Latest MM news

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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 10/19/2010... 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…

Just a Man Drum Session

So over the weekend, my dear friend Joe Scheibelhoffer and I did a live drum recording session. Joe played on "Lover, Please", and I tried my hand on "Just a Man". Now bear in mind - I don't own a drum kit. And I never get the chance to play.…
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An angel no longer with us…

It was somewhere around 1974. I was 11 or 12 - it was Thanksgiving, and my Dad piled me and my sisters into his station wagon for the yearly trip to my uncle's house for thanksgiving. What lay in store for me would change my life immeasurably. When…
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Les and Me…

Most of the world knows, or is finding out about the passing of Les Paul. And most are finding out for the first time what us musicians have known for a very very long time... that Les Paul singlehandedly changed the face of music forever.…
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Honor Art.

There's currently a web-protest going on about a law in New Zealand - the Guilt Upon Accusation law 'Section 92A' that calls for internet disconnection based on accusations of copyright infringement without a trial and without any evidence held…
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Immi was in my studio! (well, sort of…)

I'm a fan of Imogen Heap. I first got hung on the song "Hide and Seek", an extraordinary a capella piece which just made me cry every time I heard it. Then a dear, dear friend sent me the "Details" album by Frou Frou, which is Immi Heap,…
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Why I hug…

When I was about 18, I worked in a small business of about 8 employees. They refurbished leased copiers for a Minolta outlet. I spent most of my time, winter included, in the warehouse section of the building - forklifting copiers into boxes,…
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Personal Sovereignty.

(From 2008... what a trip it's been.) So I've gone through some pretty big changes over the past year. Not the least of which were both an end to a relationship, and a move.  Those are just two of many. And it's not just happening…