 In San Diego Marina played her first open mic night and began to write her own songs.She developed a live show that included anecdotes and frank stories told between songs, and continued working as a DJ on the radio in San Diego while playing around town and, later, touring.Her recorded debut was a five-song EP called "Exercises in Racketeering", which eventually led to a full-length album, "Miss Halfway", which was released January 25, 2005.