Mark Hansen Music - LDS Rock Music - Free Downloads

Mark Hansen Music - LDS Rock Music - Free Downloads
Get the new CD, "The Third Time" HERE




WARNING: Listening to this music doesn't require parental approval. It's a bit of clean rebellion. It keeps your outlook up and your hope alive. It's got strong drums and screaming guitars. It pumps you up and drives your life. It's a hunger for exploration. It chooses the right and returns with honor. It's music you don't have to confess to your bishop.

It's not your parents' "Saturday’s Warrior".

It's "A Joyful Noise"

Sunday, November 28, 2010

“The Third Time” is Here!

I’m really excited to announce that my third CD, cleverly entitled, “The Third Time” is finally available!

I’ve been working to get this CD written, recorded, mixed, and finally mastered for about three years, and I’m very proud of the results.  This CD rocks!  I really pushed the envelope in a lot of ways, doing some things that just aren’t heard of in mainstream LDS music.  I pushed back quite a few of my own personal creative boundaries as well.

At the same time, I did a lot of things that you’ve come to expect from me and my music.  There are a lot of guitars in this CD, perhaps moreso than any other.  This CD is probably the most personally religious of all my collections.

Here are some highlights (many of you who’ve been along for the ride have already heard a lot of these tunes).

  • “Martyrs” - One of my personal favorite.  I described it once as “Guns and Roses meets The Who with a fiddle player.”  It’s my tribute to the many over the years who have given their lives rather than deny the truth.  It’s a powerful anthem full of explosive guitars.

  • “Shine the Light” - This one stretched me more artistically than any other.  I was truly out of my element, and I hope I brought it all back to my own.  In the end, it rocks!  A collaboration with my friend, LDS rapper Arythmatik

  • “Alleluia” - Showing how faith gets me through adversity.

  • “Too Late Smart” - A driving rocker based on one of my mother’s catchphrases.

  • “The Spin” - With scat vocals from Sam Payne, this is an up-tempo romp looking at politics through my cynical eye.

The CD (along with the previous two) is available for $11 + $2 shipping and handling by simply clicking here: http://www.markhansenmusic.com/p/cds.html  For those that have downloaded the songs as they were recorded and released out to the web, these songs have been remastered for CD and, of course, don’t include the voicetag slates at the end.  Not to mention the schnazzy cover!


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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post, name post,

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Good News and Bad News

The good news is...

"The Chapel" was just featured in the LDS Music Today podcastRight up front.  I sure appreciate all the hard work Steve Larsen does to promote the wide variety of LDS music available.  A podcast is a whopping lot of work.  I've considered doing one from time to time, and each time, I've realized that I don't have the time to do it.  So, many, many thanks to Steve.  It's a great way to keep up on what's new in the scene.

The bad news is...

I've just about given up on trying to find a program that I can use to burn a "mixed mode" master copy of "The Third Time".  I've tried three or four programs already, and none of them can produce a functioning master that will play correctly both in my computer and in my car.  I may have to release the album as an audio-only CD.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.


Monday, October 18, 2010

Vhat the KHHHEKHHH?

So, you remember all of the problems I was having trying to get a decent audio master?

Well, I went through about the same hassle trying to burn a mixed-mode CD of this album to send off to my duplicator as a master.

See, I'd like to have one of those cool CD's that will play in your car or your boom box, and if you put it into your computer, it will open up and have files.  Way cool.  That's called a "Mixed Mode" CD.  I contacted the duplicator a couple of weeks ago, and they assured me that if I supplied them with an effective MM master, they'd be able to dupe it and all my CD's would have the cool files section.

But I had a mess of a time trying to find CD burning software that would handle MM burning.  I downloaded and tried three different softwares, all of which claimed to do it.  Only the third one did.  It's called "Burning Mill".  Not only did it successfully handle it, but it was intuitive and easy.  The first software I tried was not only complex, but ultimately unsuccessful.  I went through about 5 blank CD's before I figured out that it wasn't going to work.

I think that I've probably burned and thrown away about a dozen blank CD's in the attempt to get this one keeper master.  Yeesh.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Ah, So THAT's the Trouble...

Well, I finally found out why my volume levels from song to song were all skewampus.  The CD burning software was detecting different levels and evening them out!  Once I shut that off, it burned just fine.  One less step!

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

How to shape an LDS Music Album

I’m just finishing up my third album (or my fourth or fifth, depending on where you start counting), and I’m at the stage where I’m mastering the songs, and choosing the order.  There’s a lot of discussion about this, and a lot of theories.

A long time ago, I did a lot of focused listening, and I studied how songs are ordered in the big leagues.  I made a lot of notes, and much of those things I learned ended up being a part of my selection process.  Here are some thoughts.

    * The shape of your album

A song is a song, but an album is a story arc.  It starts, it journeys through the middle, and it resolves at the end.  If you keep that in mind, your album will take shape in a much better way.

    * Primacy and Recency

There’s a psychological concept called “The Primacy Effect” and another one called “The Recency Effect”.  Primacy states that people tend to remember items that are at the top of a list, or first in a series.  Recency states that people tend to remember items that happened most recently.  So, the first song and the last song (the one they’ll have heard most recently if they liste to the entire CD) are going to be critical.

This also reinforces the concept of the shape that I just mentioned.

    * Driving to Work

Back in the day before mp3’s, I would get in my car to go to work, and I would choose a CD that I wanted to listen to on the way.  I would put it in, and it play the first 3-5 songs as I went to work.  Then, I would get out of the car and go to work.

When I was done for the day, I would get in my car, choose another CD to match my mood, and drive away, listening to the first 3-5 songs of that collection.

Do you see my point, here?  The first few songs of a CD are the ones that get the most listening time.  They are very important and must be chosen with care.

    * Branding

Another reason the first few songs of a CD are critical is that they help to brand you.  This is especially true if you’re putting out your first CD.  The first few works that people hear and associate with you will be how they think of you.  Even if it’s your second or third CD, each one will still (hopefully) help you to win new fans, and so they’ll still be the first thing people hear from you. 

