mark cool, folk singer

Welcome!

2010-12-18T12:13:00.001-08:00

Hi,

We're temporarily directing you here to the blog while Mark cool, Folksinger gets built on a Wordpress platform.

I hope you enjoy the blog posts here.

I've also inserted the music player, where you can download and listen to tunes, and view lyrics. There's a paypal donate button at the bottom of this post for donations for downloaded music. No set price, you name your own price for what you take.

Black Gold- did I screw up? Navajo vs Dineh

2010-12-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

At a recent show that I played, a woman approached me after the show about my song, "Black Gold", which is about a Navajo woman in Arizona. The concert guest told me that she herself was of Native American descent, and that her understanding was that the word Navajo meant horse thief, and that the Navajo people called themselves Dineh, and didn't like the Navajo moniker.

This was a bit unsettling for me, as I've been playing the song for about 16 years around the world, and it's gotten a fair amount of radio exposure as well. Link to music player. Black Gold is #13

I went to work researching, to see if I should change my lyric, and make sure I wasn't offending someone where my intention was confer respect and solidarity.

What I have found is that the Navajo do indeed call themselves Dineh, which means "the people." The word Nabajo comes from the Pueblo people, and refers to the landscape of the people, fields meeting ravines, and maybe also refers to their agricultural leanings. The Spanish later adapted their word to the current Navajo.

I also learned that the Navajo don't necessarily want to be called Dineh by non-Dineh people, as mentioned by the Navajo writer in the article below.

I am glad to have done the research and learned more about the origins of the people and their names. I have decided that the lyrics to Black Gold will stand as written.

Article by Rno Yahze of the Dineh Nation, from dinehfellowship.com:
(And a good story.)

Navajo or Dineh (Dine)

When I was a kid, I ask my mom one day ' Mom, what does Navajo mean' and she answered '
it means thieves'. 'Thieves...' I wondered. 'How come?' I continued to ask ' Well, the white
people call us thieves because when the wagon trains use to go by, we use to go in and steal
from the wagons.' 'Oh, I see' I said.

Well, this conversation stuck in my head for a long time and I, sort of, accepted the fact that
this is what the word 'Navajo' meant. It bother me a little, but not to a point of disappointment.
Until the word 'Dineh' became the preference of what the Navajo should be called. I figured
that maybe it is because, our tribe did not want to be known as thieves. So, I went along with it.

Until one day I heard the word 'Dineh' coming from a real German coworker. It sounded
awkward. I told him, call me Navajo. I am fine with that. After that, I became sensitive to the
word 'Dineh' and soon became determined on why we should be called Dineh, instead of Navajo.
So, to find out, I started researching for answers from a reliable source - 'Tony Hillerman'
books (God bless his soul).

Well, after reading most of his books, the only thing I got out of it was that the Navajos were
known to the Paiutes as 'Sharp knives'. I said 'YES' and I was on a high horse. I had found
out the meaning of 'Navajo' and its meaning was that, we were warriors and not thieves. Soon
after that, I was hosting a Native American culture booth at a local city diversity event and I
met a man of Mexican descent. We start talking and he said he knew what the word Navajo
meant. I asked ' What does it mean?'. He said, it is a Spanish word for Sharp Knives -
'Navajas'. Well now, I was on a real High White horse. I was for certain that Navajos were
warriors. I was happy, but to confirm this, I went to a different source: the internet or another
words 'I googled it'.

Before I googled it, I was reading a lot of books. And in one of those books, a journal from a
Franciscan Priest wrote a phrase that struck me. It was 'Apachu de Nabajo', hmmmm..... I
thought. 'Apachu de Nabajo'. I knew Apache was a word for enemy from the Zuni, So, I said to
myself, ' Apache what?!? Turns out, from the books that I've read and googled, Navajo
originated from this term - 'Nabajo'. Nabajo means ' cultivated fields' or ' a place near a canyon
with cultivated fields' in the Pueblo language. So, the Pueblos named us ' Apaches that farm or
Apaches with cultivated fields'. This made more sense to me. Later, the Spanish drop the
'Apachu de' and called us 'Navajo'. So, there you go, another latin word that originated from
Greek ( ahhh...yeah..riiiiight). Personally, I am okay for being called a 'Navajo', but if an elder
of the tribe is speaking to me in Navajo and I asks me if I am 'Dineh', I am honored and
humbled.

Now that I think about it....I wonder if Tony Hillerman knew that Mexican guy...............
hmmmm.............I wonder.

Movember newsletter- Mustaches, giant rabbits, and free music

2010-11-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Welcome to the semi- regular, almost monthly, Mark Cool newsletter for November 2010.

I just finished Eric Weiner's book, The Geography of Bliss and I highly recommend it!
The NPR correspondant and self-described grump travels the globe, visiting the happiest and un-happiest places on earth in search of the keys to "subjective well-being.".

Some key ideas:
People who regularly engage in acts of service or are in service professions are happier in general.
Envy is a happiness killer.
Money does not bring happiness. after basic needs are taken care of, the correlation between money and happiness is minimal to nonexistent.

The Thais believe in smiling, and that thinking makes one unhappy.

And on the subject of the tendency to seek happiness by moving from place to place, a quote from and Icelandic film maker was poignant and intriguing to me: "If you want to know where your true home in the world is, ask yourself where it is that you want to die."

Moustache news:
Movember's almost over, I have a week to achieve my modest fundraising goal of $100. Team Cool has raised $55 to date.

I have been sporting a moustache for the month to raise awareness and help to "change the face of men's health." Lord knows it ain't pretty, but I am willing to accept the ridicule and the bread crumb, soup, and beverage retention because I care!

Seriously though, my Grandpa Cool had prostate cancer, and his birthday was 11/1, the first day of Movember. My uncle is living with prostate cancer, and my dad died of cancer when I was 16. That's why I wear the whiskers that my girlfriend calls "creepy."

If you're moved or affected by men's cancers, especially prostate cancer, please consider making a donation to the cause @ http://us.movember.com/mospace/208985/ The site's really fun too, moustache facts and photo galleries, etc.

Cool-Champagne train @ Lilac lounge 11/11, me with creepy moustache.

Thanks to Pete Pawsey, impresario of the Lilac Lounge in Hillsborough for having me and Art out for a cozy show with a great audience on 11/ 11. The Lilac is like a home away from home.

The Cool-Champagne train rides again on 11/27, with me and guitarist extraordinaire Art Champagne playing a house concert in North Durham. The last one at Dave and Joanna's house, also in D-town, was a blast, with a sing-along and audience percussion orchestra on a rendition of Honky Tonk Women that brought the house down, as well as other touching and funny moments. Invitation is here for logistics and to RSVP.

Here is a FREE downloadable raw bootleg of a new song that we've been playing live, I actually debuted it at a house concert in Morpeth, UK, call Crows are Yellin'. It was inspired by a text message my brother sent from New york, standing in a blizzard in a cemetary. It'll make it's way onto my next cd I'm pretty sure.

Thanks to Gerrit Caspers for giving me some radio play on his Good No(i)se radio program in the Netherlands, http://goodnoiseradio.blogspot.com/. If you're looking for new alt-country/ americana artists, his playlists might point you to some.

"GoodNo(i)se is a music-program that's loaded with 'honest, pure' music. The program that pays attention to: Americana, (Alt)Country, Roots, Blues, Folk en Singer-Songwriters.
We play music recorded in cold garage boxes and squeaky attics. Music recorded in professional studios and intimate concerthalls. We pay our respects to the godfathers of these types of music, like Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Guy Clark..."

I recently wrote an article here on my blog on how to host a house concert, if you've been thinking about hosting one.

Thanksgiving:

Turkey Day is upon us here in the US, and writing this, I was reminded of a moment at a gig in the Scottish Highlands. I'd driven 5 hours from Edinburgh through fog and rain, on the wrong side of the road, scared to death every time a lorry topped a hill in front of me because they seemed to be on a collision course with me, until I remembered that I was on the other side of the road. I arrived at the hotel and set up quickly. I was late due in part to coming across a guy who'd flipped his car upside down on a narrow bridge that we had to cross, but that's another story.
The hotel people had me set up in a side room that was the dining room, but all of the patrons were in the bar area, adjacent. I made some crack about feeling like I was at the kids' table at Thanksgiving, expecting at least a mild snigger or a smile or two. Nothing.
Oops, there's no Thanksgiving in Scotland, egocentric American!

Anyway, I moved the PA and myself out into the bar area, and we had a fun time playing and singing music together, and I was joined by a local guitarist who was a whiz on his instrument.

My other faux pas was asking for a "scotch" when someone offered to buy me a drink. The bartender informed me that I was in Scotland, so it was just "whisky", and what kind did I want?

The drive back to Edinburgh in the wee hours after catching a couple of hours' sleep (I had an a.m. flight and poor tour planning,) was foggy and rainy also, and surreal on account of the hundreds of giant rabbits all over the highway shoulders, as if I'd driven into a scene from the book Watership Down. Seriously, the rabbits were bigger than many dogs I've known! Hundreds of them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to host a House Concert easy as 1-2-3!

