Dawn McCarthy is a writer, singer and theater artist whose work is a sea of gorgeous elemental nitty gritty; haunting melodies, breath, stomping, and natural theatricality led by the voice, rooted in the physical body. It is a crossroads where ancient ballad, art song, physical theater and rock music meet. Her lyrics speak to people of all ages about things like rugged housekeeping, street kids, growing old, sleepwalking and exiled travelers returning home.

She was raised in Spokane, WA by two piano players from Chicago and grew up making sounds and dances with a big family of Italian and Irish descent. Her primary education and inspiration came from all kinds of unorthodox and self-taught means. At home her parents played romantic, impressionistic and folkloric melodies via Bartok and Debussy, while older siblings helped develop her taste for rock and experimental music. In New York City, Dawn studied at the School Of Visual Arts and New School for Social Research and cut her teeth as a performer with several adventurous theatrical and musical groups. A solo & musical exploration through Europe plus a fateful meeting with Oakland based entertainer NILS FRYKDAHL began a creative chapter in 1997 that eventually relocated her to the thriving arts community of the Bay Area, California n 1998 where she has returned to again after a stint in the countryside that brought forth two girl children; Edda and Ura. She is currently primarily a storyteller, housekeeper and mama witch.