[5] She was raised in a large Irish/German[6] family in Stony Point, New York;[1] Fahl has stated that as a child she used to sing along with her older sibling's records to practice her voice.
[10] Together with guitarist Dave Sabatino they formed the early incarnation of the band October Project, with Fahl handling lead vocals.
They soon added vocalist Marina Belica and began touring the coffee house scene with their original music, eventually releasing their self-titled debut in 1993 on Epic Records.
While she was the lead singer of the October Project, the media occasionally depicted Fahl as "a goddess of Goth, a figure admired by followers of the vampire movement.
Jeffrey Lesser, a producer/engineer who has previously worked with Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, and The Chieftains, produced the EP.
"[15] The New York Press wrote the EP "makes us embarrassed for both the mincing stampede of girl singers on the charts and for Fahl herself, who actually cares enough to sing, literally, from her guts, while daringly carving every phrase into dizzying terrain.
"[19] Shortly after 9/11, Fahl auditioned with a compilation of demo material for executives at Sony Classical in New York,[5] including Peter Gelb.
[2] Fahl said in an interview that she had discovered "Ben Aindi Habibi" while on tour with October Project and considered it her favorite song on The Other Side of Time.
The Salt Lake Tribune gave the Other Side of Time an "A" grade in a review,[21] and Film Score Monthly called her "a brasher, more exciting version of Enya and Sissel" and concluded "Mary Fahl, thankfully, is not your typical pop singer.
Her new album, The Other Side of Time, is a fascinating if sometimes slightly stiff mix of orchestral pop and riveting Celtic stylings a la Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention, with occasional hints of Sinéad O'Connor.
"[27] A live review from June 13, 2003, show stated the concert "let loose Fahl's deep, almost operatic vocal range.
It is a force of nature, pulling you along as she rages against the heavens in full throttle; or softly, intimately singing to a private part of your soul that only she knew was there.
"[28] All-Music Guide praised her past work with October Project and her first solo EP but gave her only 2 out of 5 stars for The Other Side of Time, saying, "She still has the big voice, but she's opting for an easier course of being eclectic by tossing faint nods at different styles while trying to hew firmly to the center of the road.
"[29][30] As of September 2006 Fahl completed the recording of From the Dark Side of the Moon, produced by Mark Doyle and David Werner and mixed by Bob Clearmountain.
[35] Mary Fahl recorded this double disc live album on September 7, 2013, in the restored 1882 Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.
Kubian composed the piece with Fahl's voice in mind, and the vocal part features select lines from Shakespeare's play.
"[37] From The New Jersey Star Ledger: "As the composer noted in an articulate pre-performance introduction, the music dealt with the conscience of the king, exploring matters earthly and spiritual and taking on sounds of both warfare and contemplation.
In an earthy alto, vocalist Mary Fahl sang passages of Shakespeare text and keened wordlessly in the work's more impassioned moments.
A waterphone added an otherworldly tinge before a frenetic rise and the pound of battle drums led to a fittingly heroic conclusion.
"[38] Fahl has stated that she grew up listening heavily to her brothers' Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd records, as well as her sisters' Joni Mitchell and Dusty Springfield albums.
"[11][40] After the release of The Other Side of Time, Fahl acted in a production of Murder Mystery Blues, a comedy which is based on short stories by Woody Allen.