©Henry York © Rick Moore and the arts. “He is quite a ham,” Darcy said, referring to her son. “I can't even fathom life before him. I work so hard to be the most present, loving parent to him. It is more important to me than anything else.” Darcy learned at an early age that life needed balance. Born and raised uptown in the Carrollton-Riverbend neighborhood of New Orleans, Darcy didn’t always have it so easy. Once The Radiators grew in fame, Darcy began to spend a lot of time bouncing around from one place to the next. “It was like a roller coaster! Lots of ups and downs. Lots of crazy turns and movements, and lots of emotions,” she recalled. Early on, Darcy was exposed to many eclectic characters and renowned musicians and she went on several amazing trips. But there was also quite a bit of absence and inconsistency for her. “My dad was getting really big with The Radiators and was on the road a lot,” Darcy said, “Since my parents were not together, I shuffled between the two and also spent a lot of time with my wonderful grandparents, Bill and Gert Malone.” It was at her grandparents’ home in Edgard, Louisiana where Darcy had some of her fondest memories. “They were such wonderful people,” she said, recalling every visit being filled with “great food and music all the time… Holidays with guitars and singing... Just the happiest place for a child to be.” Darcy and her grandmother also shared the same love of music. “My Grandma always had music on and I spent so much time on their record player listening to my parents,” Darcy said. “Getting to hear them play was incredible.” During her school years, Darcy and her best friend, Adele, thought it would be a good idea to connect their parents together so that they could become sisters. Surprisingly for them, it worked and Darcy gained another mother, Beth James. “She really brought some stability into our fast-paced life,” Darcy said. Beth also was a major force in pushing her toward college. It was Beth who encouraged Darcy to audition for a Theatre/Vocal Scholarship at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. “I got the scholarship and studied under incredible people like Jack Wann, Jim Stacey, Scott Burrell and Mollye Otis,” Darcy added. It was in college where Darcy received her first formal vocal training. Before that, she learned from watching and observing all of the musicians around her, especially her mother and father. She was exposed to some of the best musicians in New Orleans and loved listening to The Beatles, Aretha Franklin and anything Motown. “I wanted my voice to be truly me. Not controlled and fixed and overly trained,” Darcy explained, regarding her vocal lessons in college. “I didn't want to lose my true emotion in it because I was worried about the technical parts and sounding perfect.” After the years passed, Darcy joined a band with her now-husband, Christopher Boye. “We became best friends and, through the songwriting and playing music together, sprouted a romance and eventually a marriage and child.” Since then Darcy’s career has been on the move. She has sung with The Radiators, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, The Pfister Sisters, Leo Nocentelli, Bonerama, George Porter, Margie Perez and her uncle, Tommy Malone of The Subdudes. In more recent years, Darcy and Chris teamed up to create Darcy Malone and The Tangle. The band includes Darcy on lead vocals and Chris on guitar, plus Craig Toomey (vocals, bass), Jagon Eldridge (saxophone, keyboards) and Billy Schell (drums). The band released their debut album Still Life in March 2016 at one of Darcy’s favorite venues, Tipitina’s. “It was incredible,” Darcy said, commenting about the album release party. “Seeing people dance to and sing songs we wrote is absolutely thrilling.” The band went on to play at Jazz Fest in May 2016. “It is an incredible experience!” Darcy exclaimed. “Having gone my whole life to see my dad close it out, it was a huge deal to play it myself.” For the daughter of a local legend who has three extremely supportive parents and who gets to do what she loves with her soulmate by her side, Darcy admits that now she pretty much has it all. “I adore my family,” Darcy said, summing up her life today. “I am so lucky.” �� JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 7 breakthrumediamagazine.com | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | 15
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