2010-10-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

House concerts are a worldwide sensation that have been rapidly gaining popularity of late as a preferred way for artists and music lovers to connect.

If you've attended a house concert, you know what I mean. It's like being at your own exclusive VH-1 storytellers event!

This article is to help people who want to host a house concert of their own. It's pretty simple, easy as 1-2-3!

1. Pick the artist you'd like to host, contact them, and set a date.

2. Create an invitation and send it out.

3. Set up the space, welcome your guests, and enjoy the show!

I'll elaborate on these points and add a few tips and notes below.

1. Pick the artist- You'd be amazed at the artists who would be willing to play in your living room. Pick your top 3 and contact them, they might say yes. You'll need to agree on date, fee, and whether or not you're providing accommodations. PA is another item. Do they need sound reinforcement, or can they play completely unplugged? If they need PA, do they travel with their own, or do they want you to provide one? I have played the majority of my House Concerts unplugged. If the room has decent acoustics this usually works fine.

2.Create an invitation- I recommend Evite.com. It's free, and includes and RSVP tracker, will send out reminders for you, and has mapping capability for guests. I think Facebook now has a comparable app too.

Create your guest list and send it out. email is good, but some folks still need an old-fashioned phone call. You know your crew. Cast the net wide; friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, the more the merrier. There usually a bit of an attrition close to the date, so it's good to shoot for being booked a bit over capacity. If you think you can hold 30, go for 35. Even if everyone shows, they'll squeeze in, and it makes the event more exciting to have it full.

You can make it private, or you can have the artist publicize the event to their mailing list too. If it's an artist you like, chances are that you'll like other fans of their music who are on their mailing list. You can also put it on your neighborhood list serve, even put out fliers at local coffeehouses, etc. Often artists will have a ready made flier on their site that you can download and print out. Facebook and Twitter are other good ways to spread the word.

Info to include on invite:
Time- These are usually 3 hour events: 1 hour at from "doors open" to music start for
social time, then a 2 hour block for two 40-45 minute sets with a break in the
middle. Indicate doors open time, and music start time.
Address of event
RSVP to info: your email and phone #
Potluck instructions if a potluck
Byob if that's the case (most people do it this way)
Cost/donation amount
A blurb about the artist- usually available on the artist's website. A link to the
artist's site is a good thing here too. Then prospective guests can go and listen
to music and learn about the artist.
Optional- picture of the artist.

3. Set up the space- Considerations:
~Chairs and seating for the expected # of guests. Do you need to borrow folding chairs from neighbors?
~A space for the artist to play. Find out what amount of space they need for their set up. Make sure it's a focal point with a neutral backdrop, and where guests won't be walking through the space to go to the bathroom, etc.
~A place for the food to be set out. Room for chilling beverages.
~A space for a merchandise table for the artist to sell cd's.
~A place for coats if it's chilly. a good job for a teen, if there's one around.
~If there will be younger children who can't sit through two 40 minute sets of music, consider having a child care person on duty, with a room or outdoor space set up for kids' activities.

If you have an extroverted friend who doesn't mind collecting the money, it will take one responsibility off of your shoulders. The artist should not have to worry about collecting money or even making an announcement about it. Handling it as people enter is an efficient way to go, then that part is out of the way and everyone can enjoy the rest of the evening.

Other notes on hosting a house show:

~Don't think your space is too small. I've played to 15 people in a small flat in Edinburgh, and it was great. So great, we did it again the next year when I was back over there. I've played in cozy rooms where I was all but touching knees with the front row. It works. The intimacy is part of the charm.

~Other spaces: You can also do the same type of intimate show in a space like a church, community center, conference room at your work, an outdoor pavilion, back deck, etc, etc.

~Artist fees- most artists have a target amount that they want to make from a house show. You can take this and do the math with your expected # of guests and decide what to charge. These events are usually $10-15, which is a bargain for the concert goer. A great, one of a kind night out, and cheaper than going to a bar or club, when you factor in drink prices, especially if you go out to dinner 1st.

~Some hosts choose to pay the entire artist fee up front and treat their guests to a free concert. You can also make it special by including a free cd for each guest. You can ask the artist if they'll give you a wholesale price for bulk cds.

~Kids- These events are generally kid friendly. You can ask the artist if they have any R or X rated material to be sure. If there are going to be little kids, you might want to consider a child care person, as mentioned above.

~Format- Usually it's a flex hour from doors open til music starts, for arrival and eating and socializing, followed by two 40-45 minute sets of music with a break in the middle. I.e; 7pm- 8pm arrival and social, music from 8-10 with a break in the middle.

~ Accommodation- If your artist is traveling from out of the area and you have a spare room, you might want to offer accommodations. This is not mandatory, but it can be a fun opportunity for artist and host to connect.

~Contract- Many artists will have a standard contract that they will email to you detailing the terms of your agreement. These days a string of emails including terms and acknowledged by both parties serves the same purpose.

~Merch table- Mentioned above, artists have cds to sell, it's nice to have a prominent spot for guests to be able to look them over and buy if they want.

~PR materials- most artists have stuff on their site like photos, bio information and fliers that you can download and use for your invitation and PR. Just ask.

~Starting the music and introduction- When the artist is ready to play, you can flick
the lights, ring a bell, or generally herd people to their seats.
If you're not too shy, it's nice to have a personal introduction of the artist.
Where you first saw them, what you like about them and their music, or anything else
you want to say. It doesn't have to be a key note speech, just brief and heartfelt.
Otherwise, most artists can introduce themselves.

~Protocol and etiquette- House concerts are just that, concerts. Guests are
encouraged to give the artist their full attention during the performance. House
concerts are generally interactive by nature, between performer and audience, but
definitely discourage people from talking during songs, unless it's a sing-along of
course!

~Some helpful short videos:
For hosts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s57pIzhfDA&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=x2rKsFY74Uc

For guests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=try-z4-4h04&p=8166691116056535

Beer run, apartheid, host monster

2010-10-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Fun song of the month;
Todd Snider's "beer run": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2022436230
( "B double E, double R -U-N Beerrun.")
A fun song, definitely got some Townes influence. If you don't know this talented songwriter check out this and other of his songs.

"Copenhagen" by Robert Earle Keen is a classic in the same genre. An ode to chewin' tobacco.

My 100 house concert tour continues this month with a show at Dave and Joanna's house here in Durham, NC, the third one they've hosted and a rich tradition of music and connection. The coolest "green room" I've ever experienced is at Dave and Joanna's, where I hung out in the replica of Thoreau's cabin that they built in their backyard prior to the gig.

Art Champagne and I are playing a double header that day, with West Fest in the afternoon, and the House show at night.

Joining us at West Fest is talented South African singer-songwriter Roger Lucey. Roger had a promising musical career squelched by censorship under apartheid, because of his criticism of government policy and practice through his songs. The security officer assigned to monitor him later became a fan and has been writing a book about the experience.

A brief excerpt here: "In June I attended a show at His Majesty's Theatre of a 'new personality 'on the South African music scene, Roger Lucey & his band, the 'Zub Zub Marauders' who were making waves not only among the young white 'university set liberals' but also in Security Branch Head Office! A 'set' of Roger's music (from the banned "The Road Is Much Longer") and him airing his views about the S.A. political scene had been monitored during transmission to the Voice of America and I was accordingly assigned to identify him and "see what could be done about stopping this filth".
I attended all of Rogers shows, secretly recorded his mainly haunting, beautifully plaintiff ballads in which he inter alia referred toSteve Biko's death, State oppression and other 'unacceptable' issues. I dutifully transcribed the words and forwarded the whole lot to S.B. Head Office. They were incensed with the lyrics..."

It's an honor to share the stage with Roger for a few tunes. Art and I will back him up on a couple of his, and he'll sing Sunnyside of Life and Orphan with us.

My new website is under construction, I went with a new host. It was a toss up between 2 companies, so I chose Host Monster, on the merits of their name. I am a little disappointed that they only have a picture of a pretty blonde woman on their log in page. Maybe they're still working on a good monster image. Or maybe SHE is a monster in a pretty blonde woman's body. Like a Stepford wife.

I hope to have dancing bears and a dog and pony show on the new site to keep all of my visitors enthralled.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see there: www.markcool.org.

Don't forget to tell your friends and co-workers about the music.
FREE downloads here: http://www.markcool.org/index.php/music/

Top 5 European Tour moments

2010-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

1. Over carried on Brit rail. Newcastle, UK.
Feeling posh from the 1st class coach trip Edinburgh to Newcastle, we had a rude awakening when we were unable to open the train door to disembark at our destination. In a panic, I rushed down the narrow aisle to the next car, rucksack and guitar in tow, bonking folks as I passed, and I couldn't open that one either. Continuing the mad dash through the train , I met a conductor at the junction of the 3rd car, where he informed me that the doors had already been locked, and we'd have to go to the next stop, and turn around.

