United States

Hello Rythmn Man,
I keep answering emails and threads from you so I thought I should study your music and look at your profile.
An interesting place you are playing at in those photos... is it a cafebar or a studio; looked nice either way.

Your music is interesting too: I went though all your tunes and enjoyed them, but the only thing I found I was waiting for was for the singing to start... would have been nice to have words saying what some of the thoughts were behind each tune.
The pieces nearly all had titles that made me think they would be songs.
The one I found more musically interesting than the others was 'Jaunty Boy', and I noticed you are a master of very happy titles... my songs are all said to be very down beat and like Bert Jansch, who I have actually never come across but I gather he is very somber.

Interesting after reading a few mails from you to hear your music, so thanks Rythmn Man!
Mark.................

Thanks - glad you enjoyed the tunes.
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That's 2 different places in the pics. The first place is on stage at the Tabor Arts center. Good music there; all blues.
The other 2 pics are the Old Orchard Farms coffee house. It's a converted barn which is set up as a coffee house/recording studio. It's only open once a month, in the winter.
In the summer it also serves as a farm store, with music playing for 6 - 7 hours every Sunday.
Real cool place, - the people and musicians there are great . . .
Hands down, it is my favorite place to play.
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You're right about waiting for the singing to start . . .
I spent years and years as a solo instrumentalist.
I came to appreciate the challenge of doing that. There's probably nothing harder for a musician to perform than a solo number - without even singing.
If anyone wants to improve their playing skills; do one number all by yourself without any lyrics. You'll get better . . .

But now I've got a singer and so I've been writing lyrics. I know not every song stands alone as an instrumental.
"Blue Rabbit Jazz," on my profile, does have lyrics - and a harmonica, - but I haven't had time to record them yet . . .
"Bum-bum Padum:" I had a lyricist write lyrics for this, but they were waaaay too verbose. I asked her to remove some of the words, but she didn't want to. So - now her lyrics are in a stack of paper, collecting dust.
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I do have a few other songs recorded w/ singers. One I stopped posting, because someone else wrote/sang the words, and I didn't really like the words. Another one I don't post because the last verse changed. Another one I don't post because the singing wasn't up to my standards. And several other of my songs w/ lyrics - well , - I just haven't gotten around to even recording them!
That's changing.
My singer, Jill, is coming over this afternoon to record a song; "Spring Song," a folk song.
If it comes out ok, maybe I'll post it in a week or so. But I know this place prefers rock and metal . . .
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And Avi Pierce (in Canada) has my music for "From Earth to Station," and is waiting for me to finish the lyrics for it, before she sings/records it.
Avi sang last month at the Hollywood Music Awards. She got the red carpet treatment, literally, had limos 'n all. What a voice . . . Her style is 'world music;' I don't think that'd go over, here, so great . . .
That'll be at least several months away, though; I have to change the copyright and all, and her record company is supposed to produce/mix it, using my recordings. She's 'bigger' than me, so I'm going to let her sell it/ distribute it. Last I looked, her Myspace page was getting 15,000 hits a day.
Anyway . . .
That's all AFTER I finish writing the lyrics.
I don't like talking about stuff I'm going to do, though. What counts is what's already done, eh?

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But, my primarily love in music is writing the actual music.
Given a choice between writing lyrics, or writing music- no contest.
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Mark, I spent more time replying than I meant - sorry 'bout that.
Us old guys are long winded, eh?
I'll check out your page later.
Alan

Hello Rythmn Man,
Thanks for explaining the place you were playing it; it is nice to hear this kind of detail as we are all so far apart and don't really learn what the others are getting up to.

I agree entirely how it would improve your playing skills having to play a piece to people with nothing to distract people like you have with a singer... but it's a funny thing the vocals: seems to be telling you something about the music... not even just what the words are actually about, but it creates a sort of veil of idea across the piece.

Who knows what this place thinks of my profile songs Rythmn Man... hard to put a description to.
I think I appreciate what you mean in 'not talking about stuff you are going to do'; it is too easy to feel you are sounding off in advance of something that could never happen.

Nice to learn about your stuff Alan,
Mark...............

ps. Where are you in the States?

I'm in Madison, CT, which abuts New York to the North.
Madison is on the coastline, about half way up.
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I was listening to your music, before, and getting ready to comment, when I had a cord of wood delivered. So - a little delay; I had to stack it, and then the guys showed up for rehearsal.
It was snowing, so after rehearsal I had to quickly finish stacking.
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You music is alright by me, it is melancholy; got a nice sound to it. You're right about it; it's not happy - more moody . . .
Hearing it puts your comments into better perspective.
I see that you are primarily a storyteller, and you use music to relate a message.
Maybe you're a lyricist first, and a musician 2nd.
I was quite active on a lyricist site.
It seems that almost all lyricists write words first, and then look for someone to write a song for their words.
I don't go that route.
I am primarily a composer and instrumentalist.
If add words - they come long after the music is established.
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I'm primariyl an instrumentalist, but I've a couple songs where the lyrics were concurrent.
My favorite song where lyrics and music came simultaneously, is not copyrighted yet, so you probably won't here it this year.
Currently, the U.S.A. Library of Congress has a backlog of 7 months . . .
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Ouch . . .