    * How I do it:

So, with all this in mind, here’s my thought process as I shape the order of the songs on my CD.

First, I think of myself as an artist, and I decide just how I want to be perceived.  In my case, I want to be thought of as a classic rocker, making LDS music.  If someone listened to the first three songs of this CD, what would they think of me? Since these first few cuts are critical, I choose three songs whose sound fit that image.  They must be loud and driving, and must have an uplifting theme.

It would make no sense for me to start off an album with a couple of soft ballads.  Even though I do write and perform some softer songs, I would rather be thought of as a rocker.

If you tend to make more traditional LDS music, with a softer spiritual focus, then you would do the opposite.  You would not want to start up-tempo. 

I also pick these three songs to be my best written, my best recorded, my hook-iest, strongest songs.  Since these are the ones that will get the most play, and will therefore be the most remembered, I want them to be the most memorable.

In the middle of the journey, I mix it up a bit.  Slow, fast, odd, traditional.  The order of these songs is less critical, and will change more often as I go through the process.

I want to end it on a big finish.  The last song will be something big, maybe a powerful ballad or an up-tempo romp, something that will nicely summarize the entire previous dozen songs.  Because of the Recency Effect, it also needs to be one of my strongest songs.  It must be well-written and well recorded, with memorable hooks.  It needs to help the listener feel like they just got back home after a wild ride and they can walk in the front door and kick off their shoes and relax.  It might even give them something to meditate on while they're resting.

Following this process can help you to make a CD with a stronger impact on your audience.  It will certainly help them to get to know you, as an artist, even better.  And that can change them from casual listeners into solid fans.



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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Third Time Cover?

Here's a first draft of the front cover for "The Third Time"!  Comments?


I'm no designer.  I just have fun.  I've got a couple of other possible ideas, too.  We'll see which one I use.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post, name post,

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

AAAAARRRGGHHH!

Mastering this CD has been such a headache.  I'm about to just chuck it in.

Remember those little surprise bits I was talking about?  Well, they're really cool, but they're not behaving.  I've mastered the entire CD three times, now, and I can't get the perceived volume levels to even out.  It's driving me batty!

I wish I could afford to just pay someone to do it!

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: A big, big LDS game, Free Speech?

Monday, October 04, 2010

MARK HANSEN MUSIC - JOYFUL NOISES, OCTOBER 2010

It's a very exciting time for me!  I'm almost done with "The Third Time" my next CD.  I'm hoping that by the next time you receive your "Joyful Noises" announcement, it will be ready for release.

The first step is getting the CD mastered, then assembling all of the shell graphics.  Finally, getting it to the duplicators, and launching it!  I'm thinking it will be ready by the end of October.

In addition to the 11 songs that have been created along the way, there'll be some musical bits added that haven't been available as downloads, and some extras on the disc as computer files.  I'm pretty excited.

NEW SONG!

"Long Long Time" was released for download earlier this month.  The name is quite appropriate.  It was first written over 20 years ago, when I was first married.  I had this idea for a bluesy musical based on the story of the Prodigal Son.  This song was the final ending tune.  The musical got shelved many years ago, but the tune stuck with me.  And here it is for free download! http://www.markhansenmusic.com/2010/09/long-long-time.html

You can find more songs for free download at http://www.markhansenmusic.com/2009/10/songs.html, or at http://facebook.com/ldsrockmusic (click on the "My Band" tab).

Remember that you can also buy your copy of My "Lost and Found" CD, along with the original "One United Generation". Each has 11 great songs of powerful, energetic, and uplifting LDS rock, pristinely mastered, with no voice-tags at the end!  All CD's unconditionally guaranteed.  To get your copy, click to http://www.markhansenmusic.com/2009/10/cds.html

FACEBOOK

I'm still working on my goal of 1000 friends on Facebook!  I'd love to see you all join me!  Click to http://facebook.com/ldsrockmusic and become a fan!  Not only do you get the latest news, but you can join in the interaction with others.

SHOWS

As always, I'm looking to schedule performances with LDS ward and stake youth groups.  Simply email me at mrkhmusic@yahoo.com, or go to http://www.markhansenmusic.com/2009/10/firesides-and-activities.html

As always, thanks so much for your kindness and support.  If you don't want to get any more mailers from me, simply send me a note at mrkhmusic@yahoo.com, and I'll remove you from my list.

Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com


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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.


Saturday, October 02, 2010

One o' THOSE Days...

Today was a very, very frustrating day.  For the last two days, I've been trying to master the CD, and trying to make the songs all sound consistent in overall tone and volume level.  That's tricky when the songs were done over the course of two to three years.  I've burned three masters over the last few days, and they're still not balanced.

For a while, I lost track of which files I was using for the mastering.  So, I had to burn a couple of test CD's to play in my car and see.  The upshot of all this is that I have to start from scratch with my original mix files and remaster the whole thing.

*sigh*

But I'll keep trying.  It'll have to wait a few days.  I'm sitting up in the hospital with my son, who caught a germy bug in his lungs.  He's getting better...


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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Preliminary Master

Last night, I assembled all of the mixes of all of the tunes that I've done for "The Third Time".  It was kind of an interesting trip down memory lane, because I've been working on these tunes for about three or four years, now.  Some of them were first written even years before that.  It's a long, slow process, innit?

But anyway, on my way in to work, I was listening to the CD, as a whole, to see the flow of the songs.  I think I've got a good, strong mix of tunes.  There are some ballads and some rockers.  Some are mainstream in their approach and sound, and others are more experimental.  Some are positive, others are more dark.  It's all an expression of that complexity that is Mark. 

I'm kinda weird that way.

I was surprised how sloppy I'd gotten as well.  As I'd finished up many of these songs, I hadn't printed final wav mixes, just the mp3's that go on the site.  So, I had to re-open up the original Cubase tracking files and print off a mix.  While I was at it, of course, I printed off minus tracks, and mp3's.  I'm contemplating including mp3's and minus track mp3's on the CD as a bonus files section.  I'll have to see what my duplicator can do.

