It wasn't until she was 23, when she heard Sleater-Kinney for the first time, that Marnie Stern's life began to take her in the direction of the noise- and punk-inspired experimental rock that would later define her music. She soon began learning finger-tapping techniques on her electric guitar and assiduously began practicing and recording songs until she had enough for a demo. Stern sent the tape to Kill Rock Stars, which immediately signed the young singer/guitarist to their 5RC imprint. The folding of the company, after the departure of founder Slim Moon in 2006, caused a slight delay in the release of her debut, In Advance of the Broken Arm, but the record, whose songs had been written over a period of more than two years in Stern's Upper East Side New York apartment, and featured drums from Hella's Zach Hill, finally came out in early 2007. Stern took somewhat less time to record her follow-up, releasing This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It in 2008. Her self-titled third album was released by Kill Rock Stars in 2010. Hill eventually left her backing band, but would be replaced by Oneida drummer Kid Millions, who made his first appearance on Stern's looser and more expansive fourth album, The Chronicles of Marnia. ~ Marisa Brown