Where's the next stop? York. How far is that? About an half hour. An hour round trip?! Yes, sorry.

I called my friend Martin, who we were supposed to meet for lunch in Newcastle, to give him the news, and he laughed and laughed. Thanks Martin.

It turns out that it was a very old train, and instead of the electric doors that most trains have, the doors were manual, where you actually have to pull open a window, reach to the outside and yank open the door handle.
Had a good lunch and Newcastle walking tour when we finally arrived an hour or so later. Great town!

2. Morpeth house concert and Northumberland beach. A great group of peeps shoehorned into the Browns' living room. Playing songs eyeball to eyeball and knee to knee, taking everyone's HC cherry, and they liked it. The hosts' teenage daughter and her friends passing hors doevre's on the break. Plus the best alt-country jukebox aside from Ken's in Glasgow.

The North Sea in the morning was divine, with dunes and surf, farms and nature preserve in harmonious juxtaposition, followed by a great elevensies with our awesome hosts afterwards!

3. Ullapool- I had the pleasure of being Fosh' (The Bull, you have to ask him!) 1st radio show guest on Loch Broom fm, as he stood in the large shoes of the Medicine Show's Rob Ellen, who I'd had the pleasure of hanging with the previous night and gifting him with the black Durham (NC) Bulls hat he hopefully took on tour with Phil Lee and Co from Spain to the Highlands, representing NC!
Best view ever at the Argyll Hotel where Nigel and Franner treated us like royalty!
Ulapool feels like being at the top of the world with mountains meeting sea and a harbor dotted with fishing boats. Our bus driver on the early am return trip has a son with a bar in NYC called Jacques Thompson's Bairns.

After an awesome dinner @ the Argyll, I played nearly 3 hours to the very receptive, lively, and musically literate audience made up of locals and tourists, including a fiddle maker from fife who met JC when he was searching for his Scottish roots, and a Royal mail worker and his retired teacher wife on holiday from the South of England. The fiddle maker brought his dog into the pub, which I enjoyed.

4. Glasgow overall. Great folks, Sunny Govan radio on air with Jim. The Noam Chomsky Experience. Ken and Craig hosting the State show on Craig's birthday, and seeing Craig throw down with his slide of fury onstage. Craig and Ken showing support @ Pivo, and a late night drink @ a groovy place I would not have found on my own. Seeing pal Paul McLaughlin, and the old guys digging my grandfather song. Great architecture.

5. Grassington (link to Fest) and the rock star treatment, sharing the bill with the Proclaimers and Rick Wakeman, and discovering that there's another British accent as difficult as Glasgow to understand, Yorkshire!

Went to the wrong Red Lion, good thing I gave myself plenty of time. Google gave me the Red Lion Pub Skipton, a 20 minute cab or bus ride through winding sheep dotted stonewall criss-crossed dales and roads narrow enough for only one vehicle to pass away from Red Lion Burnsall, where the gig was. It being Sunday, I was lucky to meet a creative bus driver in Skipton and we schemed to catch another bus in Grassington with minutes to spare getting me to the correctvRed Lion on time. A very stately old Inn at the intersection of river and dales. Taxidermy and oil paintings adorn the walls and it's a popular spot for weddings and formal events.

A great audience turned up, mostly pre-paid, and listened attentively and applauded politely. A psychologist in the crowd shouted "get over it!", after I'd played my 3rd divorce song. (She later told me she thought they were some of my best. )

After the show, one of the folks I talked with was a fence builder. nice to meet one of the authors of the astounding network of hand stacked stone walls in the area, some of them 100's of years old I'm sure.

A great night's sleep at the Forrester's Inn in Grassington, a morning hike through town and into the moors, and English breakfast rounded out my visit.

Other tour notes;

Coffee addiction nasty- got myself hooked on coffee in a big way while abroad. Something to do. A treat. The buzz is nice while traveling. It hurts weening back off though!

Driving is the worst stressor, I realized after returning to my "normal" life. I did not drive at all while on tour, just rode trains and buses and walked. Got chauffeured a couple of times too. :)

3 times accosted while playing guitar. What is it about having a guitar in a public place that people feel entitled to ask if they can play it? No. i don't know you, bugger off!

Int'l roaming lessons. Sprint's int'l roaming package sucks. I learned through trial and error that the most cost effective thing was to get a pay as you go SIM card from Orange, a UK cell company. The rates were a fraction of Sprint's, and you can "top up" your card at stores practically anywhere. Plus the Orange stores have murals of cute little orange aliens inside, kind of fun.

Bye bye Facebook!

2010-06-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'm deactivating my FB account. On at least 3 occasions over the past few months, they've reset my notifications preferences without my permission, to start sending me notifications again. I've had it !

I will still be on Twitter and (cringe) Myspace. Even tho Myspace is dead, at least they respect my privacy. You can reach me via my website, markcool.org or just google me.
I'm on Reverbnation and the European House Concert Hub also. They respect my email space too.

Excellent and catchy satire song by Rhett and Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSnXE2791yg&feature=related

Best,

Mark

SMILE it's good for you. top 10 benefits

2010-04-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know that that timeless song "Smile (though your hear is aching)" was written by Charlie Chaplin for the movie Modern times in 1936?

This link is to my my favorite version by Madeleine Peyroux.
Michael Jackson and Nat King Cole both did popular versions also.

Did you know that smiling is beneficial to your health?

I looked up the health benefits after reading Thich Nhat Hanh's book Being Peace, which reminded me of the importance of mediatation, breathing, and smiling. I realized how ingrained it is in me not to smile. I've always heard that fun fact about how it takes like 17 muscles to smile, and 80 to frown. This means that it's harder work to frown and stay straight faced all the time, probably an energy drain.

10 benefits of smiling, from an article by Mark Stibich, PHD:

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive
We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in (avoid these smile aging habits to keep your smile looking great).
2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.
3. Smiling Is Contagious
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.
4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.
5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.
6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?
7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.
8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.
9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful
Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.
10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

Other news;

FREE song downloads on my website with mailing list sign up!

If you want to recommend my music at no risk to your friends, they can go to my listening page, punch in their email address there, and then receive free downloads. Of course, if you don't have the songs yet, you can get them too!

Nurturing creativity, embracing mistakes

2010-04-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

It's spring and beautiful with azaleas blooming everywhere and a full moon this week!

Thought for the day; "It's all about the mistakes."

Tom Waits, my hero, espouses this sentiment in an interview in "Innocent when you dream", a book I'm currently reading. I think it was Miles Davis who said "play it twice, and it's not a mistake anymore. For me it's about no being so precious about everything I create, and letting the creative process be messy. Some of my best bits come from "accidents", which I can notice as cool when I'm not white-knuckling my practice, trying to be perfect.

My dad used to say "practice makes perfect, but only if you practice perfection." That hung me up for awhile, because I'm pretty impatient when I can't do things perfectly. What I realize more and more is that it's good to go for perfection in alI do, as long as I realize that I'll never achieve it. Adopting this approach usually yields some pretty good results.

Yet another edge in life, a place where's there's no black and white, only shades of gray.

Irreverence coupled with deep caring. "AFGO", as my mom says.

"Just write. It's not about sitting around waiting for the muse. The people who are really good labour over what they write." - Amy Ray (Indigo Girls)

On the subject of the muse, nurturing creativity, and the pressure to be perfect, this Ted talk from Elizabeth Gilbert (best-selling author of Eat,Pray,Love) is wonderful.

It made me feel let off the hook, and made me cry at the end.

Derek Sivers (another of my heroes), was there, and said that he asked her afterward if she had just improv-ed that talk, it seemed so natural? She replied that she'd put about 80 hours into preparation.

Case in point.

Amazing Tone, quotes that inspire me

2010-01-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."
Henry Van Dyke

Good feelings at the Amazing Tone show. An intimate show that a few people commented was the best we've ever sounded. Thanks to Matt for the sound.

Brand new songs were debuted and Art added some great flavor and texture with his array of guitars and pedals. Greenie was his usual steady self on the double bass and backing vocals, taking the lead on "wagon wheel."

The show was recorded, and some live songs may be released once Matt's had a chance to mix and send it to me. He's a wizard in the studio, he played some demos he was working on. I'm looking forward to hearing what he does with our stuff!

Mark Cool; Is that your real name?

2010-01-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, is always the short answer.

But there is a story behind it.

I was born Mark Good Jutton, son of Michael Good Jutton and Elizabeth Jane Cool.
My parents divorced when I was 5.
I remember my Mom saying to me, you know, you can have whichever name you want. At that point it was unfathomable to betray my dad by forsaking his name.