As I was listening to it, I realized that I'll need to go through and master the whole thing, to get even volume levels and a more consistent sound.  When the productions are scattered out over three years, their not so consistent.  And flaws abound.  Of course, I've been listening to these tunes all these years.  I know them inside and out, and I know all the mistakes.  Oh, well!  Hopefully you won't hear them as much as I do!

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Long, Long Time

Listen and download the song, free, here.

A long, long time ago (pun maliciously intended), I wrote a musical play called “Prodigal”.  It was all based on the story of the prodigal son, obviously, but it was unique from other dramatic treatments of the story in several ways.

First, it was a rock musical.  Specifically, it was a blues musical.  All of the tunes were blues-based. 

Second, it dealt with the repentance of the prodigal, not with the resentment of the righteous son.  It was all about how the prodigal came to realize that he needed to go back home, and making the decision to do it.  In fact, the play ended as the lead character, named Jacob, leaves the stage to return home to his father.  As he does so, he sings this song.

Luke 15:11-24

Long Long Time
By Mark Hansen

It’s been a long long time since I felt this way
It’s been a long long time since I knelt to pray
It’s been a long long day and a long long way back home

It’s been a long long road I’ve been walking down
It’s been a long hard fight just to turn around
It’s been a long long way but I’m finally bound for home

Choruses
Long long time
Long long time
Long long day
And a long long way back home

I can see my father smile
His face is pure without guile
But fair is fair and justice grim
I will be a servant to him

It was a long time ago that I left my home
It was along the road that I found my own
It was a long row to hoe but I’m finally going home

Choruses

I can see my father’s tears
I can hear his rejoicing cheers
What a joy to feel what a joy to live
To hear him say, son I forgive

It’s been a long long time since I felt this way
It’s been a long long time since I knelt to pray
It’s been a long long day and a long long way back home


Steve Hill  Drums

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post, name post,

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Long Long Time is almost Done!

OK, I just did a mix of "Long, Long Time".  If this mix works out over the next few days, I'll call it done and upload it!

I've got to learn to thin out my arrangements.  It's tough to find places to put all the instruments I add to my tunes.  That makes it very tough to mix.  But it just sounds so full... 

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A Fun Surprise for the CD!

I spent tonight working more and more on the CD, and I am sooo stoked.  I cut harmony vocals for "Long Long Time", and that's sounding hot.  Now all I have to do is tweak the horns, comp the lead vocals, and mix it.  I'll easily have it done by the end of the month.

Then, I spent some time working on a really cool surprise that will be only available on the CD.  Just a little extra flava for those that purchase...  I'm really excited about that.  It was a lot of fun getting that ready tonight.

Once the last song, and the surprise is all mixed, then the only thing left to do is master it, and do the graphics.  I'll be the whole thing will be done and released by the end of October!  That's my goal, anyway...

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: The Seekers - LDS Scripture Mastery Game

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Trumpets and Guitars!

Today, I spent a little time working on the tracks for "Long Long Time".  I put in the horns and lead guitar.  I had to download and install a soundfont player, and find some brass sounds, because I couldn't find real live trumpet players.  It works for this particular tune.  I'd rather have them played live, of course, but I have to work with what I've got access to.

I put in lead guitar as well, and it was amazing how simple it fell into place.  I just hit record and started wailing.  With one stop and restart, it actually went down in one straight take (after a few dry run warmups).

This tune is really exciting.  It would be a great one to end a show with. Anyone want me to come sing for them?  Anyone?  Anyone?

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Little Drummer Boy

Last night I had a visit from a long-time friend.  Steve and I go way, way back.  When I was a lot younger, and first getting going in LDS music, he lived in my ward in West Jordan.  He's a drummer, and he was in a band with his brother, Ron.  He and I and Rick, another musician friend got together occasionally and talked music stuff, but we never really got together and jammed or did the band thing. 

Then Steve moved and eventually ended up in Woods Cross, and he and I kept in touch.  I played bass for him and Ron for a couple of weeks.  Ron has also helped me a lot in my quest for making good LDS music.

Over the years, Steve and I have kept in touch, and he's played the drum tracks on a lot of the tunes on my CD's.  The most recent ones have been "The Spin" and "Long Long Time". 

Last night, I finally got to pay him back some.  He's been working on his own tunes and his own debut CD, as a writer, singer, and producer, as well as drummer.  I really like his work, and so, I get to help him promote it, but setting up his web presence!  I'd really like to encourage everyone to check his work out.  For the moment, the address is stevehilltunes.blogspot.com.  Once the domain name is fully set up and propagated, it will be stevehilltunes.com.  Give his work a spin!

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Lead Vocals on "Long Long Time"

And to think I almost didn't include this song in the CD!

It's funny.  For a long time (pun intended), all I had for this tune was a really, really bad scratch recording.  Looped drums, sloppy guitars, bad vocals and even problematic lyrics.  I kept debating if it was the right tune.  But the CD needed a blues tune, and it kept haunting me in the back of my mind.  So, I did it anyway.

It strikes me as odd how the last tunes of my CD's always seem to come together.  I put off working on them, because the other songs feel stronger, or more exciting, and I'm not as confident in them.  But as I start to work out the parts and get the tracking polished, these songs grow on me and often become among my personal favorites.

Anyway, I tracked the lead vocals and worked out harmony vocals.  I'm excited by them, and they all get the exact effect I was hearing in my head.  I seriously think, however, that I'm going to have a female singer do them.  They're a bit high for me, and I think it would be "bluesier" if they were done by a girl.

Also, I've been practicing "Tenth and Main" a lot as well.  I'm getting very excited about that one, too.  I want to get this one done before I start tracking it, though.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: Dutch Oven Braised Chicken, Chapter and Verse game news!

