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Love Is All There Is
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman:
Love of art and music is all there is in the life of 24 year old Folk singer-songwriter, Liati Natanya Mayk, creator of the virtual cultural and artistic space she calls "Cafe Liati". She grew up on the Microfarm, a small farm/art studio on the Jersey Shore that provided an idyllic atmosphere for a little girl with big ideas.
In a home run by a potter (mom) and an engineer (dad), Liati was taught to pursue her passions with confidence and patience, to set her goals high and work diligently to achieve them. Dedicating herself to her "hobbies" and using steel strings and bristle brushes as her media of expression, Liati became a self-taught finger-picking guitarist, singer-songwriter and visual artist.
Love Is All There Is: Liati's debut album, Love Is All There Is, strives to transform an innocent diary of poetry into an honest musical experience that invites listeners to enter and enjoy the authentic and intimate atmosphere of Cafe Liati. Love Is All There Is was recorded as an independent project of Cafe Liati Music at Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank (NJ) with the guidance of studio engineer and co-producer John Noll.
Recording the album was a two year journey (recording between semesters away at college) that taught Liati to genuinely appreciate the art of music-making by enabling her to mature and evolve as a studio musician while collaborating with other talented musicians on violin, cello, percussion, bass and keyboards. In the Beginning:
Inspired by the Grunge rock of the early 90's, Liati begged her Uncle Doug (a raw food specialist) for a guitar for her 13th birthday and as soon as she was able to strum her first few chords, she began writing songs. By 16 Liati launched her stage career at the Open Mike Night at Red Bank's (NJ) Internet Cafe, finger-picking an array of her original "mellow acoustic folk" tunes. Throughout high school and college, Liati provided live entertainment at venues across the globe. Her concerts have included local evenings at the Red Lion Cafe in New Brunswick (NJ), night shows in New Hope (PA) and international performances at The Balcony and Masters Cafe in Tel Aviv. Liati has also used her music to honor her cultural traditions in such special performances as Brookdale College's Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony and Tel Aviv University's Israel Memorial Day Ceremony.
Liati on the "Vanguard of Modern Urban Music": Folk music is Liati's main genre; however, she is also a singer for an electronic music project called Smooth, based out of Tel Aviv, Israel. Smooth is described as music that "recreates the urbane musical genres of trip-hop, soul, jazz, downbeat, chill-out and rock". In an album review
by Soul Seduction.com a critic raves that "Their production is an indisputable juxtapose of live instrumental brilliance and sophisticated electronic Funk. The sheer drama of life's melancholy moods oozes through the musical seams of the album. Delicate melodies combine with tender vocals and abstract guitar riffs for an explosive finish. Smooth lays down a cinematic journey of organic musical emotion with soul and elegance making their sublime sound the vanguard of modern urban music." The Smooth album was released on Chicago's Real Estate Records in April 2004 and has been used on the soundtracks for such TV shows as MTV's The Real World San Diego (Episodes 2,3, 13, 17), HBO's Six Feet Under (Season 4, Episode 43), and Fox's Nip/Tuck (Episode 2). Life Beyond Music: On some personal notes, Liati graduated in May 2003 from Rutgers College with Highest Honors and a major in English Literature while concurrently studying oil painting and photography at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Liati also studied the art of silk painting at a studio in Naot Afeka, Israel and has hand-made scarves and pillows for purchase at local craft shows and at Angelika's Boutique in Islamorada (FL). Liati is also an active member of Israel's Women's National Softball Team, flying out to Israel and Europe to compete in international tournaments as the second basewoman and lead-off batter. As back up to her "folk star dreams," Liati is preparing herself for the "real world" by studying for her Ph.D in Jewish Literature at JTS and Columbia. Liati currently calls Manhattan's Upper West Side her "Home".
I Still Don't Get It, What is Cafe Liati? The concept behind Cafe Liati is deep and requires both an open-mind and an imagination. It is based on the notion of a Cafe as a place or a space that serves as a cultural center in which people can gather together to enjoy the company of friends (and sometimes even strangers) to celebrate life. Usually there is original, live music playing, delicious food and hot drinks being consumed and local art displayed for appreciation and support. Inside the Cafe people are free to indulge physically and mentally as they ponder life and find inspiration in the works of original art and music that fill the space around them. Sometimes this place even allows people to escape from their daily realities. That is how I envision Cafe Liati; music that creates a space for listeners to relax, sympathize and share my passion for life…to leave their own sorrows and losses behind and help me bear the burden of mine... and of course to revel in the universality of our joys and loves!
Welcome to Cafe Liati.
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