I grew up with my mom, seeing my Dad on weekends and Summers. My uncle, Dik Cool lived with me throughout my childhood, part of the collective that was my family. Every Summer we spent about a month with Raymond and Esther Cool, my grandparents. We went down to Florida most Winters to visit them too. My Grandpa Ray rented a cabin on Ontario Lake for 2 weeks each Summer. Some of my fondest childhood memories were formed there. We swam every day, ate great meals, and generally had a lot of fun family time. We laughed a lot, especially playing cards and board games in the evenings. When we went Florida sometimes we'd see my Grandpa Ray's big brother Harry Cool, a smiling bear of a man who always had a new joke to tell and a belly laugh to go with it.

The Cool name was probably German before Ellis Island and spelled Kuhl. This I've heard from some family members. We also have Scottish and Irish, so it could've been McCool, which is found over in the British Isles. There's a fable in kids books of the giant, Finn McCool.

I had children in my late 20's. My daughter was born a Jutton. When my son was on the way, I started thinking more about what my mom had told me years ago about the names. I realized that I was at a point in my family tree where one of the names might die with me. On the Jutton side, there's been a lot of dysfunction, in my experience. Not really a happy family. My dad's sister had maneuvered to knock my brother and I out of my Grandma Jutton's will. We were supposed to get my dad's shares because he died when we were young. They didn't feel like family like the Cools did.

I changed my name to Mark Cool officially in LA County in April, 1998, just a month before my son was born. We changed my daughter's name at the same time. She liked it. She was 3 and a half, and she enjoyed going to the courthouse together. She already had her Grandma's name as her middle name, and she didn't know any Juttons. I couldn't think of a middle name for myself that felt right, and it seemed a bit much to be Mark Good Cool, so now I just have the two names. Good was another family name on my Dad's side, from Denmark.

So when people ask me, almost daily, is that your real name? I just say yes.

December

2009-12-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

December has been a month of songwriting, and getting ready for 2010, by sending out Pie to radio stations and getting my ducks in a row for bookings for 2010.
I did get a chance to pop in on John Saylor, who's been running a songwriter's open mic at the Cave, Chapel Hill for 9 years now! I played a couple of new songs and also Black Gold. Pete Pawsey was in attendance, said he was grooving on my display of my darker side. I also dropped in at Pete's Lilac Lounge one night, and played a few songs before the excellent Ragweed Boys took the stage.

My Movember push raised $135, which was great, my goal was at least $100 for the first time out. Next year I'll get a bigger team of 'stache farmers!

I have a couple of local shows coming up in January. One is an unplugged Lilac performance, with guest guitarist Art Champagne. And limber lipped Pete Pawsey guesting on harp if he's willing.
The second is a show in Raleigh at amazing Tone. It's a music store with and excellent lisening room in the back, with a full PA, seating (leather chairs if you get there early), and a coffee bar. byob. I'll play this with Art and Greenie Marley will join us on double bass.

My old Lilac home

2009-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

If you're a musician or a music fan, and you haven't been to the Lilac Lounge at Weaver St. Hillsborough on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30, you owe it to yourself to go.

This is not a normal open mic. It's cozy, familial, supportive, and the quality of music is great. Plus host Pete Pawsey does an excellent job of recruiting some of the best talent in the are to play 45 minute headlining slots. I thoroughly enjoyed Mandolin Orange's set tonight, and was pleasantly surprised to hear the Ragweed Boys for the first time.

Here's a photo of me singing, debutting my Movember stache onstage.

Cheers Pete!

West Fest, Max Stewart art show

2009-10-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Greenie and I played an art show on 10/5 that featured Max Stewart's paintings. The show was a great success, Max sold a bunch of paintings and some notecards, and got some good exposure, Max is a quadriplegic who paints with his mouth. His still lifes are really nice.

Last Sunday I played West Fest, joined by David Shore on Drums and Art Champagne with only 2 (!) guitars, and he sounded great! He even beat me tuning up for one song. ( He seems to play each song in a differant tuning. Nice slide sounds Art.
Thanks to Ed Buck for the nice West fest pics.

This Friday, 10/16 is a MCFS show at Harry's Market at white Cross. On the porch if it's nice, inside if it's chilly and rainy! Saturday I'm back at Harry's for an afternoon benefit for Alzheimer's, and I'll be debutting "Ghost in my Grandma's house", a song about my Grandpa Elmer, who had the disease. There'll be face painting, and kids' activities, food and beverages, and information booths from Orange and Alamance county Alzheimer's centers. Music and spoken word onstage from 11 am to 3 pm, feuturing multiple artists doing 10 minute sets.

Durham Farmer's Market, fun with Greenie firends old and new

2009-09-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Played the Durham Farmer's Market today, one of my favorite gigs! Greenie Marley sat in on the old doghouse bass, and harmonies. a couple of lead vocals too, his voice is sounding great, kudos to the vocal teacher who just moved away!
A guy named Roger showed up with a mandolin and sat in for a few tunes. We played about three hours, got to do a lot of my originals, stretching all the way back to songs from my early California days, like "Clark Kent", and "Foolish Dreams".

Got to see my favorite potter, Sarah Howe, and her beautiful clay creations, the ever friendly, helpful, and kind market manager, Erin, and lots of friends and neighbors! My mom stopped by, and Catherine came in just as we were launching into "November Rain" (her song.)

I've got a bunch of shows in October, including an Alzheimer's benefit show at Harry's Market in Chapel Hill on 10/17. (I play there with the band on Friday the 16th too.)

Excited to get Tim Ferriss' "The 4 hour work week" from the library today, along with a stack of cds to broaden my horizons. My most recent library find gem was Steve Earle's "Jerusalem", awesome!

Words of wisdom from the aforementioned book:
"Being busy is a form of laziness : lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being overwhelmed is as unproductive as doing nothing, and far more unpleasant. Being selective - doing less - is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few, and ignore the rest. Lack of time is actually a lack of priorities."

2009-09-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying a pretty full moon over Durham, and some cooler weather as I write a new batch of songs. they're percolating as a batch, i seem to be working on multiple songs simultaneously, snatches of differant tunes come to me here and there, and I continue to evolve them as bits arrive. Kind of like tending a garden, there's the tomatoes, and the basil and the cukes, etc. Like a summer garden, I feel like i'm bursting, with new songs ripe for harvest.

I've got an interesting batch of shows locally in October, including an open gallery in Durham, an Alzheimer's benefit in Chapel Hill (for which I'm writing a song), a block party in Old West Durham, and a wedding on the coast (not so local, but still in the state.)

August was good, with shows at Carrboro''s Weaver St. Market on the lawn, Harry's market at white Cross kicked of with a release of a beautiful barred owl into the wild, Daisy Cakes' first anniversary downtown (I wrote them a jingle too), and a house concert in Raleigh.

I've been having a lot of fun playing with the 3 degrees aka the Folk Stars; Art Champagne, Greenie Marley, and David Shore.

Amazing Tone

2009-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Played a Raleigh show Saturday night at Amazing Tone music , a very homey venue with great sound. I shared the bill with Pete Leary, humorist/songwriter, who looks a bit like Santa and writes hilarious, insightful songs and delivers them with a twinkle in his eye!

John Lynner Peterson was there taking photos, here's a link to his slideshow of the evening: slideshow: There's a slideshow button on the top right of the page.

I did an outdoor show at Weaver Street Market, Carrboro, for the Sunday brunch crowd. The Folk Stars joined me; Art Champagne, Greenie Marley, and David Shore. Joe Woodson played a set as well. Great crowd, great day, lots of fun!

Next show, Friday 8/21 at Harry's Market at White Cross, West of Carrboro on hwy 54.

Durham Magazine interview

2009-08-02T06:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Lisa Rossi for publishing her interview with me in Durham Magazine:
http://tiny.cc/pBVq9

Cave show, hand painted rooster tees!

2009-08-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

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Mandolin Orange stole the show with their great harmonies and songwriting, and excellent musicianship. Radar's Clowns had their show stolen by a hound named Sophie, and we had a stage full, as Chuck Snider made his Cave debut on pedal steel with the folk stars. The rooster tees, a silhouette of the rooster from the "Introducing Mark Cool and the Folk stars" cd cover, made their debut, hand painted stencil made by yours truly in an array of colors!

Daisycakes! 8/1/09

2009-08-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

Played Daisycakes' 1st anniversary today, lots of shiny happy people enjoying coffee and delights like orange pecan scones and birthday cake! Greenie joined me on the old doghouse bass, and we dusted off asome songs from 2007's "Introducing Mark Cool and the Folk Stars",. Tunes like "Foolish Dreams", Tonic and Gin", and She's a man" were fun to play again. My friend Jon got some good pics of DC's groovy airstream trailer and surrounding environs, hopefully he'll send some to me so I can post.
I'm writing a Daisycakes jingle:

Mp3 music playergreat free widgetsWidgetbox

The State of Things radio show 7/24/09

2009-08-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

Had a great time and gave the sound engineer fits, shoe horning 5 musicians into the studio, along with Frank Stasio for a live performance on WUNC 91.5 fm. Great experience on the show, awesome staff, cool studio in the Tobacco District of Durham, NC. We played "Dream Time", The Ballad of Mike and Mary", and "Drivin'" on air, and Frank and I talked about carpentry and songwriting mostly.