Monday, August 09, 2010

Long Long Time

Now that "The Chapel" is done, I've been turning my attention to the final song of the set: "Long Long Time".  This one is very appropriately named.  I originally wrote it around 18-20 years ago, when Jodi and I were newly married, or at least moreso than we are now.  It was intended to be a part of a play about the Prodigal Son.

So, now I'm recording it (finally), and I'm reworking it.  Help me out!  Take a look at these lyrics and tell me (use the comments section below):

  1. What is the strongest line?
  2. What is the weakest line?
  3. What is the overall message of the song?
Thanks!

+++++


Long Long Time

By Mark Hansen


It’s been a long long time since I felt this way
It’s been a long long time since I knelt to pray
It’s been a long long day and a long long way back home

It’s been a long hard road I’ve been walking down
It’s been a long hard fight just to turn around
It’s been a long long way but I’m finally bound for home

Chorus:
A long long time
A long long time
A long long day and a long long way back home

Bridge
As I walk away the miles
I wanna see my father’s smile
But fair is fair and justice grim
I will be a servant to him

It was a long time ago that I left my home
It was along the road that I found my own
It was a long row to hoe, but I’m finally going home

Chorus:

Bridge 2
I wanna see my father’s eyes
I wanna hear his joyful cries
How sweet to feel, how sweet to live
To hear him say, son I forgive

It’s been a long long time since I felt this way
It’s been a long long time since I knelt to pray
It’s been a long long day and a long long way back home

Chorus:

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: A Spiritual Epiphany, Dutch Oven Turkey 

Saturday, July 31, 2010

The Chapel

Listen and download the song, free, here.

I wrote this one a long time ago, one winter night on my way home from work.  The words and the melody started forming in my head, and I kept pulling over to type each idea into my PDA.  Finally, I realized that I would just have to stop and do it all, so I pulled off the main road, and into a parking lot.  I sat under a big light and wrote out the rest of the first draft. 

Satisfied, I restarted my engine, and started to pull out.  It was then that I noticed that I was in an LDS church parking lot.  I chuckled at the “lucky” irony...

Then, years later, I started working on recording this song.  The album “The Third Time” needed an acoustic number, so I chose this one.  In the middle of the recording process, they divided and reorganized our ward.  We suddenly found ourselves in among strangers again.  The song reminded me that we’re really not strangers at all. 

Eph. 2: 19 


The Chapel
Written, produced, and performed by Mark Hansen

Susan's been married just under a year
They like the pews up front, so they can hear
She's had a rough time and her youth was unclear
Now she's fighting to get past her mistakes and her fear

With eyes that neither condemn nor condone
He loves her and raises her child as his own

Chorus
In every city the chapel's the same
Like the people who step up and ask me my name
And the words that they say and the feelings I've known
I guess that's why it feels like home
That's why it feels like home

Tommy, he always sits quiet in back
It's been a long, long time, and he's been off track
He's just been finding all the things that he lacked
His wife is his strength, but even she almost cracked

Though the cravings are sometimes too hard to forget
It's been six months since his last cigarette

Chorus

John can  count the days by the books that he's read
He's long and thinning like the hairs on his head
He always questions everything that is said
But he'll lend you an ear and bring a fresh loaf of bread

Surrounded by people who've been through it all
Somehow my struggles seem to be very small

Chorus

Jason Jones   Drums

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post, name post,

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Revising Tenth and Main

Here’s why it’s good to have songwriter friends, that can read things over and give you advice.  I sent a copy of my new lyrics to the LDSMusicians email group, along with some questions, and Julie wrote me back.  She’s a great writer, and almost always spot on in her critiques.  Plus, she’s learned how to tell her criticisms in ways that don’t hurt feelings!  Very important!

She said:

“Hey Mark,

“I really like what you've got here. Wish I could here the music to go with it. Since you have the chorus right off, which can be so cool, I get the feeling this is at least a mid-tempo song. Since you have your first four lines of the first verse entirely of the same rhyme ending reading it feels a little forced, but the music obviously would add all the difference and soften that. I really like the line "Each bite tasted so much richer than the last one I'd buy". Good visual there. Your pre-chorus lines of verse two "I don't remember why I felt so full so long ago. I need to find the place where I felt what I needed to know" work okay, but (just my opinion here) could be stronger visually and a bit more powerful to me, especially since it's the lead into your second chorus and I'm sure comes with a big build. Way cool, let us here it as soon as you can.

“Julie

“PS, you are on the verge of country here which means it would have to be country rock, because you are Mark Hansen, and turn the verses into a story if you dare to go there.”


I think she’s right in a lot of her comments.  I, personally, kinda like my rhyme scheme, so, for now, I’m not changing that.  However, I knew those lines at the end of the climbs were weak to begin with.  I could tell that even as I wrote them.  So, when she pointed that out, I knew they needed to be changed. 

There were a few other minor tweaks that I put in as I was practicing up at the hospital the other day.  Here’s the newest, most current version:




Tenth and Main

By Mark Hansen
7/27/2010

Intro Chorus
There used to be a church at the corner of tenth and main
When I was a kid, I used to go there again and again
I went to find some hope, a break from the fear and pain
I remember the love at the corner of tenth and main


Verse 1

The city streets are alive with the breath of commotion
They give me whatever I want, when I have the notion
They try to fill my empty soul with coins and potions
But mostly they just keep me spinning around in motion

I'm looking for the place where I stood so long ago
I need to find the place that I thought I had outgrown

Chorus:

I need to find the church at the corner of tenth and main
When I was a kid, I used to go there again and again
I need to find some hope here at the corner of fear and pain
I remember the love at the corner of tenth and main


Verse 2:

There was so much out in the great big world to buy
Each bite tasted so much richer than the last one I'd tried
I wanted to know them all and to make them mine
The emptiness that haunts me now is keeping me crying

I don't remember why I felt so full so long ago
I need to find the place where where my cup used to overflow

Chorus

Instrumental verse

I'm looking for the place where I stood so long ago
I know I turned and walked away from it, but even so...

