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 and silky 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 entranced by both.
“And the songbird comes,
makes a rough-shod, tiny nest”
“Sweet Life”
Shows
10.10
Fairfax, CA
with Jose Neto, Steve Wolf & Mason
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8.23
San Francisco, CA
7.11
San Rafael, CA
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 a palpable synergy, with Marla’s voice and songwriting and Ryan’s savvy arrangements, grooves and more. They started performing in the North Bay and San Francisco in July 2025.
Clips & Samples
“River of Things”
Marla Beck & Ryan Coe at Bazaar Cafe, San Francisco
“Sweet Life”
Marla Beck & Ryan Coe at Bazaar Cafe, San Francisco
demo reel
A short sampler by Marla Beck & Ryan Coe, recorded Spring 2025.