Link to podcast of the show: http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/sot0724c09.mp3/view (17 minutes running time)

Txakoli 7/25/09

2009-08-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

Txakoli fest at 6 Plates was full of Spanish wine enjoying revelers as Greenie, David and I played a set which included Cash. Prine, Merle haggard, and of course plenty of MCFS songs. A bunch of folks came out who'd heard the State of Things radio show on Friday the 24th. A duo called Caruso followed us, great guitar work, songwriting, and vocals, I recommend checking them out!

Lilac Lounge is a treasure, check it out

2009-07-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Lilac Lounge is fun, and host Pete Pawsey searches far and wide to bring great featured acts to Weaver St. Market in Hillsborough, every Thursday. I showed up to see my friend Pete and play a few tunes last week, and photographer Tiffany Dyer caught me in my rose colored glasses, enjoying playing and singing for the good folks at the Lilac.

You can link to Pete Pawsey on Facebook, and he'll send you a note inviting to the shows and telling you who's playing.

Pete and his band, Radar's Clowns of Sedation, will be joining me at the Cave, in Chapel Hill this Thursday, 7/30, for a folk/americana extravaganza, also featuring Mandolin Orange, a great young duo from Chapel hill.

Durham Farmer's market, little kids, and airlines who break guitars

2009-07-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Damn!
I'd forgotten how much I love playing the Durham Farmer's market. The little kids alone are worth it, waddling up to toss money in the guitar case, some trying to take few dollars out in the process, or grab my guitar, others gingerly edging forward, eyeing me carefelly, lest I might bite. I didn't even mention their dancing! Add to this the world class people watching, amazing produce and crafts, and shiny happy vendors, customers and staffers, and it's an all around wonderful Saturday!

A friend sent me this fun video from a musician who had his $3500 Taylor guitar broken by United Airlines, and they wouldn't pay. Every touring musician's worst nightmare, but he does extract a measure of revenge here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efark%2Ecom%2Fcgi%2Fvidplayer%2Epl%3FIDLink%3D4494295&feature=player_embedded

2009-06-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

I had a great birthday, playing music at the Lilac Lounge in Hillsborough with Pete Pawsey and friends, complete with dozens of gourmet cupcakes. ( I had ginger-pomegranate.) After Lilac, I headed on to Dain's on 9th St. in Durham to play a set of old country songs with David Shore on drums and Tom Clark on bass, and some guest mandolin by Jason Beverly. Lots of friends came out for a beverage and to sing along to tunes like "Angel from Montgomery", "Delta Dawn", and "Paradise" (AKA Meuhlenberg County", by Prine.)

MY Birthday, come join me for some music!

2009-06-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

My birthday is Thursday, June 4, and I'll be celebrating by joining my friend Pete Pawsey at the Lilac Lounge at Weaver St Market, Hillsborough, NC, from 6-8 pm to play some music together. The merriment will continue at Dain's Place, on 9th St in Durham, NC, where me and some musical friends will play songs starting at 9. If you're in the area, stop down. If you're a musician, join us onstage, and bring an instrument if you want.

23 stories up!

2009-05-31T16:25:00.001-07:00

Had a fun show last night at the RBC Plaza Sunset Patio in Raleigh, NC. A benefit for the Crepe Myrtle foundation for AIDS outreach. 23 stories up on a patio with 250 people. I was joined by Greenie Marley on the old doghouse bass. Fun!

May 19, Ulapool

2009-05-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

May 19, 2009
Inverness-Breakfast at Dave Sidley’s, and a hike up to the lovely site of the former Broom Castle, fort of a Pictish king. Views of the Buelie firth and hillsides covered with yellow gorse and broom, and bluebells.
On to Rob Ellen’s in Dingwall for a trip to Ulapool and a guest appearance on Rob’s Loch Broom FM, followed by a show at the Argyll Hotel. Tomorrow is Amsterdam.
Great day with Rob and Anne in Ulapool. One of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever been in, nestled between mountains and sea, the harbor dotted with fishing boats. Great fish and chips when we arrived, my first of the trip. Beautiful drive on the way up through mountains and forest. Radio show with Rob on Loch Broom FM was fun, talked and played a few tunes live. Thanks to Aggie from the station for gifting me a marker that actually writes on the glossy jackets of my new cds! I put it to use right away, signing cds at the gig later. Fun show at the Argyll with lots of enthusiastic audience members, mostly tourists from around the world. Calum and Shug from the first act, the Confederates, joined me at the end of the 2nd set for a couple of Carter Family tunes. Up late watching cricket and baseball and eating cheese and crackers with Rob. Early train to Edinburgh tomorrow. My Ulapool pics are m.i.a. I hope to find them and add trhem later. There were some really good ones!

May 23, Glasgow, final show

2009-05-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

May 23, 2009
Derbyshire- Great night’s sleep at Ses and Jen’s, awakened with coffee and buttered toast! Another early train, 6 hour trip to Edinburgh, where I’ll reclaim my rucksack from the storage at the train station, then on to Glasgow, for the final gig of the tour. I got the luxury of a couple of hours to relax at the flat in Glasgow before heading to the train to get to the Woodend Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club, where the Sounds in the Suburbs shows are held. I shared the bill with Gavin Moore, who’s from Ireland. Fun show, nice folks, cool venue. Looking forward to getting home tomorrow. Another early morning for bus to train station, and second bus to airport. Lots of trains, planes and buses this tour!

May 22, Derbyshire

2009-05-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

May 22,2009
Amsterdam- Tram to train, train to Scchipol airport. Early! I’m flying to Manchester, then a short train ride to Chesterfield, where I get picked up and taken to the show in Derbyshire. Stopped off in Manchester for all day breakfast and to find a guitar string.Walking downtown streets in steady rain to find the music store, guided halfway there by the friendly dishwasher from the restaurant. Chesterfield was delightful, nice outdoor market. I had time to chill at a pub and have fish and chips, and wander the town.
Fun, intimate show at the Rose and Crown Pub. The opening act cancelled last minute, so I just played an hour and a half straight. Had fun with Pete Shields, who puts on the Candlelit sessions, and stayed at the home of Ses and Jen, near Nottingham forest and the graves of friar tuck and Little John.

2009-05-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

May 19, 2009
Inverness-Breakfast at Dave Sidley’s, and a hike up to the lovely site of the former Broom Castle, fort of a Pictish king. Views of the Buelie firth and hillsides covered with yellow gorse and broom, and bluebells.
On to Rob Ellen’s in Dingwall for a trip to Ulapool and a guest appearance on Rob’s Loch Broom FM radio show, followed by a performance at the Argyll Hotel. Tomorrow is Amsterdam.
Great day with Rob and Anne in Ulapool. One of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever been in, nestled between mountains and sea, the harbor dotted with fishing boats. Great fish and chips when we arrived, my first of the trip. Beautiful drive on the way up through mountains and forest. Radio show with Rob on Loch Broom FM was fun, talked and played a few tunes live. Thanks to Aggie from the station for gifting me a marker that actually writes on the glossy jackets of my new cds! I put it to use right away, signing cds at the gig later. Fun show at the Argyll with lots of enthusiastic audience members, mostly tourists from around the world. Calum and Shug from the first act, the Confederates, joined me at the end of the 2nd set for a couple of Carter Family tunes. Up late watching cricket and baseball and eating cheese and crackers with Rob. Early train to Edinburgh tomorrow.

2009-05-26T21:19:00.001-07:00

May 21, 2009
Amsterdam- Slept late, got up and took a long walk around the town, ending up at a grocery store. It’s great to be able to cook my own food when I’m on the road! And to buy snacks that aren’t marked up to train and airport prices. I made myself a fritatta, then went to a park and sat outside and played guitar til showtime. Show was fun, I made new friends from Norway, Florida, and New York, and had a lot of fun playing music. Another late night fritatta at the flat, and to bed so I can get an early flight to Manchester.

May 20, Amsterdam

2009-05-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

May 20, 2009
7 a.m. departure from Rob’s place in Dingwall to the train station in Inverness. I’ll get off @ Edinburgh, take a bus to the airport, and fly to Amsterdam! Two shows there, then back across for a show in the Midlands in Derbyshire, then my final night in Glasgow, before returning to the states.
Amsterdam’s a different world. Bicycles everywhere! Electric trams and the smell of pot wafting from sidewalk cafes. Played the first of 2 nights at Mulligans Irish Pub. Lots of noisy folk, no work tomorrow for most people. Mulligans put me up in a flat about 15 minutes walk from the Pub. Pretty town at night with lights on old buildings and reflecting on canals. Lots of house boats!