Chorus
Can you help me find the church at the corner of tenth and main
When I was a kid, I used to go there again and again
Help me find some hope here at the corner of fear and pain
I remember the love at the corner of tenth and main


I’m going to throw this open to you folks as well.  As you read this, do you have any suggestions or ideas?  Here are some questions you can answer that will help me refine it even more:

  • What’s the main point/message of the song?  Can you sum up the song in one short statement?
  • What’s the strongest line?
  • What’s the weakest line?
  • What do you like best about the song?
  • What do you like least about the song?

Just pop your ideas into the comments box below.  If this works out, I might do this with all of the tunes I write!

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Mark's Other Blog Posts: Dutch Oven Swirled Bread Redux, New LDS Church Members Website, name post,

Saturday, July 24, 2010

New Song Written: "Tenth and Main"

I wrote a new song this morning!  Actually, it's more accurate to say that I finished a new song this morning.  I started it with a gem of an idea a few weeks ago.  It started when I was in Downtown Salt Lake City, noticing the bustle and busy-ness of the city, and all of the activities and choices available.  I got to thinking that all of those distractions could easily pull someone away from a spiritually-focused life.

Like "The Taker", it started as an "imaginary biography" sort of song.  These are songs that tell a story of a person's place in life, and, instead of being my own life, it's an imaginary person telling the story.  In reality, however, it always ends up having a lot of parallels to my own life, and it ends up being more auto-biographical than imaginary.

For me, personally, it's about feeling disconnected to God.  There are often times in my life when I'm less spiritually-minded.  I've never actually left the church, but I have gone through times when I'm very distracted by work and other goals.  I guess right now I'm feeling like I need to find my own chapel inside and get back to it more often.


Tenth and Main

Chorus
I need to find the church at the corner of tenth and main
When I was a kid, I used to go there again and again
I need to find some hope here at the corner of fear and pain
I remember the love at the corner of tenth and main


Verse 1

The city streets are alive with the breath of commotion
They give me whatever I want, when I have the notion
They try to fill my empty soul with coins and potions
But mostly they just keep me spinning around in motion

I'm looking for the place where I stood so long ago
I need to find the place where I felt what I needed to know


Verse 2:

There was so much out in the great big world to try
Each bite tasted so much richer than the last one I'd buy
I wanted to savor them all and to make them mine
But the emptiness that haunts me now is keeping me crying

I don't remember why I felt so full so long ago
I need to find the place where I felt what I needed to know


Chorus



Just on a whim, I wondered if there really was a church at the corner of tenth and main, in Salt Lake.  I went to Googlemaps to see.  As you can see from the link, it's just businesses.

The funny thing was, however, that it's only about a block away from the building that housed Suite Sound Studio, where I got my start in the SLC music scene.  Looking at the building now brought back some memories.



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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A Lesson in Patience and Listening

So, last night was a really bad night, and a really good night, both in one.  As I came home from work, I was feeling very frustrated with a lot of things, but particularly my progress (or lack of it) in the LDS music world.

I had decided that I was going to do some work on my computer and fix a bug that had been getting in the way of my continued work on “The Chapel”.  Actually, I had decided to do that the night before, but a whole bunch of other things in the cosmic scheme had gotten in the way and I couldn’t get it done.  

So, I tried to fix it, and no matter what I did, it wouldn’t work right.  And the error it was generating was a deal-breaker.  I mean, I couldn’t just work around it and deal with it.  When the error happened (which was about every two to three minutes), it stopped the recording.  I even reinstalled Cubase and Windows.  Nothing worked.

So, in an angry huff, I stormed upstairs, and went to bed.  At that moment, I was about ready to give up.  If my studio was down, it was over.  I don’t have the money to get a better computer or upgrade Cubase, and I didn’t see how I could proceed.

So, while I was sitting there, watching Law and Order, trying to cool off, the thought pierced through my head, “Check the latency”.  My first thought, in response, was that I had already checked the latency.  So I sat there, fuming.

The thought didn’t come back, but it nagged at me.  I had checked the latency, because that is what normally produces the kind of problem I was having.  But I had only tweaked the settings to decrease the latency.  I hadn’t increased it.  That usually makes other problems.  I thought, “That won’t fix it...  Will it?”  I decided that before I gave up completely and consigned myself to a life without music, I should at least give that a try, right?

So, I got up and went back downstairs.  You already know what happened.  It worked, it fixed the issue.  Recording with the higher latency wasn’t as problematic as I thought it would be, and I got all of the lead vocals cut, the harmony vocals, and the acoustic lead guitar.  So, I’m very grateful that I got that inspiration to push through my frustration and just keep moving on.

At this point, the tracking for the song is complete.  There are still a lot of tasks I need to do before the final mix, like cleaning up some timing issues, and comping the vocals.  I might have this tune done within a couple of weeks, tops.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: Immigration Madness, Dutch Oven Berried Chicken

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Congas, Shakers, and Strums, Oh MY!

I put some more tracks down on "The Chapel" tonight.  It's really shaping up.  It's been so easy to decide what to do on this one, because it's such a simple, traditional ballad.  I added some light congas (sampled), some shaker in the chorus, and some light broken chords on the electric as well.  It's really sounding full, now!

That means that I only have to cut an acoustic lead guitar part, and then resing the lead vocals.  I'm not even convinced that it needs backing vocals.  Probably not.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: Farmer's Market Pasta, When it's OK to Burn a Flag 

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Drums, Bass on "The Chapel"

So, Jason sent me over his drum files today, and I imported them.  They're perfectly tasty for such an easy-going song as this one.  Really, this one is so different from so much of the rest of the album.  There's a lot of driving rock, and bombastic power ballads, and this one is quiet and intimate.  Jason interpreted it perfectly.

Then, I added the bass line.  Again, it's simple and straightforward.  It should all be done pretty soon!

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: What Do We Know, Really?, Moroccan Lamb Tagine in a Dutch Oven! 

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Making LDS Music: Three Kinds of Songs

It has been said, and I strongly agree with it, that it is the job of great art to "Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  I don't know who said it.  A google search will turn up a lot of widely varied attributions.  I don't really care who said it first.  I'm saying it again.

