Latest MM news

A few snaps from NAMM

So for the first time, thanks to my friends at MJC Ironworks, I got to attend Winter NAMM. It was a blast and a half, and I got to meet some very special folks to boot. Here's a little pictrip through the adventure, which started with a cancelled…
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Happy New Year.

My yearly ode to you, dear friends. Happy New Year.
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New Orleans kicked my ass

So here's part 2 of my Louisiana trip. New Orleans kicked my ass... in the best way possible.  And most of the ass kicking was done by women.  🙂 As some of you know who follow me on Facebook, or on this blog, I've had the good fortune…
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Baton Rouge

(I just swung through both Baton Rouge and New Orleans on a 5-day trip.  I was going to Baton Rouge for the PreSonus annual PresonuSphere user conference, and because I have former NY friends who live in New Orleans half the year, and because…
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A neat little “something” unearthed.

So if you know and love "Something to Believe", this'll knock your socks off. This was done a full year before the actual song was written - and it gives you an insight into how I often write. What you can hear is how much of a song…
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What I’m working on now…

There's a great quote from Trent Reznor in the latest SPIN magazine: "The way I work is that up to the last second stuff looks like shit, and at the last minute it comes together." I'm not a huge NIN fan, but I have always been a fan of what…
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The Other New Eye.

In 2007, I released an album called New Eye. It was recorded at home over the course of three years... a labor of love, it contained 19 tracks of varied styles and lengths - all of which I wrote, arranged, played and engineered. As…

Art for art’s sake…

SO... Hi. I've been quiet for quite a while.... except on Facebook.  This wasn't by design - but out of necessity.  Well, not necessity, but health.  I had to find a center from which to operate.  Artists and writers have a tendency…
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Happy New Year

My annual ode to you, my online friends. Happiest, healthiest and most prosperous of New Year's to you, your family and YOUR circle of friends. Thanks as always for being here.
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An old new way of working…

I promised a more thorough update - well, here it is. For those of you who have watched me struggle with moving forward in the studio - you'll find a great deal of joy in it. In my previous post about workflow, the studio, art etc., I talked…
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Saying farewell to a friend…

So my brilliant buddy Dennis Winge is leaving the area - we've played together a bunch.  He's an amazing guitarist - and an incredibly sweet man.  Here's a little snippet of our last musical jaunt together.
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Gee, Mark… you kind of disappeared.

Well, yes, I did in fact. HI! I hope this finds you all well, happy and thriving, and you had a smashing holiday in whatever way you chose to celebrate. I took a bit of time before posting this - much has happened, and I wanted to get…
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Help the Hudson Valley

As you may be aware, Hurricane Irene cut a pretty good swath of devastation through the area in which I reside - the Hudson Valley of New York.  While Irene is nothing but a memory for some, others are still dealing with the aftermath. It’s…
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John Mayer NAILS it (and me)

When I first heard John Mayer - what struck me was how old and wise his guitar playing was. Bastard.  🙂 I've not been a follower of his - nor do I own any of his stuff... but there's no doubt that he's incredibly talented, and has worked…
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Nylon Scars

So my dear, dear friend Laura Kaye long ago mentioned Nikka Costa, and how much she loved her.  (Nikka's got a voice wayyy beyond her years... an old-soul funktress.) So when my FB friend Alisa B Anderson posted a link to an awesome new…
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A beautiful milestone…

So I was writing lyrics about the am radio I listened to when I was 6... And this came across my "desk"... The first performed & recorded music in space... And I wept. Dunno wy - just something beautiful about it. 🙂 Enjoy. M. UPDATE:…
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Anatomy of an amazing gig.

So those of you who know anything about me know that I don't play out live very often.  There are several reasons for this - not the least of which is, as an original artist, you have to either be a band, or else have a band that can play your…
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Fitting into a box…

The opening lines of my bio sum up this blog post pretty well. How does an artist present themselves to the world when they don't fit into a predefined box? I started using a service - headliner.fm - which allows you to selectively share…
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Playing hard to get…

So I was heading down to a local restaurant for a mid-afternoon meetup with a newfound but dear friend. As it was a beautiful, crisp fall day, I decided to walk it - not too far, and Lord knows I can use the exercise.  So I grabbed my headphones…
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Don Henley on the industry and downloading…

Back in 2009, I wrote a post called "Honor Art" , that began my online project -  it talks about filesharing and its' effects on indie musicians, among other things. Those of you who follow me with any regularity know that I give some of…
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The cutest “review” I’ve ever gotten…

They were referring to this:
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I quit smoking…

Update to the below: this post was written on 5/19/2010... today, in 2017 - I have been smoke-free for nearly 7 years. Couldn't be happier.  🙂 _______________________________________ On 5/19,  I quit smoking. This might sound…
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Lost New Eye pics….

So I was going through some pics for the new site, and came upon these.  You New Eye fans will recognize the scene...but there's a story behind it. The story goes like this: Andrew Dark - a dear friend, who is a member of this site, and…
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Elizabeth Gilbert from the TED conference.

Elizabeth Gilbert is an author who has recently become VERY VERY successful. This is her talk at TED which is positively transformative, and talks specifrically about the self-imposed pressure of creativity. If you create in ANY way, it may…