May 18, Virtual house concert in Ness

2009-05-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

May 18, 2009Delicious breakfast at Diane’s, Fresh squeezed OJ, eggs, meusli and yogurt. Bus to train, train to Edin burgh For Ness connection to the Shed at Sidley’s. A bit of time for guitar playing in the station, a photo of the silver slug on the way out. (Newcastle performance hall.) Picked up at train by Dave Sidley and RetroSmith, aka Flat Rabbit. Quick snack, beer run, and wading through tech stuff to set up virtual house concert. Fun show with Roddy Huggan, Maria Hall, and a rousing set from Flat Rabbit to close things down! People tuned in from as far afield as Durham, NC and Korea. Late night chicken curry at Dave’s, delicious!

May 17, Newcastle benefit show

2009-05-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2009
Edinburgh, Scotland. Brunch with Penny at Mezz bar. Stayed for coffee and WIFI. Ride to train from Ben, Train to Newcastle, risotto dinner with Diane before show. Got to see couchsurfing friends Martin and Julia at Cumberland Pub. Martin cultivating a Capt. Jack Sparrow look for a festival he’ll attend this Summer. Great show; Geordie swing from Shipcote and friends, gravelly voiced blues from Bill Sharp and the Flats, with harmonica god Martin Fletcher, sweet vocals and fingerpicking from Gem Andrews, and a happy reunion with Fletcher as he joined me in my set to finish the evening. A full house and funds raised for Maggie’s Centre for families affected by cancer. Great photos from Paul, bass player of Bill and the Flats. Colin and Catriona drove 30 miles to see me on Colin’s birthday! I drank a bit too much beer, again. No thanks to a mad Irishman! Nice late night chat with Diane, and a welcome sleep.

Euro tour diary May 16, Scotland

2009-05-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

May 16
Glasgow- Internet and BLT at coffee shop, busked on Buchanon St with Hope, the fiddler. Carter Family, JC, and fiddle tunes. Watched street performer escape from straitjacket. Train to Edinburgh, picked up by Ben. Ben is the graphic artist who did the cd jacket for "Pie". His company is Firefly.Played some b-ball with Ben and Max before the house concert. A bit too much beer, but lots of fun!

May 15, Euro tour

2009-05-16T05:24:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2009
Shower, toast and marmalade at Diane’s. 7:41 train to Glasgow from Newcastle for 11 a.m. radio spot. Caffeine overload from too many chocolate covered espresso beans + beers the night before + jet lag + sleep deprivation = raw! Probably good for a radio in studio spot. Sheep and yellow flowers dot the hillsides out the window of the train. Breathtaking ocean scapes and ancient stone farm buildings. Fitful sleep and some guitar playing in the vestibule between train cars. Cool Glaswegian cab driver. I am remembering that it takes a lot of focus for me to understand the Glaswegian accent! Great radio show with John MacDonald on Sunny Govan 103.5 FM. Interview and a live performance of “dream time”. They asked me to do a lead in voice spot in my American accent too. Cross town journey with Paul McLaughlin of Glasgow band, the Lonesome Hearts to get to my flat for the night. Made myself a cheese omelet and potatoes then crashed on the couch for 3 hours! Fun gig @ Liquid Ship, met Hope Hoffman, a fiddler from Maine, we played some tunes together onstage, including Black Veil. Tomorrow I go to Edinburgh for a house concert with Ben, who did the cd art for Pie.

Euro tour diary May 09

2009-05-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

May 14, 2009
Raleigh to Philly. Layover Philly. Lots of walking to the gate. Airport food, guitar playing, and watching the NBA in the lobby. Philly to London. Reading New Moon and sleeping. Stewardesses who look like 60’s girl group holdovers, mascara, big hair, lipstick, the works. Breakfast at Giraffe in Heathrow airport. Fresh squeezed OJ, beans, bacon, eggs and potatoes. Security women with attitude, gate 14a. London to Glasgow. Surrounded by a gaggle of models/ dancers on tour on this flight. Chocolate covered espresso beans on the bus to Queen’s station, compliments of Catherine. Train to Newcastle, playing guitar in the vestibule between cars C and D to pass the time. Picked up at the station by Diane, whisked to the gig, after about 20 hours of travel. Cluny II/ Jumpin’ Hot Club, great gig. Fans came to see me who were at my show 1 year ago! I got asked for my autograph! Laurie Lewis’ band rocked, bluegrass style, and the banjo player had sat in at the Q shack, Durham a couple of weeks ago, small world! Tomorrow 7:41 a.m. train back to Glasgow for the Sunny Govan 103.5 FM radio show with John MacDonald. Gig at the Liquid Ship tomorrow night. It’s chilly here, I love it! My new guitar and pick up sound great! “Dream time” seemed to be the crowd favorite tonight.

2009-05-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'll be leaving for Europe in 6 days, on Wed, May 13th. I touch down in Glasgow, then take a train to my first show in Newcastle, opening for Laurie Lewis. My travels will take me to the Scottish Highlands, for shows with Dave Sidley and Rob Ellen, and I'll be visiting Amsterdam for the first time! I'll also be heading South to Derbyshire for a show with Candlelit records. The tour wraps up in Glasgow, a Sounds in the Suburbs event with co-headliners the Endrick Brothers. This concert is part of the Glasgow Americana Fringe Fest.

I'm going to attempt to keep a daily diary here on Blogger. I say attempt, b/c I may not always have internet access, but i was able to find it most of the time on my last euro tour.

I did some photos this week with Ann Dwyer, this one's part of that session.

europe, pie, school for wonder, my new guitar, and I got to see dr. ralph stanley sing!

2009-04-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of seeing Ralph Stanley at last weekend's Shakori Hills Fest, here in NC. He sang a haunting rendition of "OH death", from the Oh brother whereart thou soundtrack, among others. More highlights for me were seeing old friend Jimmy Magoo playing his infectious, audience particpatory tunes with his band, the songwriter showcase hosted by Greg Humphries, and seeing friend Tommy Edwards with Lonesome Heart. The first time I'd seen Tommy in this lineup, they were great, trading lead vocals and singing harmonies on old-time country and bluegrass and originals.
I went down to Chatham County a day early and spent time on my friend Max's land, helping build his house, holding baby Holyanna and looking at Rhode Island Reds, and playing my new Seagull guitar around the campfire.
The Seagull artist series folk model guitar is the one I'm taking to Europe in May. (I'll be on tour there from the 14th thru the 23rd, and I'll be writing about my adventures here on this blog.) The guitar's got a cedar top and mahogany sides. Smells great when I take it out of the case! It feels good in my hands, and it has a neck that's slightly wider than normal, which makes it easier to do the fingerstyle playing that I do.
The Pie cds came this week, they look beautiful! thanks to Ben Walker and his company, Firefly UK for the amazing artwork. The cd can be gotten at live shows, and off my website, www.markcool.org at present. It's not officially released until all the press and radio people have their copies, so they can feel special ;)
Once it's officially out, it'll be on all the internet outlets as well.
I've recently formed a partnership with Jesse White, creator of the School for Wonder, she'll be handling my bookings and doing some management. I'm very excited about this new partnership, it'll give me the ability to focus more of my energies on songwriting, guitar playing, and performing!
Recommended:http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/overnight-success/ The Art of NonConformity, and a free e-book called 279 days to overnight success.

the Cave

2009-04-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

the cave show was great. One of the Watercallers' final shows, sniff :(
They delivered their usual high quality set with great songs and great energy! i can singalong with almost all of their tunes at this point.

Peter Pawsey and Radar's Clowns of Sedation played a really fun set of bluesy, gospelly americana. Pete's got great presence up front.

I had alot of fun playing the tunes from "pie" with the studio band; Greenie Marley on bass, David Shore on drums, and Art Champagne playing his rack o' guitars and pedals, creating excellent accompaniment. We sang happy b-day to Greenie, who celebrated his 60th, and he blew out the candles on a cheery pie. I gave away an apple pie to Ina, one of the party guests, and Bart from the Water Callers won the free cd. (It wasn't rigged , really.) Actually, he said that he hd a premonition before his name was drawn ath he would win!

I'm gearing up for a European visit in May, and negotiating with a new manager and booking agent, which I'm very excited about!

If you want to be a part of the street team, let me know @ 1folkstar!@gmail.com. We're giving a percentage of any bookings street team members generate. Everyonme can use some extra cash these days!

MC

prine, new guitar

2009-04-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

I went to see John Prine this past saturday here in Durham, at the new DPAC. What a master he is! Great command of vocals and guitar playing, I could understand almnost every word he sang! Awesome, quirky storytelling, and a buddha like impish stage presence as he paused in the middle of songs to vamp and tell rambling stories that somehow eventually tied in with the song.

He did a great job playing all the "hits", and did some stuff solo, and for the rest was joined by an excellent bassist and a lead guitar player who played subtly and tastefully. A perfect set up for featuring the songs I thought

Amos Lee did a great job opening, and got to sing the encore of "Muehlenberg County with Mr. Prine, lucky bastard!

I'm in the market for a new stage guitar, if you know of anyone who's selling an old Martin or Gibson, or similar axe.