Great art is art that accomplishes something.  It doesn't just sit there on the wall.  Great songs will have something to say, and say it clearly, and say it well.

Let's take a look, shall we?

  • Comfort the Afflicted

Art that comforts is beautiful.  It soothes where before was conflict.  It's like a good friend listening while you break down bawling.  It offers you answers to questions that don't really have good answers, like "Why?"  At least, it makes it so you might not need the answers so badly.

Writing songs like this often come out of my own suffering, and my own struggle to answer those questions.  I think that makes the songs more personal and empathetic.

Possibly the best song of this kind that has ever eased my pain is, "Come, Come Ye Saints".  This isn't a song about saying that "All is well" and ignoring the troubles.  It's all about getting through the difficulty and the struggle and realizing that "All is Well" anyway.  If we die, then happy day!  If we live, then we'll make the chorus swell!  It was the early saints saying, "Hey, it's all good!"

Why has that song resonated with people through a century?  Because it comforts the afflicted.

  • Afflict the Comfortable

Another approach to art is to afflict the comfortable.  I like this kind of art a lot, because it challenges me, both personally, and as a member of society.  This is art that shakes me out of my comfort zone, and shows me that I need to be doing something to fix a problem. 

Here's another apocryphal quote:  I seem to remember hearing an interview with Pete Townshend (one of my songwriting heroes), where he said that if we listen to his music and we don't come away with a black eye or a bloody nose, then he didn't do his job.

This approach brought us masterpieces like "Won't get Fooled Again", "Baba O'Reily", and "The Seeker".

In my own writing, there are times that I've strived for this kind of impact, like "Millstones", "The Sun Shone Through the Windows", "Long Haired Weirdo", and "Martyrs".  I don't always land the punch, and not all songs should be "black eye songs", but it's something that I aim for.

It comes with a "tell it like it is" with "no punches pulled" kind of approach to writing.  When you see something wrong, you have to write about it.  And you have to have the personal honesty to see when you're the one doing the wrong thing.


  • Comforting the Comfortable

One kind of song that bothers me a lot, and that I hope I can avoid in my career, are the songs that just comfort the comfortable.  In reality, the vast majority of everyone's catalog, even my own, fall in this category.  These are the songs that, even if they're popular, are essentially meaningless.  They don't challenge you, they don't make you feel any better, and they don't take you anywhere.  You're already comfortable, and the song just lets you be there.  Static, ungrowing, unchanging.

  • What does this have to do with LDS music?

All of LDS music falls into one of these three categories.  Comforting the afflicted takes a lot of emotional investment in your art, and afflicting the comfortable requires a level of intensity that's tough to maintain, so most artists don't achieve this level in every song they write.  Still, it's something I hope we all strive for in as many songs as we can.



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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: Hot Bread in a Dutch Oven 

Saturday, May 29, 2010

The Spin

Download or Play the song for FREE!

This is a fun one.  I wrote it a long time ago, like, several years.  Actually, I think I initially wrote it when I was working on "One United Generation".  At the time I thought it was too derivative of another song, so I didn't do anything with it.  Over the years, I realized that it drew influence from a lot of other songs, so much so that it seemed to have just about every classic rock cliche in it somewhere.

At any rate, it just kept nagging at me, in the back of my head, until I finally decided to bring it out of mothball, rewrite it a little bit, and do some tricks in the arrangement.  In the end, you can still hear a lot of the influences, but, in my ears, at least, it's still fresh.

The lyrics are all about my cynicism regarding politics.  So often I see people get polarized by the partisan rhetoric that flies around, and they don't see that this year's party platform is built on planks stolen from last year's platform of the other party!  It all just seems to me to be so much bickering.  In the end, each party tries to spin their temporarily-held "beliefs" in an attempt to win our votes. 

I get pretty frustrated by it all, but I still vote.  I still play the game.

Anyway, here's the song!

Another thing!  This one features scatting vocals from my good friend Sam Payne.  He's one of my songwriting heroes!



The Spin
By Mark Hansen

Download or Play the song for FREE!


Spin it for the left Spin it for the right
Spinning up the peace Spinning up the fight
Spin it in the speeches Spin it for the vote
Spin it for the winner Spin it for the goat

Climb
Spinning all around the world
like a whirling rush of leaves
first they talk like liberals
And next, conservatives

Chorus
The world is spining round and round
I falling tumbling to the ground
The world is spining to and fro
I’m so dizzy don't know where to go
The world is caught up in the Spin

Spin it to the poor man Who can’t get around
Spin it to the rich man With no money down
Spin it to the atheists Spin it to the church
Spin it to the hedonists Caught up in the urge

Climb
I just don’t know who’s in charge
Or who I’m voting for
One day my agenda’s clear
And the next, don't know what’s in store

Chorus

Spin it to the bosses Spin it to labor
Spin it to me or Spin it at my neighbor
Spin it to the criminal  Spin it to the law
Spin it to the victims Spin it to us all

Climb
One day an idea dies
The next it resurrects
I’ll just hold to what I know
And be politically incorrect

Chorus

Produced and Performed by Mark Hansen, Except:
Drums: Steve Hill
Lead Guitar: Bill Williams
Scat Vocals: Sam Payne



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Mark's Other Blog Posts: Dutch Oven Tamales! 

Monday, May 17, 2010

Ronnie James Dio 1942-2010

Ronnie James Dio died today, at 67, of stomach cancer.  Facebook is all abuzz with the news.  There are many, many expressions of sympathy at his official fan page.  There are obituaries and reviews all over the net, too.

I admit that I was never a big, big fan of Dio.  Most of his songs were too dark for my tastes.  Even still, there were a few songs that I really, really liked.  Whenever "Rainbow in the Dark" or "Last in Line" were to come on the radio, for example, I cranked it.  The opening chords of "Rainbow", with the keyboard arpeggios just rocked so hard.  I loved it.

