Marla Beck is a singer and songwriter from Marin County, California.
“Her voice weaves fairytales…”
Marla Beck’s soundscapes help folks remember just how beautiful life can be.
A grad-school trained poet with an ear for Appalachia, Etta James, Joni Mitchell, J.S. Bach and Shostakovitch, Marla’s music is laced with the soul of her parents’ Eastern Kentucky and East German roots.
With a rich voice (“like a river—both gentle and blue”), Marla writes personal songs and made-up tales about all kinds of journeys: inwards, outwards and beyond.
Marla plays guitar, piano, classical flute and mountain dulcimer. Listeners tend to lock ears on either her songwriting or her voice. Some folks get enchanted by both.
“And the songbird comes,
makes a rough-shod, tiny nest”
“Sweet Life”
SHOWS - Marla & Ryan
Sunday, Nov. 30th
Fairfax, CA
Marla’s Birthday Set 🎉
Fairfix Cafe at 33 Broadway
9:00-10:00 am
come early | grab your grub | snag a seat!
Next Up:
10.10
Fairfax, CA
GMU Conflict Resolution Benefit Concert
with
Jose Neto,
Steve Wolf & Mason
8.23
San Francisco, CA
Bazaar Cafe
5927 California Street
with
Such Sweet Ruckus
7.11
San Rafael, CA
Groundfloor Studio
907 Fourth Street
marla beck & ryan coe
Ryan and Marla are good friends who started making music in Fairfax in 2023. They share a love for a solid groove, 7ths and 9ths and Gillian Welch’s songwriting. The duo’s infused with palpable synergy, with Marla’s “making” and Ryan’s shaping. They started performing in the North Bay and San Francisco in July 2025.
Listen
“Sweet Life” (live from Bazaar Cafe)
“No one can tell you when a song starts to rise…”
Waitin’ (bedroom demo)
I used to ride in stony silence with commuters on the D.C. Metro train day after day after day after day in my 20s…
demo reel (video)
A short sampler by Marla Beck & Ryan Coe, recorded Spring 2025.