Atlanta sound, Universal People

Mary Delaney and Kevin Vines first hooked up musically in 1997 when Vines played bass for a brief period in the Mary Delaney Band. Though they parted ways, the pair did not forget each other. “Kevin called me out of the blue,” says Delaney, “and he said, ‘I’ve been laying down some music on my Roland. If you want to come over and do whatever you want — vocals, poetry, lyrics, whatever you want — we’ll see what happens.’”
What happened was this: Delaney went to Vines’ home studio in East Atlanta, and within three months the duo had created enough tracks to fill a CD. To release the music and play live, they formed the band Universal People.
Kevin and I look so different,” Delaney says, explaining the group’s name. “He’s 6-foot-5 and has dreadlocks, and I’m 5-foot-2 and white as snow. We’re yin and yang. We believe that we’re all God’s children, so we thought Universal People was a good way to get the idea out there that we’re all in this together, this boat of life.”
Now, Delaney, Vines and a host of their musician friends bring the music of their debut CD, Social Explosion, to life. “If I had to put our music in a category, I’d say it’s hip-hop rock, and it’s experimental, theatrical, because I’m all about the performance,” she says.
Universal People’s CD-release party is Thurs., Nov. 2, at Smith’s Olde Bar.