Big show at the Cave, Chapel Hill, this Thursday, I'm looking forward to it!"

dogs, mechanics, and radials, house concertin raleigh tonight

2009-03-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

I had a great time playing in Greensboro last night at the Flatiron with Mystk Dogs, Amelia's Mechanics, and Stephen Corbett of the Radials.

all great acoustic based music with alot of soul. i highly recommend checking out these acts, live, and on the web. A warm audience, and excellent barside manner and service by Ms. Wallace rounded out a perfect night!

Tonight's a house concert in raleigh, where I'll be joined by Greenie on double bass and Jason on Mandolin, should be fun!

green beer and folk songs

2009-03-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

i had a great time on tuesday, playing folk songs at dain's place, my favorite local pub. i did some finger picked tunes, an a cappella irish tune and some of my orginal songs from the new cd.

the hot lunch boys rocked before me, adam sampieri followed me with soulful acoustic guitar and singing, and bob funck closed it down.

thanks to all my friends and neighbors who came down to drink green beer (or brown), and listen and hang out, it was fun.

i think dain would've won best dressed in his full irish regalia and flashing gangsta style shamrock necklace.

3 concert events this week, my calender's on the right margin of this blog, for more info. i'll be in hillsborough, greensboro, and raleigh this coming week. i hope to see you out!

st paddy's show @ dain's

2009-03-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

just added a show for st paddy's day at dain's place on 9th st. here in durham. free to get in, a number of local acts playing acoustic sets, including bob funck: www.bobfunck.com

i played there last year too, it was fun:

my favorite part of this vid is when anson, over by the door comes alive and starts dancing for the last part of the song, it's groovy!
come have a green beer!

i hate lovin you so much

2009-03-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

another great day in the studio here in durham. i spent the day at overdub lane with engineer extraordinaire, thom canova. we did some tweaks of the tunes from "pie", including a new, raw, guitar and vocal ony version of "i hate lovin you so much" (see video of one of the takes here: the disc is slated for release in april, '09. there'll be previews and release events leading up to the official release. here's the updated schedule: march 26- weaver st market hillsborough's 'lilac lounge'- an intimate, unplugged performance with greenie marley on stand up bass and art champagne displaying his dazzling guitar prowess! march 27- greensboro, nc- at the flat iron with the radials! march 28- house concert in raleigh @ kevin's house email falczeums@mindspring.com
to rsvp. april 9 at the cave, chapel hill, nc- special event 3 bands for $5! special guests the watercallers @ 9 pm, mark cool and the folk stars at 10 pm, radar's clowns of sedation at 11 pm. folk/americana fun all night long! listening to waylon jennings' 'honky tonk heroes' lately. man that dude's a great writer and singer, talk about tears in your beer!

pie updates and cd release events.

2009-03-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

pie updates, cd release events

what's happening with 'pie', the follow up to the acclaimed 'introducing mark cool and the folk stars'?
monday, 3/9 is our last studio day here in durham at overdub lane, then we'll be mastering at the kitchen in carrboro. in the studio, we'll do a few tweaks to the songs, and maybe add another one or two. i've had a few people say that we should drop the cover of delta dawn. you can listen here; www.markcool.org/id74.html, and weigh in here; 1folkstar@gmail.com with your opinion. all feedback is appreciated.
cd release events are happening around the triangle; 4/9, thursday at the cave in chapel hill . i'll be playing with the full studio band and joined by special guests the watercallers and radar's clowns of sedation. $5 for all 3 acts, plus the cozy, time-worn ambience of the cave, replete with stalagtites!
3/26 is the first cd release event, an intimate performance at the lilac lounge at weaver st. market, hillsborough, where i'll be joined by greenie marley on stand up bass, and art champagne on an array of guitars.
in the raleigh area, there'll be a house concert at kevin's on 3/28, saturday, part of the '100 house concerts tour', and a return to the kick off site of said tour. falczeums@mindspring.com is the address to email to reserve a spot or spots at this solo acoustic show.
i'll also be doing a show at the flat iron in greensboro, the early slot , on 3/27 friday., so i guess that's the triad release event.
this is an indie release, so the more events, the better. let us know if you want to host a house concert or help to set up a show in your area: 1folkstar@gmail.com
the first european tour of '09 is slated for may 15-25, with shows booked in amsterdam, nl, glasgow, scotland, and derbyshire, england, among others. let us know if you want to help with a show in europe.
best,
mc

world tour, new cd update, and a great local folk jam

2009-02-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

fun folk jam at the weaver street market, hillsborough with pete pawsey. special guest chuck petty ripped it up bluegrass style with tim stambaugh (pictured with pete), on banjo and dobro, and a great fiddler/ singer woman who's name i can't recall. cool stuff. i got to play along with pete as he sung 'chocolate jesus' (pic above), one of my favorite tom waits songs. (i have alot of favorite tom waits songs, he's one of my idols.)
i got to do a version of 'dry well' blus', a tune from my new cd, with a few players joining in. i led us through libba cotten's freight train too, which is a good tune to dust off every once in awhile and play.

i'm going back to overdub lane in a week or so for another day of tweaking before the final master. sohard to just let it go. it was a fun vibe that we created in 3 days in the studio, and i want to keep that intact.

the world tour for 09 is starting to take shape. i've got shows in scotland, england, and the netherlands booked, as well as a bunch of shows here in carolina and moving north up the coast into PA. and Mass. 3 house concerts are confirmed, more in the works, keeping the '100 house concerts tour' going.

new band discovery; the endrick brothers, out of scotland. i'm playing a show with them in glasgow, for the americana fest. cool stuff, check 'em out!

mc

at weaver st market

2009-02-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

played weaver st market tonight with pete pawsey. special guest victor murrillo from ecuador was awesome on classical guitar and pan pipes! (zamfir eat your heart out.)gopal made another stab at sit down /stand up comedy, claiming my name sounded like a dish at an ethiopian restaurant, "markcool". he also discussed hari krishnas in airports, scrubs, and made fun of other people in attendance.
the geezers played some cool old-timey tunes, and pete rocked the banjar. dave the adman from ny delivered some cool tunes and comic interludes. i missed some of it b/c i was towing a horse trailer from durham to chapel hill. azim the dapple grey throroughbred has a new home at spence's farm.
i unveiled a couple of tunes from 'pie' for the folks there, a preview of a cd release event i'm doing tthere on 3/26, unplugged, with special guest guitarist art champagne, (who rocks.)

recommended site: music thoughts

2009-02-04T02:23:00.000-08:00

this is a cool site put out by derek sivers, founder of cdbaby.com. it's chock full of inspirational quotes primarily aimed at musicians, but probably some gold here for everyone, musician or not.

first cd release event for 'pie' is tentatively scheduled for 3/26 at weaver st. market in hillsborough!

overdub pics on flickr

2009-01-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

there are more pics that thom conova took during the recording sessions on his flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=mark%20cool&w=22237359%40N06
photos of me, greenie, david, art, sherry and scott. thom's got some other cool photos he's taken elsewhere in his travels and recording adventures too.

weaver street with pete

2009-01-22T22:08:00.000-08:00

weaver st market in hillsborough is featuring an open mic hosted by pete pawsey, of radar's clowns of sedition, on thursdays from 630-830. i went this week, and had a lot of fun. pete asked me to play a 1/2 hour set to kick things off, and my daughter celina joined me for a fewtunes.

a variety of performers entertained afterward, including pete singing some tunes, a tasty tom waits cover, stand up bass and the kid from cincy, and the group therapy sit down stand up comedy stylings of green lantern shirted, guardians of O (sp?) channeling gopal.

pie 'in the can'

2009-01-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

we got 11 good tracks laid down in 3 days at overdub lanes, alot of fun! i had the pleasure of working with some great musicians and thom canova was awesome in the control roam coaxing and capturing the best performances from everyone.

pics; sherry honeycutt on vocals, art champagne playing lead guitar, scott laird on fiddle, and board maestro thom canova.

link to pre-master versions of 'dry well blues' and 'november rain': a taste of pie

going in! and hidden gems (right under our noses.)

2009-01-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

i’m going in!
sunday's the first day overdub lanes recording studio here in durham. we're going to go for an old time, record feel, cutting alot of it live, with everyone playing at once.
i've had a ton of challenges trying to record at home with the software acting up, and my computer not co-operating, etc. i'll look forward to turning it over to the pros, and just playing my guitar and singing!
in fact, i'm having a guiness and playing guitar and singing right now.

recommended: jim boyd; 'a million miles away', i found him trough my friend eric.

also cool:

Violinist in the Metro--- Wash, DCA man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

sent to me by my friend eileen.

vote for the new cd cover!

2008-12-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

there's a page up on markcool.org with 3 of the pics from my session with durham photog mark pettit, with an e z click to vote panel. i think i know which pic i'm using, but i'd like to hear what you think too.

soon i'll post some drafts of songs up there.

i just checked out a hilarious video from scot singer-songwriter roberto cassani 'office christmas party', check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QnzDoAFJ2Y

i played on a bill with this guy at hoots in inverness on my last trip to scotland, i'm sorry now that i missed his set!

kicking caffeine- ouch!