I always had a hard time figuring out his lyrics, too.  They always seemed to be just vague, rambling expressions of angst and "misplacement".  Maybe that's why they resonated with their audience so well.

His sound did influence me a time or two, most notably in "Dance With the Devil".  In a lot of ways, I was thinking about those sorts of "dark" rock musicians, and the darker parts of me when I wrote that one.

One thing that I've always admired of about Dio, is that he never gave up.  He started small, he got pretty big in the 80's, and then his popularity faded as the 90's came.  Still, he never went away.  He kept reworking his act and presenting it back to the public.  In spite of the fact that he never recaptured his former glory, he just kept on going.  That kind of tenacity and persistence I admire.

So, today, I will crank out "Last in Line", and then "Dance with the Devil" in tribute.


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Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post, name post,

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Making LDS Music - Recording Vocals

My friend, Kirk, made a topic request.  Just like a musician likes it when someone in the audience requests a song, a writer likes it when someone requests a topic.  He asked about recording and mixing vocals.  Here are some thoughts:

First of all, when recording vocals, it's important to remember one thing that's really true of all recording:  It's much easier to do a great recording of something great. 

Let me clarify: I'm not a great singer.  I am a better singer than I used to be, but I'm not great.  All the tricks in the studio can help me sound like an even better singer than I am, but they won't make me sound great.  They can compensate for this or that weakness in my voice, but they won't make me sound great.  To truly sound great in the studio, you have to BE a great singer.

And, trust me, in the LDS music world, there are some GREAT singers!

Now, having said that, keep in mind that there are a lot of very famous, very rich vocalists, who are NOT great singers.  They are rich and famous for other things, like being great songwriters or entertainers.  Bruce Springsteen comes to mind when I think of these artists, as does Bob Dylan.

Still, there are a lot of things you can do in the studio that will enhance the final result.

First of all, get a decent mic.  A large diaphragm condenser mic will capture the high-end "air" of a vocal much better than a hand-held dynamic mic with a foam ball on the end of it.  Those are used on stage because they are very durable and can stand up to a beating, not because they're the best sounding vocal mics.  The fact that they are LESS sensitive (especially in the high frequency ranges) actually makes them BETTER suited for the stage, where feedback is a bigger problem. 

So, if you can, get a decent mic.  They're not very expensive these days.

Second, get a mesh "pop" screen, because you're going to be singing into this mic "up close and personal", with your nose two to three inches away from the mic.  If you don't, every time you sing a "P" or a "B" (called "plosives"), you'll sound like a beat-boxer.  If you can't get a pop screen, make one by stretching some panty hose material over a coat-hanger wire.

Second, adjust your input gain to a decent level, so you're getting a good strong signal.  Watch that, because you warm up, and start getting into the song, you will often start singing stronger and a bit louder.

Third, set up your compression.  Few singers, even the best, can keep their sound levels even.  It's not in the nature of speaking or singing.  Set up your compression lightly, not heavy.  Set it so that you're only gently shaving off the top of the peaks, reducing the overall gain at the loudest parts by a few dB.  Too much compression will change the sound, and you'll be able to hear it.

Fourth, sometimes I'll add a little high-end tweak in the EQ as I'm recording.  Don't mess with the recording, in-bound, EQ too much, because once you've recorded it, it's set.  It's much easier to make changes like that in the mix.

Finally, make sure that you can hear a good blend of your backing tracks and your voice in your headphones.  For me, hearing my voice strong, with just a little reverb for sweetening will make me more confident in my voice and I'll sing stronger and better.  Remember not to RECORD the reverb, though, just have it in the headphones.  You'll want to adjust and lock in the reverb and other effects in the mix.

Now, you're ready to sing.

Before all else (because this is an article on making LDS music), I try to remember to say a prayer before I sing.  Remember: 2 Ne. 32: 9

Sing the song all the way through a couple of times.  You can do this just monitoring, or you can actually record.  You'll probably not keep these tracks anyway.  They're just for warmups.  I usually record them, because, hey, you never know...  You might get something great before your voice gets tired.  It doesn't usually happen.

At this point there are a couple of ways you can go through the song and get the best possible performance.  They each have advantages and disadvantages.

One approach is to sing the song line by line, using "punch-in" and "punch-out" recording to fix one line at a time, until you get it right.  You sing it, listen to it, and then redo it if you need to.  The advantage to this method is getting immediate feedback on how it sounds.  If it needs fixing, you do it immediately.  The main disadvantage is that it can be tough to maintain emotional energy over and over again, one line at a time.  This method is easier when you have a vocal producer coaching you through the song, telling you when you need to go back and redo a line.

Another approach to this method is that you can fatten up your sound by "doubling" the track.  You set up two tracks and you sing the same line twice.  Almost all pop stars do this these days.  The trick is to match exactly what you sang before, in both pitch and timing.  This is easier to do if you're singing the song line by line.

The approach I use is a little easier when you're recording alone, which I do most of the time.  Before recording, I set up ten or so empty tracks, and set up the compression and reverb, etc...  Then, I sing the song through, recording, ten times.  One right after the other.  The final step is "comping" or making a composite track from all of the raw tracks.  I listen to each line, one track at a time, and pick the best take.  Then, I assemble a completed track from all of the best puzzle pieces. 

The main disadvantage of this method is that I usually do the comping on a different day, so if all of the tracks on a particular line aren't great, it's tough to go back and fix that one.  A big advantage is that I can try out different stylistic things, and pick the one that worked the best.

Once the lead vocals and all of the other tracks are done, it's time to mix.

I actually start mixing with the lead vocals.  That's the focal point that all other things relate to.  You can read more about that approach to mixing here.

There are several in-mix tricks you can use to improve your sound and performance.  One is a mimic of the "doubling" I mentioned before.  Simply duplicate the track, and delay the copy by a few milliseconds.  Then, adjust the volume of the secondary track so that it's not as noticeable, and merely an enhancement of the primary track.

