Justin Robinson, grammy winner and former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, heads a collective of multi-instrumentalists who bring to the stage the magical intersection of their varied musical backgrounds. The Mary Annettes are comprised of local NC musicians Elizabeth Marshall, Sally Mullikin, and Josh Stohl. Justin’s vivid stories are delivered atop a rotating arsenal of instruments including autoharp, tres, viola, banjo, violin, fiddle, cello, bass, keys, and drums. The band lists among their influences JS Bach, Erykah Badu, English nursery rhymes, moonlight on a frozen swamp, Loretta Lynn, ossified remains of mammals, palindromes, and rhinestones.

Justin Robinson started studying the violin at age 8, and at a young age began playing in string quartet with his mom, a cello player and opera singer. His interest in music was revitalized during college, after which Justin had a five year stint as a founding member of the Grammy winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. Justin is inspired by everything he's ever heard, and major influences in include rhinestones, the South in the winter, harps, the Apocalypse, doublets, clavichords, robots, and fantasy movies. He also likes sweeping.

A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Elizabeth Marshall started her musical studies at age five. After receiving two performance degrees in cello from the Cincinnati College- Conservatory of music, Elizabeth went on to become the cello instructor at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio. Elizabeth has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America as a chamber musician, and was a founding member of the Eastern Piano Trio. She now works as an instrument and bow restorer, and is studying to become an expert in violin identification and appraising. Her major influences include Sergie Rachmaninov, Frederic Rzewski, and Nicole Atkins.

Sally Mullikin, a native of Chapel Hill, starting playing violin at the tender age of four. In middle school she opted for the low, mellow tones of the viola and has been there ever since. Sally now works in Raleigh as a luthier, building and repairing bowed stringed instruments. She plays a viola of her own make. Musical influences include J.S. Bach, John Hartford and Daniel Bernard Roumain.

Josh Stohl was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and began playing music around age 12. He studied music at the University of North Texas, and moved to North Carolina in 2004 to study at Duke University, where he earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. Josh works as a research engineer to improve speech and music perception for cochlear implants. His influences musical include Billy Martin, D'Angelo, Soulive, The Roots, and anything from Hitsville, USA.