2008-12-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

i started coffee drinking just a couple of years ago, and recently decided to quit. i wish i'd known how painful it'd be, i would've weened off of it, tapering down my consumption gradually. i'm in the 3rd day of cold turkey quitting, and i've had headaches, fever, fatigue, and now may back and legs have been aching something awful!
damn! that caffeine really doesn't want to let go!

i was up 1/2 the night with pains in my legs like the growing pains i had when i was a kid. i looked it up on google, and people report aches and pains, but mainly in the back region. i love coffee, but i think i'll have more energy and focus overall without it. it alos goes hand in hand for me with alcohol, and sugar, and becomes a cycle of balancing these various 'medications'.

my kids have been home with whooping cough all week, (i'm a single dad), and my guitar playing has been mainly flat on my back in between tending to them, and fighting off mr. caffeine.

i'm looking forward to getting some final tracks down this weekend, as art comes over to record guitars, and greenie may do a bit more bass playing. then a little fiddle and some backing vocals, and it'll be time to edit and mix!

6 plates fun

2008-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

a raucous crowd celebrated the 1st anniversary of 6 plates wine bar in durham in style, with gourmet southern food, beer and wine, and good live music.

greenie marley played some stand up bass with me, decked out in an embroidered cowboy shirt, and i had the pleasure of playing with jason beverly for the first time. a fine mandolin player. sherry honeycutt stole the show, as she joined us to sing 'angel from montgomery' and 'delta dawn', the crowd whooping and cheering at her diva-ness.

the watercallers played their usual quality set of catchy, singalongable tunes with great energy, mo' better impressed with their superb jazz chops (though i think my fave was a leonard cohen cover that they did.) i missed carlitta's late set, they were still waiting on a band member when i left, sometime after 11 pm.

the early session saw the sno-cones rocking out on a fun and diverse collection of covers, from the dead's "box of rain", to "border radio" from the blasters, with penne sandebeck's warm and witty originals mixed in. art champagne continues to impress me with his guitar chops, alternating between acoustic, resonator, and strat guitars.

i think that my next show will be the cd release for 'pie', sometime in february, '09.

saturday line up at 6 plates, durham

2008-11-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

this saturday, i'm coming out of hibernation tp play music at 6 plates wine bar's 1st anniversary party. i've been cloistered away with my laptop, microphone, and guitars for months. it'll be strange playing live, i'm so used to the routine of playing with headphones on and staring at sheet music or a computer screen. it'll be cool to see live faces in front of me!

this is a really cool venue with great wines and 6 mini-plates, sort of tapas size, but southern gourmet food, and they have beer too. it's sort of upscale with leather couches and chandeliers, and there's a back area with a wii for kids (and kids at heart). we did a similar event as txakoli fest there this summer, and it was a blast!

i'm helping to put together music for the party, and i'm also playing some of my tunes with stand up bassist greenie marley, mandolin player jason beverly of downriver, and a special guest vocalist too! also playing are: the watercallers, one of my fave local acts, sort of country americana folk, mo' better , who i don't know much about, and the snocones, who play acoustic based alt-blues/folk stuff. there's an r n b act at 10:15, and a dj after. there'll be a gourmet burger truck parked outside after the 6 plates kitchen closes (11p.m.)
so in a nutshell:
party, sat 11/29, noon-late nightwhere: 6 plates 2812 erwin rd., durham, 27705 sixplateswinebar.comcost:
free to get in food and drinks for sale
line up:12:30 tba
1:45 the sno-cones folk/alt-blues
3:30 break for the duke-unc game (the venue has tv's)
6:30 mo'better jazz/blues?
7:45 mark cool (and the folk stars) folk/ americana
9:00 the watercallers americana/ country-ish
10:15 carlitta r n b
11:30 dj and burger truck parked outside

hope to see you there, i'll be the tall skinny guy, running p.a. part of the time, probably emceeing some too.

who needs roadside assistance? or... how a guitar string saved my arse!

2008-11-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

i was cruising down a country road outside durham in my 1982 mercedes 300d, enjoying the sunlight on the foliage, when there came a sudden, awful, scraping sound from onder the car. i thought, "oh shit, i'd better pull over, a spark in the wrong place and the thing could blow!"

i pulled to the shoulder, and found that my exhuast pipe had broken, about one third of the way from the front of the car and had filled with gravel and dirt when i pulled over. there was no way to drive it this way, and i was s'posed to be meeting a bass player friend of mine for a recording session in 15 minutes or so.

i thought, " shit, i've got no wire or tools, and i sure don't want to call a tow truck." then i thought of my sweet little martin backpacker guitar in the hatch compartment. i carry it everywhere, in case i have some downtime, so i can noodle and write songs. i wondered if the low e string would be strong enough to carry the weight of the exhaust pipe, it was pretty heavy. anyway, i pulled the string off, and crawled under there and wired the pipe to the frame with the guitar string, and sure enough, i was able to limp the remaining 5-6 miles home with it!

who needs a tow truck when you've got a guitar?

greenie and i got some more bass tracks done, and i'm looking forward to mixing at overdub lanes here in durham in january.

i'm coming out of recording hibernation to do a show this saturday, 11/29, to celebrate the first anniversary of 6 plates wine bar here in durham.

also on the roster for entertainment will be; the snocones, radar's clowns of sedation, the watercallers, mo' better trio, and possibly more. music runs from 12:30 p.m. to 10 or 11, with a break for the duke-carolina game in the middle, and a dj closing oout the night. it'll be a fun break from recording.

up late, singing, rambling, red wine fueled blog.

2008-11-18T21:07:00.000-08:00

"singing to my demons, alone in the night, soothing their savagery, keeping them at bay with a guitar and a glass of red wine."- mc

red wine, 20 degree weather, a good guitar, what more could i ask for?

up late, singing 'til i'm hoarse, loving these songs that will comprise the new cd, 'pie'.

saw greg brown last night, not that impressed. (sorry g.b. fans.) most impressive qualities to me; married to iris dement, and good story telling, and deep baritone vocal flourishes. good bluesy guitar pickin' too. i'm not saying he sucked, just trying to figure out what elevated him to cult status and a grammy nomination. to be honest, i haven't heard the grammy nominated cd, maybe it's awesome. he did inspire me to continue to improve my guitar chops. he's got a very fluid style, keeping a rhythm going and playing nice melodies against it.

i have a compilation disc with a song called 'your town now' (?) by greg. i think that's a cool song. i wouldn't pay another $20 to see him again. (unless iris was singing with him. )

the theatre at duke was only half full or less, but some folks paid $35 to be in the front row.

i'm playing this nylon stringed guitar that was my girlfriend's mom's. an old yamaha, nothing extraordinary, yet it resonates with me, more than my martin, or other guitars right now. it's got a buzz on one of the strings, the action is high, but it sounds so sweet, and feels so good to play.

i had a hand made classical guitar when i lived in ny and took lessons with dana klipp. it was made by harry eibert, out of manlius, ny. i sold it to pay for a breath work seminar in the 80's, before i moved to l.a. the guitar was so perfectly made, that you could stand it on end and walk away, and it would stay put. this was not a good thing for me, as i tested it repeatedly, standing it up and leaving the room to do stuff, until, inevitably, one day it fell and cracked. maybe it was the cat, maybe the floor vibration from me3 stomping around, idk. i had to sheepishly take it back to harry for repair, and promise not to stand it up in the middle of a room and leave it there.

in the studio!

2008-11-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

the follow up to the acclaimed (and reviled) 2007 release, "introducing mark cool and the folk stars" is being recorded now! Americana UK's writers picked the disc as one of their top 20 of 2007, along with Wilco, Okkervil River, Peter Case, and Crowded House, among others. There are more reviews here. We also got a good amount of radio play, which continues on many college stations across the U.S. and some in Europe.

The new disc will have 7 new original songs, and there'll be 4 instumentals in the mix. I've been re-writing and arranging, making sure keys and tempos are right and sweating the details. It's alot of work, and fun too! I was at it this morning from 3 a.m. 'til 10 a.m., and am working to get some mp3's of tunes into the hands of some of my special musical guests, so they can get ready to do their thing(s).

Funding help is appreciated, even if you just pre-order a copy of the disc. It'll probably cost about $10,000 to record, duplicate, and publicize, and that's keeping it pretty close to the bone. You can pre-order and/or contribute to the cd fund here.

i could also use some 'taste-testers'. once i've listened to the songs 200-300 times, i can lose the ability to hear them anymore, it helps if i have a few volunteers to listen and give honest feedback. i'd rather have someone tell me a song or a part of a soong isn't working, before i print up 1000 cds :)

overall, i'm very excited about the way things are shaping up, and eager to put this disc out and get back out and play shows!