From idea to inspiration to inception to recording arranging mixing mastering and releasing a song the process can be fast or glacial (like glacial USED to mean) but the route is often different. It takes time. Which is of a variable amount. Money. Which is also in limited quantities. Patience. Which is easier sometimes than others. Work. Which ideally shouldn’t be too estranged from the feeling of PLAY if at all possible - Sometimes it’s all easier than others. However it comes together it’s inherently good to make things I think. Today I’m sharing a bit of a hot iron from the fire and the path it’s meandered.
This tune will be on the next band album soon as I can scrape it all together - its the oldest one in the batch and the core tracks were recorded whilst masked with Aaron Parks at Justin Douglas’ former location of King Electric way back in 2020. Justin is kind and incredibly good at what he does. The tune is called Aftermath. I plonked some bass on it after we tracked the guitar and drums same-all-time-eous - It was written as a prompt response in my buddy Matt the Electricians song game. The opening lyric is:
“i’ve given up on the numbers - now I’m in the aftermath” - kind of a joke or wordplay ish that unfolded from there like a trail of breadcrumbs
The song sat on the shelf until I got it out a few months back and used my mom’s old harp to add some color from my humble recording setup in the garage - She learned to play the harp in her 40s after a brain aneurism and played for folks in hospice after recovering herself - but passed in a boat accident some 16 years ago -
so using one of her instruments on this tune felt pretty special. I sprinkled some piano twinklies on there and wrote out a sketch of some woodwind / clarinet parts on sibelius - I wrote it out in concert then transposed up with program so don’t fault me for the WHACKcidentals
and boss musician and buddy Lauren Gould knocked them out of the park in the studio last Monday - and there was some fun pivoting / arranging in the moment. The first chorus is in the video above - definitely drinks from the well of Andy Shauf on the arrangement front - not fully mixed or mastered yet - but I’m happy with how it’s turning out- it’s one of 14?15? tunes on the next album (two of which have already been singles)
Here is my cat mid yawn after the rain adjacent some furiously blooming roses. His name is Velvito Catleoni. He is my resident fur-demon. And a creature of ID.
Lastly, There was morning coffee and bird song on the porch today - this is a Saturday ritual when time allows - every other morning I have work or am running off in beheaded chicken mode. Here is a songform improvisation while the coffee started hitting the grey matter.
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I dream of having a weekly residency somewhere Monday or Tuesday nights either solo with rotating friend guests and or with my trio - any ideas on places to manifest that around ATX please send me a line -
here’s shows around the bend
The McMercy machine jubilates at Terlingua’s Starlight Theater Easter Saturday
MAY 6- A SHOW AT Monks - live taping and concert with Aaron Parks and Josh FLowers - !
May 10 - Trio at Radio EAST! with Anthony Da Costa and Danny Malone
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In the meanwhile -Records and books are only 10 apiece or name your price on my bandcamp page https://wilsonmarks.bandcamp.com/merch while I’m trying to pull together the capital to put a heap of music out there. There’ll be a presale and album announcement at some point. THanks for reading subscribing sharing - it’s free to sub but appreciated if you can be a paying sub - every bit helps and I’m glad for this space to plonk out thoughts and share stuff for folks who may dig
Happy spring
wilson
