Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, The Number of Months is an art rock band formed by Leif Olsen and Mary Skop. Mary and Leif have been working together as professional musicians since 2017, and officially formed The Number of Months in 2021. Leif and Mary share a lifetime of experience as musicians in a wide range of styles and genres and are influenced by many artists, such as Wire, Beck, Radiohead, Agnes Obel, Rose Cousins, and Talk Talk.
Leif’s parents were both classical musicians, working professionally on and off Broadway in New York City. Throughout his youth, Leif studied trumpet, violin, viola, piano, drums, and guitar, and began composing music when he was 13. Leif went on to study classical vocal performance at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music. He has worked in bands in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York and opened for the Psychedelic Furs at The House of Blues in Chicago. Leif has also composed music for film, and wrote the score for the independent film Design (2002), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Leif has received numerous nominations and awards from the Jeff Citations and After Dark Awards for original music scoring in live theater.
Mary is a classically trained pianist and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy & Literature (2004) and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Vocal Collaborative Piano Performance (2020). Mary won the college division of the Kenosha Symphony Youth Auditions in 2003 and received numerous scholarships, awards, and assistantships throughout her academic career. She was nominated for a Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in 2018, taught private piano lessons for 25 years, and has performed as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach for choirs and vocalists in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Washington state. Mary began composing in 2016 and finds much of her inspiration in both exploring new music with Leif and in nature, especially the moody and blustery days on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The Number of Months is a translation of an ancient expression referring to the time of a human's existence and experience. For many, music uniquely captures and expresses the stories and emotions of our lives; sometimes comforting us, sometimes inspiring us, sometimes challenging us. We have been influenced and impacted by great music our entire lives, giving us a sense of feeling seen, heard, and understood. The sounds and words of a song can often feel as though it is your very own voice. Music bears witness to every aspect of what it is to be human, to exist in the space of time we've been given, and to be together.
