar and singing at her home that Maria was invited to sing a few songs with that band at White Electric, a small club in Providence, RI. Maria played and sang three songs with the band that night and it was something of a local sensation, with people in the Providence arts and music communities still talking about it months later. At that point, in the first half of 2001, Maria was 9 years old.

Soon after that, Maria played her first full set in Providence, RI at AS220, a great art and performance space where she has been playing fairly regularly ever since, as well as at other Providence clubs like The Green Room and The Century Lounge.

In mid 2002, Cynthia Hopkins of Gloria Deluxe first heard Maria play and sing when they were both on the same bill at an AS220 benefit concert. Maria was then invited to be the opening act at a CD release party for Gloria Deluxe at Arlene Grocery in NYC. Since then, Maria has played at Arlene's several times (as recently as three weeks ago) both solo and with her now defunct rock band, The Vitatonics. She has also played at other NYC venues including FEZ, Pete's Candy Store, Low Bar and twice at the Three Farms summer music festival on the East River, where she opened for David Johansen of New York Dolls and Buster Poindexter fame.

When Maria was 11, she formed the all-girl punk band The Prom Bombs. Unfortunately, after only three loud, fast, raucous shows, The Prom Bombs fell apart.

About the same time, Maria joined up with Joel Thibodeau of String Builder to form the duet The Hiccups. They've played New York, Providence and New Hampshire and still get together to do a show occasionally.

Also about that time, Maria was recorded singing for a video segment in Cynthia Hopkins' play Accidental Nostalgia, which has already had successful runs in RI, NY, and Seattle, Washington, and which will soon be touring the country.

Oddly, Maria (whose middle name is Joelle) and Joel Thibodeau have the same birthday, July 16th. Last summer, for Maria's twelfth and Joel's twenty-eighth birthdays, they rented AS220 and had a party with ten bands. At the party, Maria played and sang solo, with The Hiccups and The Prom Bombs, and did a rousing cover of Helter Skelter with V.Majestic and of The Zombies' "She's Not There" with Mahi Mahi.

Not long before this, on the same stage, Maria did a one show, one song stint as the drummer in an all-Ventura Danzig tribute band, singing a song about Hamlet (don't ask!). And soon after that, Maria opened for the Blue Man Group at a benefit at Rhode Island College, where she played for her first audience of over 1,000 people.

All told, Maria plays guitar, keyboards, saxophone, and a little bit of drums. A few weeks ago, she started accordion lessons with Providence's amazing composer and band leader, Alec K. Redfearn, who had been the bass player in The Vitatonics.

Maria recently turned 13 and is currently without a band, although she is actively trying to recruit members to reform The Prom Bombs. A recent live show by Boston's Juliana Hatfield and her band has inspired Maria to focus more singularly on playing electric guitar and straight-ahead rock'n roll.

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