Auto-tune is a big deal these days.  It's a processor that analyzes the pitch you sing and adjusts it to the closest correct note.  In theory, it's a way to fix little pitch errors in a vocal track.  I, personally, have problems using it, because sometimes it will correct my pitch to the wrong note.  That's right, sometimes I don't even sing well enough to use autotune.  I must hang my head in shame.

EQ (Equalization) is another issue.  As you're listening to the vocal track, you'll want it to sound as natural as possible. Sometimes, to do that, I have to add a little high end.  If it's a backing vocal track, I'll want it to sound a little more thin and distant, so I'll take out a bit at 500 hz or lower. 

There are many many more things that could be said about the vocals in recording and mixing.  The bottom line is: The better it sounds before it even gets to the mic, the better it will be when it's all done.



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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.


Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Where Do the Ideas for LDS Music Come From?

Getting ideas can, at times, be the most difficult part of songwriting.  It shouldn't be, because songs and ideas are all around us.  As an LDS Musician, it should be easy to find them.  Like a picture is worth a thousand words, a day that you've lived is where you can find a thousand songs.

Here are some suggestions for the best sources for good songs, not in any particular order:

  • God himself

There are times when a song just comes to me.  Often this happens as I've been mulling over a concept or an idea.  Sometimes that idea is musical, other times it's lyrical.  Then, suddenly, a song is there in my head.  When this happens, I attribute it to God.  The best way to make LDS music, is to rely on God, Himself.

Be careful, though.  In my life, God inspires lots of creativity, but he still expects me to work it out.  Just because he dropped something in my lap doesn't mean he wants me to just have it.  I still tweak it and rewrite it, and often that process is just as inspired as the initial idea.

  • Reading scriptures

I've written lots of songs inspired by the scriptures.  "Martyrs" is a great example, referring not only to the Book of Mormon, but Latter-Day history as well.  Surprisingly, my rapped verse in "Shine the Light" is littered with scriptural references.  Just jump in and read your scriptures and you'll find lots of things to write about.  And not just me, but there are many LDS Musicians that draw from the scriptures.  I love Sam Payne's "Brother's Road", for example.

  • Living life

Don't just sit in your house and expect songs to come to you.  You're out there, you're living your life.  You're going to work, meeting people, going to church, doing your things...  All of these activities can be sources of ideas for songs.  Who are the people you interact with?  What are their stories?  Adapt those into songs.  "Two Houses" is an example of a song I wrote because of an interaction with some friends.  "The First Step" was written for the baptism of a friend of mine's daughter.

  • Reading the news

The primary song says, "Now we have a world where people are confused/If you don’t believe it, go and watch the news..."  My advice is the same, go and watch the news, and you'll see lots of ideas. And don't just watch the news, but be aware of the world around you. 

  • Interacting with other arts

Other arts can give you ideas as well.  Other songs, plays, books, paintings, etc... 

  • People watching

Sometimes, when I'm bored and waiting in places that are public, I'll people-watch.  I'll see what people are doing, and then I'll invent stories about them.  I'll imagine who they're waiting for at the airport, or what they're shopping for at the mall.  These stories give me ideas for songs.

"Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs..."  What's wrong with that?  Nothing, I guess, except that there's so much more out there to write about.  If you can talk about it, you can sing about it.  I once told a student to walk out her back door and tell me the first thing she saw.  It was her swimming pool.  "How am I going to write a song about my swimming pool?"  She was confused.

Well, we talked about ideas.  What if she threw a pool party and nobody came?  A song about lonliness.  A song about having things (the pool) but nobody to share it with.  What if it rains while she's swimming?  A song about enjoying herself in difficult times (it might be raining, but I'm already wet!).  There are a million possibilities.

What will your next song be about?


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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: Dutch Oven Split Pea Soup

Monday, May 10, 2010

The First Step, and The Next Step

A long time ago, when Jodi and I were first married, we had some friends, another couple.  I'd met both Jodi and Cathy at about the same time in my life.  I married Jodi and Cathy married Dave.  Throughout our marriages, we've always remained good friends, but sometimes we were closer than others, mostly for practical reasons.  When we moved out to Eagle Mountain, for example, we kinda lost contact for a while.

When their daughter was eight, and getting ready to be baptized, they asked me to sing a song at her baptism.  I thought at the time, "I'll do them one better - I'll write a new song for the baptism".  So, I got to thinking about what I would want to say to an 8 year old that's taking that "first step" in the gospel.  That's where I got the idea and the title.

It took me a long, long time to actually get the song recorded however.  By the time it was done, she was a teenager, in the Young Women's program.

Well, this last week, I got to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and see her be sealed in marriage.  I had a hard time believing she was 20 already.

So, I thought a lot about the song.  I don't know if it had much impact on her life.  I do know that she must've made a lot of good choices along the way, or she wouldn't have been kneeling across the altar from her sweetheart, pledging her life (temporal and eternal) to be with him.  It was cool to think that I might've played a small part in that.

Here's a link where you can listen to the song.

The First Step

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
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Friday, April 30, 2010

Jammin' With Brendon

Last night was kind of a landmark night for me.  A wonderful father-son bonding time.  Let me set it up for you.

About six months ago, Brendon started taking drum lessons.  He had a really lame kit that was barely better than a toy, but he practiced some, and learned a lot at his lessons.  Around Christmas time, we got a good deal on a moderate electronic drum kit.  He kept playing and practicing, and taking lessons.

Finally, he got to the point where he can keep a basic steady beat with the kick, a hi-hat or a ride, and the snare. 

Last night, I was supposed to have the guys come over and practice a few more of my tunes, but they all had conflicts, so I was understanding, but still a little disappointed. So, I got Brendon over to the drums, and he and I jammed for just a little bit.  I admire him, because I can't play with both feet and both hands.  It was too much fun.  We decided that we were going to try to get him into the elementary school end-of-year talent show and I would play along.  It'll be fun.

As a musician, it was a real thrill to finally be able to play music with my son on this level.  We've played at various things before, but never before where he was so steady and connected to it.  Lots of fun.

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Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: name post, name post, name post,

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